Reading time is special time with children

posted 09:48 AM 02/28
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Books are a big part of our daily routine.

Every night, we try to squeeze at least a half hour of reading with the kiddos in between teeth brushing and lights out. Sometimes, it turns into more like an hour, especially if our kids persuade us into reading an additional book or a few extra chapters. I know there are times when they’re probably just scamming to stay up late, but it’s really hard to say no when they ask to hear more stories. I mean, that’s almost like saying no to extra helpings of vegetables, isn’t it?

Lately, we’ve been reading a collection of hand-me-down Encyclopedia Brown books. It’s fun to watch our children try to crack mysteries that my husband and I solved when we were younger. And, frankly, it’s also nice to have a break from Junie B. Jones and Magic Tree House adventures, which have dominated our evening routine for months.

Our 2-year-old usually stays around for a quick story that’s geared for his age, but he doesn’t have the attention span to stay with the books that our older children prefer to listen to. As a result, I try to make sure he gets plenty of age-appropriate literacy activities while his siblings are in school. Like most toddlers, he loves turning the pages and pouring over pictures of the same books over and over again, especially “Good Night Moon,” a classic that was proudly chewed on and cherished by all three of our babies.

Lately, the little man and I have been attending a weekly toddler story time. I’m always amazed at how well a storyteller can hold the attention of an entire group of young, wiggling children.

“They know how to get the kids engaged,” said Jennifer Forster, executive director of the South Sound Reading Foundation, which sponsors several story times a month in the area. “The kids are just enchanted. ... It’s a real magical experience.”

When my daughter was an infant, I took her to a weekly Mother Goose program sponsored by Good Samaritan Community Services in Puyallup. We sang songs, played knee bounce games, listened to stories, and watched each week as our babies went from sitting to rolling, scooting, crawling, walking and eventually running around a playroom filled with toys.

The program wasn’t just about stories; it was about supporting new moms and promoting the earliest in early childhood education.

Here’s a roundup of free children’s story time programs in South Sound.

As with most free community events, it’s always a good idea to call ahead and find out if pre-registration is required, or if the program has been canceled or rescheduled for a different time. In addition, some of the library programs take a break after a certain number of sessions; to view a calendar of story times, go to www.trlib.org and click on “What’s New.”

And if you know of other story time programs in the community, please feel free to add the date, time, location and contact information as a comment on this column at www.theolympian.com/busymama.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 1530 Black Lake Blvd. S.W., Olympia, offers a story time at 1 p.m. Saturdays, and Juice and Jammies Story Time (kids are welcome to wear their pajamas to the event) at 7 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, call 360-534-0388.

Borders, 2415 Fourth Ave. W., Olympia, offers Children’s Story Time at 2 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call 360-352-3438.

Cabela’s, 1600 Gateway Blvd. N.E., Lacey, offers Story Time with the South Sound Reading Foundation at 10:30 a.m. the first Saturday of each month. For more information, call 360-252-3500 or 360-412-4499.

Lacey Timberland Library, 500 College St. S.E., Lacey, offers Toddler Story Time at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Preschool Story Time at 11 a.m. Thursdays. For more information, call 360-491-3860.

Olympia Timberland Library, 313 Eighth Ave. S.E., Olympia, offers Toddler Story Time at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays, Preschool Story Time at 10:15 a.m. Thursdays, and Book Babies at 2 p.m. Thursdays. For more information, call 360-352-0595.

Tumwater Timberland Library, 7023 New Market St., Tumwater, offers Infant Lap Sit at 10:30 a.m. Mondays, Toddler Story Time at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Book Babies at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays, Preschool Story Time at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursdays, and TK Club for grades 1-6 at 4 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, call 360-943-7790.

Tenino Timberland Library, 172 Central Ave. W., Tenino, offers Family Story Time at 11:15 a.m. Wednesdays. For more information, call 360-264-2369.

Shelton Timberland Library, 710 W. Alder St., Shelton, offers Family Story Time at 11 a.m. Thursdays. For more information, call 360-426-1362.

Yelm Timberland Library, 210 Prairie Park St., Yelm, offers Book Babies at 11 a.m. Tuesdays, Toddler Story Time at 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays, and Preschool Story Time at 11 a.m. Wednesdays. For more information, call 360-458-3374.

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