Blog

We are delighted to feature a blog post by Chance Hunt, Director, Public Programming and Partnerships at The Seattle Public Library, a member of the Early Learning Public Library Partnership.

Librarians are often asked to choose a favorite—print books or e-books? In reality there is not a debate—both technologies have their advantages (no more lugging stacks of books through the airport!), and both tools can contribute to the healthy development of young children. But how many of you got new e-readers this past holiday season? And how many of you are also wondering if e-books are a good choice for your children?

In a recent New York Times article about e-readers and kids, Junko Yokota, a professor and director of the Center for Teaching Through Children’s Books, offered that the size and shape of a book “become part of the emotional experience, the intellectual experience. There’s a lot you can’t standardize and stick into an electronic format.” From her research, one could suggest that the convenience of e-readers reduces the benefits of the overall reading experience for young children. Think about it. When you cuddle up to read a children’s picture book, there is much more going on than telling a story. You and your child turn pages; you and your child manage the shape and size of the book (we always preferred the little chubby board books in our house). It involves touching, tasting, and sometimes tearing the story printed in the book. Print book technology offers a child a multi-sensory experience, and this in turn builds their tiny muscles (and growing brains), especially when repeated multiple times (as in, every day). One more bonus: printed books, especially when strewn about the house, create a print-rich environment for your children.

So, the next time you read with your child or pick up dozens of books (as we often do in the library) know that you are building muscles—one book, and one story, at a time.

Contributed by Chance Hunt, The Seattle Public Library

Congratulations to everyone in Washington State that believes in early learning! Today Washington was named as one of the nine Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant winners! The Department of Early Learning and many throughout Washington worked to submit a competitive proposal that will more children, more families, and more communities.

Congratulations to our early learning partners. To read the US Department of Education’s announcement, visit:

http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/we-cant-wait-nine-states-awarded-race-top-early-learning-challenge-grants-awards

Turn off the TV. All of those toy ads. The stream is painful for parents, caregivers, educators and librarians who have an understanding and dedication to early learning and early literacy.

At Pierce County Library System, librarians agreed on the 5 Best Toys of All Time according to Wired’s GeekDad blog @ http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/01/the-5-best-toys-of-all-time/all/1

1. Stick
2. Box
3. String
4. Cardboard Tube
5. Dirt

These are true learning toys that foster a child’s imagination—from labeling them toys to creating the energy and magic within and from them. Imagination is perhaps the greatest lifelong gift.

“Not a Box” and “Not a Stick” by Antoinette Portis engagingly portray two of these top toys. David Shannon’s “Too Many Toys” shares how a boy and his mother sort through toys and end with the roundup in GeekDad’s list.

To finish off one’s holiday shopping, one more toy needs to be added to the list—at the top of the list: time from a parent or caregiver to a child. “Blackout” by John Rocco shares this wonderful tale as it transforms and reunites a busy family from their isolated lives to join with neighbors. Through this adventure, the family rediscovers the fun and gift of giving each other their time.

Happy Holidays and take time to read with, listen to and play with the children in your life. Give them the rich and favored gift of learning, and help set them on the road to healthy, compassionate and happy adults. 

Thank you, Pierce County Library System, a member of the Early Learning Public Library Partnership, for this contribution.

A letter from Brian Soneda, Director, Mount Vernon City Library

On November 1, a carpool of four Early Learning Public Library Partnership (ELPLP) members from Skagit County drove down to the ELPLP Symposium. We had a great time and learned a lot. Dr. Lebedeva, of UW I-LABS, made brain research clear and utterly fascinating. As a history major, I have always thought was impossible. Some of the best learning happened when we talked to our ELPLP colleagues and the presenters informally over lunch and breaks.

A lot of the attendees were Youth Services staff members from their respective libraries, including Linda Allen (Mount Vernon Library) and Kathy Brewer (Sedro-Woolley Public Library) from our carpool.  You’d expect that; those on the frontlines of providing service to Early Learners probably have the most to gain from the Symposium.

But I know there were at least two library directors at the Symposium. Debra Peterson (Sedro-Woolley) and I (Mount Vernon) are both committed charter members of ELPLP. ELPLP library directors get some credit for the work we do to get our libraries to fund our memberships in ELPLP. The valuable work ELPLP does on behalf of the Early Learning mission in our libraries does not come cheap. To be blunt, we DESERVE credit for our work on making ELPLP happen.

But Debra and I are also proud to advocate for the value of ELPLP simply by attending the Symposium. Directors get a lot out of attending too. And if anyone were to say Presidents of Washington Library Association also get a lot out of attending, the office I hold had nothing to do with my decision to attend, but if it looks like the stamp of approval to anyone, I’m good with that.

This week Foundation for Early Learning hosted the Early Learning Public Library Partnership Symposium, and asked attendees to let us know their very favorite early learning books (yes, they could choose more than one). Here are the wonderful early learning books they shared.