Misty is Having a Baby!

Librarian-students all had a chance to create/report out a program they developed as a final project. Each considered the goals of the program, format (active, passive), how much time/money it might take and described how it was or would be done. Renee from KY shared this idea.

Active Pre-School Program

Location: Library Community Room

Targeting Pre-Schoolers

Length: 40 minutes

One-Time Event

Scheduling Strategy:  Misty, our pre-school presenter, is having a baby in June.  She will therefore be gone for some time, and our little ones will miss her!  I want to explain it to them, and reassure them that Misty is coming back.  I want them to understand that she will be absent for a very important reason!

Program Description and Plan:

Environment:  The room will be set up as usual, with children and parents seated on floor, and chairs behind the floor semicircle for caregivers who prefer to sit “up.”  The rocker from our department will be in the Community Room, with balloons tied to it, to indicate the special seat for Misty.  Also, I have asked our co-workers throughout the library to bring in one baby photo of themselves, and these will be displayed on a poster, where our young patrons can see them.  This will include Misty, Maggie, and myself (which comprises our department), as well as two dozen others!

Rationale:  I have chosen easy fingerplays, on a handout, (see attached) with motions included.  Each one relates to family, and baby, in some way.  Since at this age, most of our patrons are able to copy simple hand motions, I expect the fingerplays to help them assimilate the idea that Misty is adding to her family in an important way. 

Also, the poster with baby photos of library employees will interest them, (even if briefly!) and demonstrate that babies are important; they grow up to be people who help us do important things, like read, and find books at the library, and teach, etc.!  At this age, they should be able to connect the photos with the idea I am putting forth.

Since they can pretty much understand the concepts of “now,” “soon,” and “later,” I hope to help them to see that we wait for the baby very eagerly, and after a while, Misty will bring the baby home to her family from the hospital!  After a little while longer, Misty will bring the baby to the library for us to see him!

Since at this age they begin to understand cause-and-effect relationships, I hope to help them see that Misty will be absent from them for a while because of this important event, but that it is a good thing, and that Misty will return.

Because they are beginning to understand the moods of others, I hope to help them “catch” our excitement about Misty’s new baby!

Collection Connection: I read The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby, because this book demonstrates preparation and excitement over the arrival of the new baby.  These young patrons do understand cause and effect, so I want them to connect the ideas that new babies require preparation, and that new babies are exciting.

I also read New Baby Train, which is more of a fun, imaginary way to handle the topic.  These patrons enjoy a rollicking reading style, and this book provides that, as well as pictures with which they will be familiar and which they will understand: babies needing bottles, naps, diapers, etc.  They will also see new babies being warmly welcomed by their parents.

My personal favorite, and it seemed to be the kids’ too, was Ma!  There’s Nothing To Do In Here!  It is hilarious and not TOO much info!

Also, the room was ringed with a display of new baby books.

Marketing Strategy:  We maintain a list of our regular attendees’ emails.  Each of them will be apprised of this very special Story Time by email, and we are asking each parent to have the child bring a picture, made by him/her, of the subject of his/her choice, “signed” by him/her, as a gift for Misty.

Staff Time/Budget: We did buy extra balloons, blew them up ourselves, and opened the closet, at the end, to let them all fall out, and allowed the children time to play in them!  They cost $4.89.  It took three of us about an hour to blow them all up.

Estimated Program Preparation Time was about three to four hours; this is including finding the books, the balloon time prep, etc., making the staff baby poster.