How to Grow Your Reader- Just for Flowers: Ages 4-5
If you spend time on the Youth Services floor at the Handley branch, you have likely heard us talk about our Grow a Reader brand, and our new Read and Seed Activity Program. Handley’s Grow a Reader Initiative provides space to all families so that they can play, connect, and thrive as lifelong learners. The Activity Program aims to package our library’s collections, programs, and services with incentives for kids and caregivers as you complete the age/stage seed packets. For my next three blog posts, I will be focusing on each of our Read and Seed age groups: 0-2 Seeds, 2-4 Sprouts, and 4-5 Flowers. The goal of the Activity Program is for you to explore everything we have to offer at the library to support you and your littles as they grow.
Your Sprout has become a Flower, and the countdown to Kindergarten is starting to feel real! Your final seed packet will help your little one with those final steps to Kindergarten readiness and guide your family through all the library has to offer as you make this big transition.
Included in the Flower seed packet is a list of Kindergarten Readiness Activities that you can work to check off as you complete your activity pack. The activities in this are all “I can” statements and include: express how I am feeling, name colors & simple patterns, and write my first name. We hope you enjoy developing and cultivating these skills with your child, along with all the offerings you will find at the library!
Collections
If your child has not yet discovered our Juvenile Non-Fiction section, now is the time! This collection lives in the shelves behind the LEGO wall at the Handley branch. Just in case you think your child is too young for non-fiction, let me assure you that this collection includes a wide variety of material! From the popular “Who Was/What Was” mini chapter books, to books about hygiene for toddlers, this collection truly has it all! Really into owls right now? Check out some stories about owls, but grab a non-fiction book too so your child can get curious with real photographs and learn some facts. Are you a Spanish reader? We also have non fiction books in Spanish!
STEAM to Go! kits are similar to the Grab and Grow Kits, but live at all our branches! These kits are designed with older kids in mind, and include a wide range of topics from Kindergarten readiness, to yoga, phonics, and coding. These kits are a great way to enrich your child’s time at home, especially as they prepare for school.
These kits, available only at the Handley branch, are available to patrons who live in our service area of Winchester, Frederick County, or Clarke County. Hopefully you’ve already read a lot about these kits by now! A couple kits that you might enjoy with your 4-5 year old:
Programs
You may have already started coming to Preschool Time with your toddler once they turned 3, so hopefully you’re familiar with this Monday program which meets on the Youth Services floor at the Handley branch at 10:30am. We present early literacy skills, a letter and a sign of the week, practice syllable clapping, read 2 books, and play with an instrument. This program still contains lots of room for wiggles but does expect that children are getting more used to a structured program- as they will need to for school. After storytime, you can join us for a pre-k craft. These crafts are designed to help your child practice skills they will need for Kindergarten, like using scissors and glue sticks.
KidSTEAM
Join us once a month for this interactive STEAM program for kids ages 3-6 and their caregivers. We meet on Mondays in the Benham Gallery on the lower level of the Handley branch- check the calendar for upcoming dates! In this program we share a story, play with instruments, and do 3 Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math activities on a theme.
Once your little has finished reading their 1000 books- and believe us this happens faster than you might imagine- it’s time for them to graduate from the monthly Handley Frog Hoppers program! We host graduations twice a year; in April at the Bowman branch and in September at the Handley branch. Once your child is close to 1000, we will invite them to graduation. You are welcome to attend at either branch, and you are also welcome to let us know which one you want to be invited to. We can’t wait to celebrate your super reader!
I’m sure summer reading was a memorable part of many of your childhoods- and we hope you are excited to join our programs each year with your little! Summer Reading runs from June-July every summer at all three of our library branches. You will log reading on the Beanstack app, exactly the same way you did for 1000 Books. For summer reading we track time spent reading, so if you are done with 1000 Books, you can just log your minutes at the end of each day.
Services
Username: handleyPL Password: digital
This digital resource is great for finding educational videos! The home page is divided into great categories like “Early Learners” and “All about Nature,” and you can search the database for any topic you’d like. It includes classic children’s TV shows such as Arthur, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and Reading Rainbow! Log in with the above username and password to enjoy videos for free.
Unsure what to read next with your child? Perhaps you are tired of reading some of their old favorites and you need some variety! You can pick up a Book Match Jr. form at the Youth Services information desk at the Handley branch, or access the link above to make a digital request. Your information will be sent to a Youth Services team member who will put together a list of books that your child would enjoy. You can request that they even put some of these books on hold for you to pick up!