Going Batty at NJLA

One of my favorite moments from the 2012 NJLA Conference was meeting Brian Lies, author and illustrator of Bats at the Beach.  He spoke about his life and how illustrating children's books had always been a dream of his.  What struck me the most was when he said that as a child, he was not artistically talented.  It was through studying art and practicing his craft that he became the amazing artist we all know today.  He said that children need to realize that if they have a dream, they shouldn't give up just because they feel they aren't good enough or talented enough.  Talent isn't everything.  What an amazing example!

    

Preschool Programming Ideas

There are few things better than leaving a professional development program feeling truly inspired.  That's how I felt this morning after Katie Salo's webinar Storytime... and Beyond! sponsored by LibraryLinkNJ.  Katie spoke about creating a wide range of programs for toddlers and preschool-age children, something other than the traditional storytime and craft. 

Some of Katie's ideas I can't wait to try.  One is a lifesize Candy Land game, complete with candy canes and gingerbread men.  When I mentioned it to my coworker, she got excited too and we started brainstorming other games that could be made "lifesize."  She thought it would be fun to scatter foam balls around the room for the children to collect - think Hungry Hungry Hippos.  Or perhaps a giant Memory game.  The possibilities are endless.

Katie also suggested playing I Spy in the library by hiding various objects around the children's department (a phone, a ball, etc.) and having the children find them.  I can see our preschool-age children loving this idea! 

If you're interested in viewing the transcript from the LibraryLinkNJ webinar, it should soon be available here: http://librarylinknj.org/content/storytimeand-beyond?