Is there a sweeter sight then a child getting so excited over a great book find?? Well done, Clark! OK, I know we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and self-quarantines, however I decided to go ahead and post this blog since it had been a work in progress long before COVID19 rocked our world. I am posting this blog about THE BENEFIT OF LIBRARY TIME in good faith that we are headed back to normal life SOON with God's divine help! UNTIL we can all travel back to the library, set up a fun 'pretend library' in your home. I hope this will kill some time with a purpose: 1. Gather all the kids books you have in a certain area of your home. 2. Have the kids pick 5 or so books each. 3. I have a 'check out process' (list their books on a post it note that they have to show you when it is time to 'check out' more books) 4. Send all the kids off to read. 5. Have a cup of coffee or tea in peace and quiet while you write me a big THANK YOU NOTE :) 6. For those of you who don't like peace and quiet, instead of sending the children off to quietly read....have a 'story hour'. Read aloud to them and then take a nap later! 7. Have a music-filled family fun clean up time. ALSO, here is a great find for other learning options while at home during COVID19: An Educational Toolkit for AT HOME LEARNING put out by the Barbara Bush Foundation. My nephew, aka Pastor Camden, teaching his baby sister, Madison, an at home Bible story. HOWEVER, as I said before, I thought of this blog post idea before the word Corona ever graced our ears, so I do want to write about going to the actually library....SO LET'S GO FOR IT...keep reading below! I know it is a pain to pack up the kids and leave the house...especially on super hot, cold or raining days. The truth is that we have to get over our discomforts for the sake of our children. A great use of your time that can push you out that stubborn door is REGULAR TRIPS TO THE LIBRARY. Here are some of the valuable take aways:
4. Educational games in the iPad (Often we want our children off of electronics, but they can be used sparingly as a nice reward after story time, group play and checking out books. The iPads in the library have many educational Apps that can enhance any reading, writing and arithmetic basics that you are teaching your children at home or they are learning in school.) 5. Tools and Resources for parents/grandparents/other caregivers (Educations materials, games and videos can be found in the library to equip parents and other caregivers to best teach their children what they need to know. Do not leave your children unattended while you search for these materials, but let them help you in the search... which could peak their interest in whatever goodies you might find!) 6. Organizational skills (CLEAN UP before you go! You can leave your house messy, although you shouldn’t because clean is more safe and functional, but at least at the library they will learn that pitching in and cleaning up is the least they can do for the services that were provided to them... and for those coming to play after them. If you make this a model, they will do the same at church and school. When my daughter, Shelby, picks her 2 year old, Clark, up from Sunday School, he tells her, ‘Wait, I have to clean up first’. Do you think he has favor with God and man in his life? You bet he does! Plus if they learn to clean up in public, hopefully it will become a habit at home. If it does...you can write me another THANK YOU NOTE! 7. Adult time (Can dad, mom, grandparents, nannies, etc. get some things done while the children are in the library? This is a great question with 2 very good answers...YES AND NO!) a. YES, getting a little computer work done or catching up on some reading sounds like a great idea. It can be done with wisdom. If you decide to give your children a little time on the iPad with an educational game after interacting with them in some free play time or helping them pick out some nice books, then this may be a good time to get some 'mommy' time. However, ONLY if you can sit next to them and have them in your eye site. b. NO, if your children are not in your eye site and are moving around to different areas of the library by themselves. This is important because of library rules, which are made with good reason and explicitly say that children cannot be in any area of the library unattended. These rules are in place because the library does not want to be responsible for the children and any accidents that could possibly occur, AND because, sadly, WE LIVE IN A DARK WORLD and a library is a public place open to all (including criminals who could potentially abuse children). This warning is meant to instill a healthy fear in you. The good news is that we don't have to fear as long as we do not leave our children unattended while we work or read!! I hope this blog has motivated you to play pretend library during COVID19 quarantine days AND plan a trip to the library as soon as your libraries reopen. It will be a happy day for all of us book lovers! LORD, I PRAY PROTECTION OVER ALL OF THE FAMILIES READING THIS BLOG. MAY WE BE SAFE AND WISE IN OUR INTERACTIONS WHILE WE CONTINUE TO LEAD OUR CHILDREN FORWARD IN THEIR EDUCATION AND LOVE FOR READING. IN THE PRECIOUS NAME OF JESUS, AMEN! When Shelby asked Ollie if he wanted to play, he said, 'Just a minute, Mommy, I'm reading'. The love of reading flows from one generation to the next :)
4 Comments
Mark Davis
1/19/2022 04:37:47 am
Thank you, Laura! Can't wait to get copies of your book.
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Priscilla Hampton Tester
1/19/2022 04:57:09 am
Thanks, Laura, for your wise suggestions. I’ve always loved the library, and it is so good to see these young Moms taking their cherubs to story time , etc. at our local library.
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Cole
1/19/2022 11:38:03 am
These ideas are great! I benefitted from them first hand growing up :)
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