Gone are the days of stuffy libraries packed full of dusty books organized on card catalogs. Librarians no longer just sit at their desks "shushing" children, they engage and interact with students in all sorts of novel ways! My students are often overwhelmed with the idea of trying to browse through hundreds of books on a packed shelf, and will often forgo even checking out a book. The mobile book cart and small book bin will allow me to showcase a rotation of hand-selected books that will be easier and less intimidating for the kids to browse. I will also be able to bring the cart directly into classrooms with a selection of books related to a specific topic or project, thus making literacy more accessible and relatable.
To foster a love of reading in kids, we really need to use a varied approach and explore literacy through multiple platforms and senses. We need to create a warm, welcoming environment that kids are attracted to. The bean bag chairs will provide soft, comfortable, brightly colored seating that will encourage kids to "hang out and read", much more so than the tables and hard wooden chairs we have now. We also need to make the library experience more interesting and engaging for students. With kids being so incredibly technologically literate these days, fostering interest in basic literacy skills through imaginative storytelling that involves multiple platforms and senses is more important than ever! I have kids come to the library for storytime, but have no interest in looking at books. However, they are super excited to engage with manipulatives like felt boards, puppets, puzzles, and games. Having those resources in our library would help to keep kids interested and excited about coming, and foster a love of literacy for life.
About my class
Gone are the days of stuffy libraries packed full of dusty books organized on card catalogs. Librarians no longer just sit at their desks "shushing" children, they engage and interact with students in all sorts of novel ways! My students are often overwhelmed with the idea of trying to browse through hundreds of books on a packed shelf, and will often forgo even checking out a book. The mobile book cart and small book bin will allow me to showcase a rotation of hand-selected books that will be easier and less intimidating for the kids to browse. I will also be able to bring the cart directly into classrooms with a selection of books related to a specific topic or project, thus making literacy more accessible and relatable.
To foster a love of reading in kids, we really need to use a varied approach and explore literacy through multiple platforms and senses. We need to create a warm, welcoming environment that kids are attracted to. The bean bag chairs will provide soft, comfortable, brightly colored seating that will encourage kids to "hang out and read", much more so than the tables and hard wooden chairs we have now. We also need to make the library experience more interesting and engaging for students. With kids being so incredibly technologically literate these days, fostering interest in basic literacy skills through imaginative storytelling that involves multiple platforms and senses is more important than ever! I have kids come to the library for storytime, but have no interest in looking at books. However, they are super excited to engage with manipulatives like felt boards, puppets, puzzles, and games. Having those resources in our library would help to keep kids interested and excited about coming, and foster a love of literacy for life.
Read more