MGOL June 2022 newsletter!

Ideas, Resources, & Research, MGOL December 2021 Newsletter

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Table of Contents
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A Note From Betsy

News & Ideas
MGOL At ALA

Suggestions and Questions from Librarians
From New Hampshire Librarians
What Children's Librarians Should Learn
Storytime is the New Normal
Serving Expectant & Children with Newborns From Where We Are Today

Research
How to Help Your Toddler Build Counting Skills
Are Signs Related to Reading Comprehension?

Book Recommendations
The Sleeping Bees

Resources
Social and Emotional Learning Through Art

Training Opportunities
MGOL Webinars
Executive Function Skills Course

Rhyme of the Month
Developmental Tip of the Month

A NOTE FROM BETSY

This year, May was month of tragedies. Senseless killing by hate-filled individuals dominated the news once again. I watched in awe as volunteers streamed into Uvalte to do what they could to help; one woman stood in a park with a sign offer free hugs and another bought toilet paper and tissues for the local funeral homes after speaking with them and asking what they needed.

Nothing can diminish the horror of shooting rampages.

We can, however, continue trying to make the world a better place so that these types of incidents stop happening. People who work with children - librarians, childcare providers, home educators, etc. are traditionally underpaid, but their role is of utmost importance.

Children are the future of this country. To perpetuate democratic values, we need to lead by example, showing through our programs, our book choices and our felt pieces, that the world consists of a variety of people who have different skills, abilities, talents, and experiences to share. US citizens come from different places; they don't all look and talk the same but together they make up the salad bowl of American society.

A salad bowl is a more apt analogy than a melting pot. In melting pots, everything melts together to become the same; in a salad bowl, colorful vegetables complement each other while adding to the taste of the lettuce. Salad dressing unites all the elements. I think of the salad dressing as the laws that we follow which keep us all on the same page and the shared set of values that keeps our democracy running.

While some misguided Americans are spending time, money, and energy spewing hatred and trying to destroy the basic premise of our country that all men (and women and gender-neutral people) are created equal, children's librarians are embodying core democratic principles every day by welcoming ALL families into the library, presenting free library programs to community residents both within the library and in outreach locations, and promoting the free exchange of information and use of the Internet.

Library services are more valuable today than ever before. They bring people together rather than creating divisions, and they set children up for success.

Working with children is not always easy, and it is particularly difficult during stressful times such as these. So, I want to give a shout-out to the readers of this newsletter for taking the time to expand on the valuable work you are already doing. Your work is vitally important.

THANK YOU!!!

Betsy

MGOL at ALA

Mother Goose on the Loose is going to be live at ALA. Please join us for any of the following presentations:

Session Title: Supporting new parents in diverse communities with creativity and compassion
Session Date: Saturday June 25, 2022
Session Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Washington Convention Center, 150A

Life in the 21st century presents challenges for all new parents (birth/adoptive/foster). Librarians, as free community-based professionals, are extremely well poised to offer targeted supports to families with young children but may not know what parents in their communities actual want or need. In this session, attendees will see early years library services from parents' perspectives, learn how to assess diverse parents' information needs, and be introduced to great ideas for serving new parents with creativity and compassion. Together, the two presenters have over 50 years of experience developing and delivering responsive, culturally respectful, and fun programs and services to new parents in their communities. By drawing on research, program evaluation data, as well as their own reflections on their practice, the presenters will help you develop strategies for expanding your offerings to new parents and you will leave with lots of new ideas for reaching out to and serving the young families in your communities.

Session Title: Library Outreach Programming for Expectant Parents and Parents of Newborns
Session Date: Sunday June 26, 2022
Session Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Location: Washington Convention Center, 140B

How can we reach expectant parents from underserved and unserved populations with the message that literacy begins before birth, letting them know the important role they play in their babies' development while showing them playful ways to talk, sing, and share books with their babies from the very start? "Mother Goose on the Loose: Hatchlings", is a research-based collaborative project of the Maryland State Department of Education, Maryland State Library, Mother Goose on the Loose, local librarians, and community partners. Hatchlings: Ready to Hatch is a one session program for pregnant adults. Hatchlings: In the Nest consists of four weekly sessions geared for parents with newborns from birth to four months. Both versions of Hatchlings have already been successfully piloted virtually with English and Spanish speakers in Maryland.

If you are a library director, an outreach coordinator, an early literacy specialist, or a children’s librarian interested in reaching this audience, consider bringing Hatchlings to your community. Participate in hands-on activities to experience the adaptations that have made traditional songs and rhymes more relevant to this unique audience. Sample part of a virtual Hatchlings program for Spanish speakers. Hear a program participant describe the value that Hatchlings has had for her family. Take a brief tour of programming materials. Listen to the librarians who envisioned, created, translated, implemented, and evaluated Hatchlings in its earliest stages describe the process, budget, design, surveys, challenges and successes, and participants’ reactions.

ALSC Membership Meeting
Monday, June 27, 2022
10:30am – 12:30pm
Location: Washington Convention Center, 201
During this meeting, Betsy will be receiving the 2022 ALSC Distinguished member award.

For more information, visit: https://2022.alaannual.org/

Suggestions from New Hampshire Librarians

At the beginning of COVID, I created a Ready to Read Michigan Toolkit and presented my first virtual training of trainers just before the end of 2000. This year, I updated that Toolkit for children's librarians in New Hampshire, and in March I presented the virtual training that goes along with it. In addition to 3 early literacy workshops for parents with children of varying ages, the toolkit also includes two early literacy workshops for childcare providers: one focuses on developing children's early literacy skills through songs and rhymes and the other focuses on developing children's early literacy skills through books.

The New Hampshire librarians had great ideas, some of which were totally new to me. I asked for and received permission to share them with you here.
------------
Date: Thu, Mar 10, 2022 at 3:11 PM

Hi Betsy,

This is Angie from the Littleton Public Library and I wanted to share with you the Baby Hokey Pokey that I like to do with my Lapsit Storytime babies.

I always preface these types of movement songs with the statement that not every child likes the same kind of movement, so swing your baby accordingly! You can step in gently or just lean in holding baby against your body (if you have a newborn or a baby that doesn't love wild movements), or really swing them if they're a thrill seeker! Caregivers stand in a circle holding their babies (older babies face in to the circle so the babies all see each other)

You put your baby in (swing or lean baby in)
You put your baby out (swing or lean baby out)
You put your baby in and you dance them all about (or wiggle them about)
You do the baby pokey and you turn yourselves about
That's what it's all about...WOO (toss baby up or lift them into the air)

I do lots of movement songs like this where we are lifting and doing full body movement in my baby classes, and I call them baby workout routines. The babies really get heavier as they get older, but most of them still want to be lifted high up into the air!

Thanks so much for this training, I am having such a great time and I can't wait to get back into indoor storytimes with my babies and toddlers!

Angie
Littleton Public Library
92 Main Street
Littleton, NH 03561
LittLibDesk@gmail.com
603-444-5741
------------

Hi Betsy,

The idea that I shared with the group was having a press pass for children made from mailing labels. At the beginning of story time, we put these press passes on the children and told them at the end of the story time, before the puppet show, they could share or ask anything they’d like. That gave them the idea that it is okay to talk and share and ask, when traditionally in story time settings, they’re being told to be quiet. The idea was from a comedian, Chad Daniels, who said he did it with his children when he was a stay at home dad and his kids would ask questions constantly like “why does that magnet stick to the fridge? Why does THAT magnet stick to the fridge? Why does THAT OTHER magnet stick to the fridge!?” …brilliant idea!

Best wishes,

Kris Murphy, MLIS
Children’s Librarian
Nashua Public Library
603-589-4630

What Children's Librarians Should Learn

A dear friend and wonderful colleague, Dr. Tess Prendergast, has written two articles in the ALSC blog that deal with issues relevant to all children's librarians. The first post on Feb. 17, 2022, Diversifying Our Storytime Book Selections, laments the fact that a majority of children's books are not representative of community diversity and Tess describes what she is doing to fix that.

"I now teach future children’s librarians: we examine picture books with an anti-bias lens; we discuss specific research-based strategies that promote inclusion for children with disabilities. Also, we talk about diversifying the field of children’s librarianship to better reflect our diverse communities. I actively support and mentor all my students but especially those from under-represented backgrounds. However, Cahill et al have shown me is that I also need to train my students to intentionally seek out and use storytime books that reflect human diversity while still engaging groups with fun language and fabulous illustrations."

She finishes the post with an annotated list of Key Resources for Diversifying Your Storytimes and Your Storytime Shelves
https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2022/02/diversifying-our-storytime-book-selections/

Tess's second post from April 29, 2022, Child development knowledge: What do we know? describes formal training of children's librarians as lacking an essential course -- child development! Since "children’s librarians play important roles in supporting children’s development...We can do this best when we know how kids’ work." She also gives an annotated list of Recommended Child Development Resources. https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2022/04/child-development-knowledge-what-do-we-know/

I believe that both of these posts are must reads for anyone working as a children's librarian.

Storytime is the new normal

by Amanda Bressler

As COVID numbers decrease and masking mandates roll back, it seems we may be headed toward something approximating “normal.” What constitutes “normal” at this point is anybody’s guess. We’ve been - and continue to be - experiencing an unparalleled amount of illness, death, and disruption these past two years and counting. How can we expect things to be the same as they were in February 2020? More likely, we are headed toward a new normal, similar in some ways and different - hopefully better - in others.

This past week my library hosted in-person storytimes for the first time since March 2020, and it has me wondering what storytime in the new normal looks like. I am tempted to wish it back to its pre-pandemic state, but even a storytime devotee like me has to admit that storytime was not perfect. Accessibility of storytime has long been an issue, and while Zoom storytime isn’t ideal to most, it has been a wonderful experiment in storytime accessibility. My library plans to keep doing Zoom storytime once a week, at least until children under 5 can be vaccinated and perhaps beyond that time.

The pandemic has pushed us to try new things around early literacy programming and to go way outside our comfort zones. Can we carry this spirit of experimentation into our new normal? Can we simultaneously find some warmth in a good old fashioned storytime while also dreaming up ways to improve it? I hope so, and I look forward to seeing what our passionate, creative community does next.

Amanda Bushnell Bressler is the Assistant Director at Albany Public Library in Albany, Oregon.

Serving Expectant Parents & Families with Newborns From Where We Are Today

In March, 2022, children's librarian Linda Ernst wrote a post for the ALSC blog (Association for Library Services to Children) about serving expectant parents and families with newborns. This was particularly interesting for me because of the work I have been doing with the Maryland State Library on the creation and piloting of Mother Goose on the Loose - Hatchlings, a program for expectant parents as well as for parents with newborns.

Linda's column is full of great information.
To read it yourself, click here!

To find out more about Hatchlings, come to our ALA Presentation on June 26!

When counting with young children, it's easy to count what is just in front of you. For instance, before reciting the rhyme "Three fat sausages", I used to put three sausages on the flannel board and then count them aloud before reciting the rhyme by saying "How many sausages are there? Let's count them: one, two, three! But after speaking with my daughter-in-law, Erica Zippert, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Purdue University, I updated the way I present counting rhymes.

Now, I'll say, "Look, here are three sausages. Let's count them: one, two, three! That's three sausages!"

According to Erica, "There's research to show that the fastest way to teach kids how to connect number words to groups of objects is to label the set of objects first and then count them.”

For some easy developmental tips on math to share with parents, check out this March 23, 2022 article in Romper Magazine by Kinsey Gidick: How to Help Your Toddler Build Their Counting Skills: It's easier than you think, (and fun too).

Or, consider booking the newest MGOL webinar: "Enhancing Storytime to Build Children's Math Skills." During this hands-on 2 hour webinar, participants will learn to support children's math readiness skills through nursery rhymes, games, and songs. The webinar includes:
- An overview of math readiness standards for your state
- A research review: math development in early childhood
- Hands-on activities that illustrate why and how rhymes, games, and songs can support math readiness.

The two facilitators at this webinar are Dr. Erica Zippert, Ph.D. (mentioned above) and Dr. Betsy-Diamant Cohen, MLS, DCD (author or this newsletter!)

For more information or to book a workshop, please call betsy at 443-928-3915 or send an email to betsydc@mgol.org.

Are Sighs Related to Reading Comprehension?

Saroj Ghoting sent me a fascinating article called "Reading on a smartphone promotes overactivity in the prefrontal cortex and lowers reading comprehension, study finds", published in PsyPost, a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society.

This article discusses a study that compared the results of reading from a screen versus reading from paper. At the beginning of the study, a carefully conducted reading test was administered to students on paper and on a smartphone. Their performance was better when they read the passage on paper. After concluding that "reading comprehension is reduced when reading from an electronic device," the researchers looked for the reason behind this.

They "found differences in students’ respiratory activity depending on the reading medium. When reading on paper, the students elicited a greater number of sighs compared to reading on a smartphone." A sigh was defined as "a breath that was twice the depth of an average breath during a session," and it was noted that "conscious deep breathing has a positive effect on cognitive function." The authors concluded that less sighs led to less comprehension. However, since the subjects of this study were "around 20 years old", the researchers wondered aloud if the results might be different in children who had been using digital devices since infancy.

The original reserach upon which this article is based, “Reading on a smartphone affects sigh generation, brain activity, and comprehension,” "proposed that the visual environment of reading on a screen may alter respiratory function and brain function, which may interact to impact cognitive performance." The authors are Motoyasu Honma, Yuri Masaoka, Natsuko Iizuka, Sayaka Wada, Sawa Kamimura, Akira Yoshikawa, Rika Moriya, Shotaro Kamijo, and Masahiko Izumizaki. You can read the original article here:

Honma, Motoyasu, et al. "Reading on a smartphone affects sigh generation, brain activity, and comprehension." Scientific reports 12.1 (2022): 1-8.

Citations in the article include:

Jaiswal, S. et al. Ocular and visual discomfort associated with smartphones, tablets and computers: What we do and do not know. Clin. Exp. Optom. 102, 463–477. https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.12851 (2019).

Vlemincx, E., Meulders, M. & Luminet, O. A sigh of relief or a sigh of expected relief: Sigh rate in response to dyspnea relief. Psychophysiology 55, e12979. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12979 (2018).

Book Recommendations

The Sleeping Bees

I recently heard about a book on mindfulness for young children by a local author, Allegra Marcell, that was illustrated with magnificent photographs of bees. After reading the book myself, I wanted to learn more about it, so I contacted Allegra and she kindly consented to an interview for this newsletter.

What inspired you to write this book?
During the insanity of being home with my kids during COVID, I would escape outside to the garden in our backyard with my phone or camera. I planted over a hundred sunflowers. I was growing zinnias and vegetables and the kids had their own plots, too. Going outdoors was a wonderful outlet; I literally felt that I could breathe more freely when I was outdoors breathing with the bees.

I would escape to my garden at all times of the day: early morning, noon, and dusk. I love the magic golden hour of dusk when the sun is starting to set and the air is cooling. During that time, my children and I observed that the bees were very still.

At first, we thought that bees slept in a hive, but then we discovered that a lot of bees don't have the type of traditional hive used by honey bees. Of the native bees in my photos, the females have their own nests and the males are left to fend for themselves. The bees are ectotherms; they're cold blooded and if it gets too cool they can't really function anymore, so they stop. When it is about 50 or 60 degrees, it becomes too cold for them to fly so they rest in some form which looks like sleeping.

How did you take the pictures?
At first, I just used my phone. I have a little lens that clips on your phone camera and it acts as a magnifier so that's how I was zooming in on things. Then I invested in a new camera with a macro lens that enables you to get really, really close to see details. I also had more photographic control over light settings and depth of field.

At some point in August, I described to my amazing cello teacher how I would escape outside with either my phone or the camera and literally go look for sleeping bees. When I found them, I would just stand there and I would breathe. She is the one who helped me realize that this was a children's book.

I would do all of the things that the book describes to feel peaceful It was my way of expanding our universe. My children also shared these feelings; at a time when the world felt very restricted and small, we dove closely into this micro world of tiny little insects and felt the world opening up a bit. And I took photographs. So, now I have thousands of pictures of all kinds of insects. Even the invasive ones, like the stink bugs, are gorgeous.

What else can you tell me about your book?

As I was discovering and identifying things that were new to me (for instance, I had never seen a stink bug egg), both the scientist and the photographer in me was satisfied. It was an amazing merging of love combined with the feeling that I could breathe outside while looking at these bees.

One of my children has educational needs, so since he was little I've been making books for him based on topics of interest with large type. That's how he learned to read. So I chose to use large print in this book. Also, the word choice is not necessarily one you could force into one category, for instance it is not just for three to five year olds. Instead, it's accessible for a child to look at and read and see the words; there was conscious thought that that went into that.

To publish the book, I initially looked at Amazon but Amazon does not go past the traditional 81/2 inches in landscape and I wanted it to be bigger. I discovered Barnes & Noble press which is available through the Barnes & Noble website.

How can the book be purchased?

I can sell it wholesale by ordering author copies, so if a librarian wanted to order it, or to order multiple copies, they do better ordering directly from me rather than via the Barnes and Noble website. My email address is: thesleepingbees@gmail.com .

Resources

When I was the Children's Programming Specialist at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Emily Blumenthal was the Manager of Children and Family Programs at Baltimore's Walters Art Museum. We did some fun joint projects together, and she co-authored a chapter of my book Children's Services: Partnerships for Success (ALA 2020). Emily is now the Educator in Charge, Teaching and Learning at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and she just posted this announcement on her LinkedIn:

I'm excited to share our newest curriculum resource for educators focused on SEL, featuring 30 lesson plans developed in collaboration with NYC special education teachers and Met teaching artists. I'm so proud of the team who worked on this resource and continue to bring art into classrooms to serve students with disabilities who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Cheers Christina Vanech Zev Slurzberg Merantine Hens Marie Clapot Rebecca McGinnis

Supported by New York Community Trust, this guide is a practical introduction for teachers at all grade levels and across disciplines for strengthening students’ social and emotional learning, as well as communication skills and critical thinking, through art. Although the guide is geared for elementary school children K and up, there is a lot of great information for librarians and early childhood educators who enjoy sharing art activities with children.

To download the PDF, click here

Training Opportunities

Since the pandemic, I have been creating and presenting webinars in place of my usual MGOL training workshops. Here are some of the comments by people who have attended MGOL webinars:

From Literacy Basics & the Mother Goose on the Loose Philosophy:
"Betsy is a truly engaging and incredibly knowledgeable presenter, who knows how to break things down clearly and succinctly for her adult learner audience. I'm excited and invigorated for the next session."

"This was a great training, and I realized that most of the best practices I'd copied from other CPL librarians were part of the MGOL training. Definitely worth repeating every several years for new hires!"

From Programming for Infants, Toddlers, and Their Caregivers:
"So comprehensive! Wish I had this information when I was starting out as a children's librarian. I feel like this could have been 2 hours and it still would barely cover everything. I love that Betsy emphasizes the importance of being welcoming in the library."

For information about ready-made and other custom e webinars, please contact Betsy at betsydc@mgol.org or 443-928-3915.

Four Hungry Ants

Four hungry ants marching in a line.
They come upon a picnic where they can dine.
They march into the salad, they march into the cake.
They march into the pepper.... Uh-oh, that was a mistake!
Ah-Choo!

Subscribe to More MGOL Rhymes on YouTube HERE!

Developmental Tip of the Month:

When counting with young children, it's easy to count what is just in front of you. There's research to show that the fastest way to teach kids how to connect number words to groups of objects is to label the set of objects first and then count them. So if there are five cheerios on a plate, say to your child, “Look! There are five cheerios. Let’s count them: one, two, three, four, five! That’s five cheerios!”

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Suggestions from New Hampshire Librarians

What Children's Librarians Should Learn

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