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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Three times a week, staff members of the Dover Town Library hold “Super Awesome Fun Time” for babies, toddlers, and their caregivers to enjoy. With such a name for the program, it may sound like the library is setting some fairly high expectations.
Luckily, its staff certainly does know how to deliver a super awesome and fun program for all who attend.
The Dover Town Library’s staff members lead the group of babies and toddlers in song at ‘Super Awesome Fun Time.’
Library staff members Marta and Mary led the program on the morning of December 15, welcoming the children into the Community Room as they blew bubbles over the crowd of kids. When everyone was settled inside of the room, Marta and Mary began “Super Awesome Fun Time” with a song about the children’s shirt colors, ensuring that all were included. Next, Mary read “Barnyard Dance,” a rhyming animal book.
The program leaders turned the youngsters’ attention to the television screen, where they played the renowned camp songs “Go Bananas” and “Baby Shark,” with many of the children already having memorized the associated hand movements to go along with the song.
At the front of the room, with nearly a dozen kids sitting and standing just a couple of feet away, Marta and Mary sang “Green Says Go,” a rhyme about traffic lights. Encouraging the children to follow along with the body movements, the two instructors ran in place, quickly and slowly, before throwing their hands up, exclaiming, “Stop!”
With the tots feeling giggly and excited, the group sang “Shake the Sillies Out” and other engaging songs for the kids before Marta read “The Big Book of Happy.”
For a sensory development activity, participants at the Dover Town Library’s ‘Super Awesome Fun Time’ play with toys in soapy water.
Although the next two songs meant the singing and storytime portion of “Super Awesome Fun Time” was over, there were still activities to done, as the staff members quickly set up some sensory development activities.
With bins of toys floating in soapy water, feathers and cotton stuffing in another, and toy trucks riding over a pebble terrain, the youths enjoyed the various sensations each activity brought. By the sink was a colorful shaving cream station, where kids could feel and play with the dense foam. Other activities included drawing on miniature chalkboards and playing with blocks.
For the babies and toddlers who spend the full hour of the program with ear-to-ear grins, it’s obvious that “Super Awesome Fun Time” lives up to its name.
