Simply Irresistible: Storytimes for 2 and Under
Format: Online
Fee: $75 for those in the California library community and Infopeople Partners, $150 for all others.
(An Infopeople Online Learning Course)
Tuesday, February 5, 2013 – Monday, March 4, 2013
Instructor: Colleen Willis
Do you want to establish your library as a leader in early literacy? Build strong relationships with parents and caregivers of young children? And best of all, do you want to work with a storytime audience that is "simply irresistible"?
When their children are babies and toddlers, parents are often eager to introduce language in lively and entertaining ways. They are motivated to learn about child development and early literacy skills. You can meet their needs in storytimes targeted to these young children, using picture books, board books, songs, lullabies, nursery rhymes, fingerplays, and other activities.
Join experienced children's librarian and expert storytime presenter Colleen Willis to learn how to:
- Prepare and deliver a literacy-based storytime
- Use "parent patter" during the program
- Identify and equip an appropriate space
- Select age-appropriate resources and activities
Be prepared to have fun! Get out those headphones and bounce in your seat as you listen to music, watch video samples, and practice fingerplays. It's a relaxed and easy way to gain confidence in working with this "keep you on your toes" age group of 2 and under.
Course Description: In this four-week online course, you will learn how to develop an age-appropriate, literacy-rich storytime program for babies and toddlers, as well as to enhance the focus on early literacy skills in your current storytimes. You will complete a series of assignments and participate in discussion forums, sharing storytime components and ideas. By the end of the course, you will have a wealth of child development and literacy facts, music suggestions, fingerplays, booklists, equipment suggestions, and recommended websites with ideas that will help stimulate language and baby brain development.
Preliminary Course Outline: Using an Internet connection and web browser, you will log in to the Infopeople online learning site and complete the following learning modules:
- Week 1: Child Development and Early Literacy Skills
- Brain Development
- Early Literacy Skills
- Developmental Milestones
- Parental Benefits
- Week 2: Program Format
- Sample Storytime
- Start-up Costs
- Room Set-up
- Timing
- Registration
- Stay and Play Activity
- Parent Patter
- Handouts
- Week 3: Let's Have Some Fun
- Nursery Rhymes
- Fingerplays
- Puppets
- Music and Props
- Week 4: Make Reading A Game
- Book Selection
- Dialogic Reading
- Storytime Kits
- Partnership Possibilities
- Video: Babydoll Storytime
Time required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2 to 2½ hours per week. You can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. However, it is recommended that you complete each week's assignments within that week to stay in sync with other learners.
Who Should Take This Course: Children's services staff and others involved in the development and implementation of storytimes for preschoolers and younger.
Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at
http://www.infopeople.org/training/learning_details.html.
To be successful in this course, you should be comfortable in navigating the internet, and watching videos on YouTube. If you are accessing the course materials in a public area of the library, or in shared workspaces, you will want to obtain a pair of earphones in order to listen to the recorded songs, fingerplays, and activities. Use of a babydoll is optional and recommended as you practice along with the instructor.
Course Start: This 4-week-long online learning course starts on Tuesday, February 5, 2013.
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