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These are links and QR codes to the many booklists created on topics great for storytime featuring books that are in the Humboldt County Library Collection.

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"We build programs that educate our allies, connect parents in safe and supportive environments and join with others so our community can flourish."

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WHAT WE DO COMMUNITY IMPACT We build programs that educate our allies, connect parents in safe and supportive environments and join with others so our community can flourish. *Most recent [...]

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We appreciate Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise, First 5 Humboldt, and Humboldt Literacy Project for helping make this project possible. Thank you for your commitment to early literacy and the families in our Humboldt County community!

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Talk, Sing, Read, Write, Play... that's what it's all about!

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So you have an interview coming up with a local TV or radio station or a short speaking engagement at an event or conference. Excellent! This is a great way for your library to get important early literacy messages to a lot of people in a short time. The reality is though, that you will likely only have a few short minutes to communicate a lot of information. To help you successfully meet this time challenge; we've compiled these talking points - everything the world needs to know about ECRR & Early Literacy in compelling and short points.
Please note that if you are contacted by any national press organization, (such as NPR, the Huffington Post, The New York Times, etc.) regarding your ECRR programming, we ask that you contact us (ecrr@ala.org) immediately so that we can provide you with important information and also coordinate the interview via the ALA Press Office.
First, a few tips on preparing for your interview
* Have talking points (see below for ECRR talking points). You should always go into an interview with at least three key messages or talking points that you want to make. Focus on making those points, no matter what questions are asked. Guide the interview.

* Bridge to your key messages or talking points. If a question seems off topic, bring it back around to what you want to say. For example, you might bridge by saying "That is an interesting question. I think the issue at hand is..."

* Be concise. Give answers that are brief, and always answer in complete sentences. This way the reporter will not have to edit your statement and you are less likely to be misquoted or taken out of context.

* Limit industry jargon. Use terms familiar to the general public to ensure your message is clearly communicated.

* Let us know if you plan to mention Every Child Ready to Read! Email us at ecrr@ala.org. We can answer questions or provide you with information you may need to prepare for your interview. Again, if you are contacted by any national press organization regarding your ECRR programming, it is important that you contact us ALSC/PLA immediately so that we can coordinate via the ALA Press Office.
Talking Points - Every Child Ready To Read
* Your Mission -State your library's mission regarding early childhood literacy and detail your library's early literacy programs (1 or 2 at most). Emphasize that "the library has research-based early literacy workshops and supporting materials to help parents and caregivers get children ready to read." Mention that the library's early literacy programs are derived from the American Library Association's Every Child Ready to Read program, a research-based series of practices that can help young children develop essential literacy skills that will help them get ready to read and on the right path to school readiness and student success.

* Key Message to Return to Throughout Interview - Emphasize where possible that "Learning to read begins at birth." and "Parents and caregivers are a child's first and best teacher."

* Educate listeners/viewers -Emphasize the five practices, talking, singing, reading, writing, playing - as well as the importance of parental involvement. Remind listeners that parents and caregivers are a child's first and best teachers. Let listeners know that program also is available in Spanish (if this applies to your library). Using the five simple but effective practices, parents and caregivers can help children develop early literacy skills, that will get them ready to read. Go over the five practices:

1. Talking: Talking with children helps them learn oral language, one of the most critical early literacy skills. Children learn about language by listening to parents talk and joining in the conversation.
2. Singing: Singing develops language skills. Slows down language so children can hear the different sounds in words. Helps children learn new words and information.
3. Reading: Reading together develops vocabulary and comprehension, nurtures a love for reading, and motivates children to want to learn to read.
4. Writing: Children become aware that printed letters stand for spoken words as they see print used in their daily lives.
5. Playing: Play is one of the best ways for children to learn language and literacy skills. They learn about language through playing as the activities help them put thoughts into words and talk about what they are doing.

* Personal Story - Emphasize that the library's early literacy programming is based on the ECRR research and the five practices. What is the end result of your program (that is, why should the audience care?) Add a personal story of someone (or some family) who has benefited from your programs. In addition to attending your library's programming, make it clear what listeners can do to support early childhood literacy - i.e., the five practices: Talking, Singing, Reading, Writing, Playing.

* Further Information - Library Plug- Clearly give your organization's contact information. Provide address, phone number, and website url and repeat where possible.

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So you have an interview coming up with a local TV or radio station or a short speaking engagement at an event or conference. Excellent! This is a great way for your library to get important early literacy messages to a lot of people in a short time.

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Learn about Humboldt Literacy Project's Family Literacy Parties. They're fun!

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Storyplace: The Children's Digital Library at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in North Carolina

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Storyplace: The Children's Digital Library at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in North Carolina

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Un lugar para que las familias aprendan sobre eventos, clases y acontecimientos. Enfoque a servicios en español y sin costo en Humboldt.

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A huge library of songs, rhymes, and finger plays to make storytime extra fun and special! Check out their YouTube channel too!

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If you're looking for storytimes by theme, check out our list below or visit our Pinterest boards.

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ZERO TO THREE works to ensure that babies and toddlers benefit from the early connections that are critical to their well-being and development.

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Great blog from ALA's Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) about how important storytime is along with some great links & resources.

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Storytime: What Is It Good For? - ALSC Blog

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Why do you offer storytime at your library? Is it just for entertainment? Is it to give kids and parents something to do? Is it to get them to step inside the library? Is it just because you’ve always offered storytime? Is it because storytime is what libraries have? I really try to remain nonjudgmental about everyone’s library offerings for youth. Every community is different and libraries need to be doing what’s right for their community. It means that not every library will or should offer the same programs and services. But the purposefulness of storytime is where I draw the line. Every community with young children needs programs to help them succeed in school. And that’s exactly what storytime brings to the table. I cringe when I hear a librarian say that his or her storytimes are for entertainment. Yes, storytimes are entertaining. Yes, they give kids and parents something…

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How were these built?

All our experiments are all built with freely accessible web technology such as Web Audio API, WebMIDI, Tone.js, and more. These tools make it easier for coders to build new interactive music experiences. You can get the open-source code to lots of these experiments here on Github.

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Music is for everyone. Play with simple experiments that let anyone, of any age, explore how music works.

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Shoshanna's "Homeschooling in Humboldt" ideas for field trips and exploration

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Shoshanna's "Homeschooling in Humboldt" ideas for field trips and exploration

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Shoshanna made this for a school project. Many resources are for families with school age children, but some are great for little ones too.

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LibGuides: Homeschooling Resources for Humboldt County Families: Home

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It can be overwhelming to begin or continue a Homeschooling or Independent Study journey. This guide is designed to share secular resources and ideas to help your journey flourish in Humboldt County!

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Last week we got an email asking how to build confidence in delivering a storytime, especially if you're new to the field or not used to working with young children. I wrote up these tips, and rather than having them disappear into the interwebs, I decided to share them here in case other people are looking for some ideas on how to become more confident in providing storytimes to children ages 0-5.

1. Find Songs You are Comfortable Singing

It takes some time to figure out what works for you. It may be worth spending an afternoon just listening to songs and picking out the ones you enjoy and that you think you'll remember (don't forget to factor in the nerves - I always forget things when I'm nervous). Other things I look for are the vocal range - it's harder for me to sing lower pitched songs - and repetition of lyrics. Some of my favourites that kids and parents LOVE are Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, The Elevator Song, Roly Poly, and Open Shut Them. But everyone has their favourites. Our most popular video is Mmm, Ahh Went the Little Green Frog but I honestly hardly ever sing it in storytime! Having about 5-6 songs that you are really comfortable singing was very helpful to me when I first started. It's also okay to rely on the classics - ABCs, Twinkle, Twinkle, etc. I also made a song cube and we roll it every week to determine a few songs.

2. Use the Same Hello and Goodbye Song Each Week

One of the things that keeps families coming back to my storytimes is the right mix of repetition and new material. One of the things they love is our hello and goodbye routine. I do Hello, Friends using sign language and the parents get so excited when their toddlers start signing. Having a set start and end to my storytime outline also made me feel more comfortable with storytime in general. On the same vein, I only introduce a one or two new songs a week - the kids need the repetition.

3. Choose Age Appropriate Materials

When you're first getting to know a group of kids, it's common to choose too long or too complicated books for storytime. I am a big fan of books you can sing or books that encourage participation. And I always, always practice reading the books out loud before storytime so that I know the plot, the words, and can think about any early literacy messages I want to sneak in. In terms of songs, we've got playlists for different ages: babies, toddlers, preschoolers.

4. Ask a Co-worker to Observe You (and Vice Versa)

This can be nerve wracking but getting someone to give you feedback can be a big confidence booster! They'll let you know all the things you did awesome and things you can improve. If you're not sure where you're going wrong, having another set of eyes can shed some light (or simply let you know you already rock!). Ideally, this person would be someone who also does storytime and can look for things like book selection, pacing, interaction with kids, early literacy message, etc. On the flip side, try to observe as many other storytimers as possible. I've gotten so many good ideas from watching my colleagues, and it's perfectly acceptable to take the things you like about their style and adapt it to yours.

5. Build Relationships with the Families

Something that has really helped me feel more confident is getting to know the families at my library. Know their names - the kids, especially. That way when the toddler is trying to pull the felts off the board you can say, "Felt stories are so fun, aren't they Sophie? But we're going to leave those up there for now and play with them later." You can also ask the kids to sing with you before you start a song. For example, I say something like, " Who's ready to do Roly Poly? Jayden are you ready? Show me your hands; let's start rolling them like this." Having that connection with the kids and parents lets them know that I care and that I am friendly.

They are a phenomenal resource. Have a storytime question? Use their Ask a Ninja feature and lots of librarians will give you advice! They also have Storytime University that has challenges for you to complete. And their Facebook page is open to anyone who wants to ask a storytime question. This is a great way to build your skill set and get your professional development on.

7. Try New Things

Don't be afraid to try something different. If you're taking over for another librarian, it's totally fine to mix things up. Maybe his or her style isn't your style. I started to incorporate egg shakers, scarves, and bells into storytime because that's what I love. My co-worker on the other hand uses tons of puppets. Both work great for our families! So don't be afraid to switch things up and ask the families for feedback.
So my fellow storytimers, what are your tips? Please leave a comment with your ideas!

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Building Your Storytime Confidence - Jbrary

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Last week we got an email asking how to build confidence in delivering a storytime, especially if you're new to the field or not used to working with young children. I wrote up these tips, and rather than having them disappear into the interwebs, I decided to share them here in case other people are...

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"The Everyday Diversity project is a tool to help librarians find storytime books that predominantly feature People of Color and Native Americans as main characters in contemporary everyday life. Representation matters. No one should feel like an outsider at storytime."

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The Everyday Diversity project is a tool to help librarians find storytime books that predominantly feature People of Color and Native Americans as main characters in contemporary everyday life. Representation matters. No one should feel like an outsider at storytime.

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Bilingual Storytime Resources

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Great ideas!

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At the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, our Children's Department currently has a staff of six (including myself). Everyone does storytime at least sometimes and most of us offer storytimes at least once or twice a week. We offer several weekly drop-in storytimes that cover all preschool ages 0-6, we visit each of our nine public schools once a month for afterschool storytimes, and we offer storytimes to preschool classes that visit the library or invite us to visit their site.

Want to know how I run my storytimes? Check out posts I've written on:
Here's an alphabetical listing of the storytimes I've posted on my blog. If you're looking for more storytime ideas, check out the MANY storytime resources listed at Mel's Desk's Storytime Resource page.

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At the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, our Children's Department currently has a staff of six (including myself). Everyone does storytime at least sometimes and most of us offer storytimes at least once or twice a week.

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INTERACTIVE! Animals + teaching self-regulation skills.
For kids 3-8yrs old + their caring adults. The overall goal of the channel is to create & cultivate more play, love, and kindness in the world.

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Humboldt Autism Alliance, Eureka, California. 5,102 likes · 25 talking about this · 63 were here. People with Autism are capable of extraordinary things. With the right tools and education, we can…

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New Monthly Storytimes at Blue Lake Library!

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New Monthly Storytimes at Blue Lake Library!