Storytimes and More: Play

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Play with Science

In February the Early Learning Librarians took "Play with Science" to our libraries. I was able to do two of them. My co-worker did a great job with activities!

Digging for Dinosaurs

Wooden ramps and foam blocks

Magnifying Glasses

Magnets

We also had magnetic gears, vet play set, and ball roller (for younger siblings).

Saturday, January 27, 2024

For the winter months the Early Learning Team has developed an open-ended play time for preschoolers with a different focus each month. January was Play with Color...and I was the one to get the program together and I facilitated three of the nine programs. It was so much fun and so rewarding. At first I was leery of having the program run two hours, but after doing them it great to see the children have a lot of time to explore and to really dig into their play. And parents weren't "rushing" them, like they often do at storytime.

I created the program with a variety of open-ended activities and then the Early Learning Librarian could choose which of the activities they wanted to put out for the day. (These pictures are from three different programs, I didn't do all the activities at all the libraries)

Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

Play Dough

Do-a-Dot Art

Beads and Pipe Cleaners

PomPoms (with muffin tins, scoops, tweezers)

Parachute, Tunnel, Beach Balls

Flannel Board and Pieces, Balls and Tubes, "Window" blocks

Open Ended Art (construction paper, scissors, glue, crayons, tape, feathers, yarn, ribbon)

Magna Tiles

Water Colors

A variety of colorful play and learn toys (depending on the library)

I also wrote a short article for the Current (a monthly community-wide newspaper)

Winter in Spokane can be gray and dreary, but preschool children can add some color to winter by attending the library's Play with Color events at nine of our libraries in January.

Research has shown that children learn best through play and that learning is not separate from play. Learning about colors is no different. Children learn about colors through play and by having the time and materials to interact and experiment with colors.

Important cognitive, language, and math skills are developed as children learn about colors starting with the ability to distinguish between items that are same and different. Children can then start to sort like items together (color being one of the first ways children sort). Learning that color words (red, yellow, blue) are not things, but are words to describe an object, takes time for children to develop. They often learn and say color words before being able to distinguish between the all the colors, but this shows a depth of understanding about colors. After children learn basic colors they begin to understand such nuances as light blue and navy blue are both blue. Children are amazed that mixing colors together makes new colors. Adults can tell children that yellow and blue makes green, but until a child actually mixes yellow and blue together to watches green emerge will they really be learning that color concept.

And all this learning is done while playing.

Play with Color will feature many colorful open-ended toys from the library’s Play and Learn Storytimes, such as blocks, balls, balance bears, and wooden beads. Along with toys children will have the opportunity to play with colors in an open-ended art project and participate in a simple science experiment with baking soda and vinegar and watch as colors mix together to make new colors.

Please join us for this fun and engaging program at a Spokane County Library in January!

Watch for Play with Science in February and Play with Math in March at your Spokane County Libraries!