Mandel Public Library Of West Palm Beach: Virtual Storytimes With Ms. Jeanne

West Palm Beach FL

14 October, 2021

10:48 AM

Description

Press release from Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach: 10/13/2021 11:23 AM Hi! It's Children's Librarian Ms. Jeanne from the library! What have I been up to for the last year and a half during the pandemic? Creating weekly Grab and Go Kits to accompany virtual storytimes, 1,800 and counting! It took us a little time to figure out how to safely provide programs for our youngest patrons during the pandemic. Some might say, "Could toddlers and preschoolers really engage over Zoom?" I'm here to profess, "Yes, they can, they did, and they still do!" The Children's Librarians embraced this newer technology and thankfully, so have the kiddos and parents. Zoom has allowed us to bond, and we've made new friends safely. Together, we've been making virtual lemonade, soup, stew, tacos, and more throughout the pandemic. Each virtual storytime has a corresponding Grab & Go Kit for families to learn and play along. Families look forward to tuning in each week and picking up their weekly storytime kit. Each storytime kit contains early literacy tips, a book extension (which is a fancy term for art & craft items), sight words, a rhyme card, and music that goes with each storytime. A QR code links to all our storytime presentations on YouTube.  There are plenty of ways to participate! One mom, a teacher who can't tune in on Wednesdays at 10:30 AM for the Zoom Family Storytime, picks up a new Storytime Kit each week. Then, she uses the enclosed QR Code at a time convenient for them to enjoy the storytime video and complete the activities. While watching the video, her daughter even says, "Hi, Ms. Jeanne" and completely participates in activities as if we were having an in-person storytime!   For those who prefer in-person storytimes, we have Sunshine and Stories outdoors in the library courtyard. Either way you join, we hope you'll have fun learning with us! Thanks for tuning in! Ms. Jeanne, Children's Librarian This press release was produced by Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. The views expressed here are the author's own.