By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
Recently, local littles joined Miss Gretchen in the Children’s Activity Room at Medfield Public Library (MPL) for the weekly Preschool Pageturners program! Each week the program has a different theme and little ones were lucky to enjoy a furry friend theme this Friday; dogs were the theme of the week.
After families ventured into the children’s room, Gretchen began the forty minute program. “We’re going to do stories, a little bit of singing, and maybe some dancing… and I’m going to introduce you to a friend!” Children were ecstatic when Gretchen brought out Humphrey, a baby dinosaur puppet. Henry brought with him a stuffed pooch, who helped introduce the theme of the week.
The librarian then shows a photo of her dog, Otis, who is a golden doodle to the children. They ask questions about the pup to which Gretchen explains that she could not bring him along with her and could only bring a photo because he likes eating paper. The children giggle as she tells them that the library would not be the best place for a dog who likes to snack on paper.
Gretchen encourages the kiddos to warm up with a good morning song; she asks all the children if they’ve brought specific items with them, including their head, shoulders, knees, and toes. The children giggle along with the librarian before erupting into a chorus of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” All of the families enjoy singing along together and moving to this tune.
The children listen along to a variety of stories, including “Bark, George,” by Jules Feiffer and “Is There A Dog In This Book?” By Viviane Schwarz. The little ones are delighted by the silly stories, asking questions about the books, and answering any questions that Gretchen poses to them. The engagement throughout the reading of the stories is an excellent way to keep the children invested and to aid in the development of their reading comprehension skills.
Between the puppets, the songs, and the silly stories, this program is a wonderful way for young children to foster a love for reading and promote early literacy skills that can be used as a building block for the future.
Preschool Pageturners will take place every Thursday and Friday through November 17th at 11:10. For more details, please visit: www.medfieldpubliclibrary.org
