New Mexico State Library

Topic of the Month: Infant Lapsit Programs

We are very fortunate to have a guest contributor for this month’s feature article. Rebecca Donnelly, Youth Services Librarian from Rio Rancho Public Library, has generously written this article based on her experience with infant programs. Many thanks, Rebecca!

The Day the Babies Crawled to the Library:
Developing a Lapsit Program

We know that children exposed to written language from birth are unconsciously noting the patterns, the conventions of the text. They have a head start, but it is an advantage which only a close adult can confer.

--Dorothy Butler, author of Babies Need Books

Conventional wisdom used to be that children weren’t learning to read until they sat down with Dick and Jane and started sounding out words. Now we know that children’s experiences with books and language start at birth. Chewing on that first board book is a step on the way to becoming a lifelong reader, and the public library is the ideal place to encourage parents and caregivers to make books part of children’s everyday lives.

Aren’t They Just Little Preschoolers?

Libraries that have offered toddler and preschool storytimes for years are beginning to provide infant lapsits as a way to introduce young families to library services. Parents often ask about the difference between an infant program and a storytime for older children. Is it really necessary to have a storytime for babies? Can’t they just come to a preschool program? While babies have been coming to preschool storytimes for years with their older siblings, there are benefits for both age groups in having separate programs.

Babies don’t have the attention span or level of cognitive development needed to appreciate a program designed for three-to-five-year-olds. An infant lapsit caters to babies’ needs: instead of three books, we read one; instead of long fingerplays, we recite short nursery rhymes and action rhymes. We don’t use a theme, and the program is shorter than a preschool storytime, about 20 minutes instead of 25-30 minutes.

A Librarian, a Plan, a Lapsit

I have come up with a basic lapsit program called Baby Bumblebees, which I offer twice a week to parents and caregivers with children up to 24 months old. I say “24 months” rather than “2 years” to keep the toddlers at bay. I direct them, and their parents, to our toddler storytime.

At the start of a new series of lapsits, and whenever I notice that I have several new families in the room, I talk a little about the way the program goes. I always say that this is different from traditional storytimes because it’s designed with babies’ needs in mind, and I emphasize two things: participation and repetition. I want the parents to participate because their children learn from them, not from me. Sometimes I’ll write the words to nursery rhymes on our whiteboard so parents can follow along. After they’ve been to a few sessions, they usually get the hang of it. Unlike a preschool storytime, the children aren’t reciting songs or rhymes with me, so I need the parents’ voices to make the sound carry, too. I repeat almost every rhyme twice because young children love repetition and because it helps parents learn the words to rhymes that might be unfamiliar to them.

A Sample Program

This is the basic outline of my lapsit program:

1. Hello song (I use “Open Them, Shut Them”)

2. Bumblebee rhyme (I use a bumblebee hand puppet to get the babies’ attention and act out the rhyme)

3. Action or bouncy rhyme (“Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” “This is the Way the Ladies Ride,” etc. I use a stuffed animal as a “demonstration baby” for lap bounces and interactive rhymes. Repeat once.)

4. Flannel board rhymes (2). (I have several flannel board sets to go along with nursery rhymes like “Humpty Dumpty” and “Two Little Bluebirds,” and I repeat each rhyme once.)

5. Nursery rhymes with egg shakers (3). (I hand out the shakers and sing “Shake your rattle along with me,” and then we recite three rhymes together, repeating each once.)

6. Good-bye shakers (To the tune of “Goodnight, ladies,” so the children/parents can put the shakers away.)

7. American Sign Language (We learn one or two signs each session, and we repeat all the rhymes we’ve learned up to that point. By the end of the series, we’ve covered about 10 signs. I explain to parents that this is supplemental to oral language development, and it’s a lot of fun for babies and parents.)

8. Story (This is usually a big book, but if I don’t have a big book I like, I’ll choose something with bright, clear pictures and simple text. There are some suggestions for books in the resources list, and many other suggestions in the lapsit manuals.)

9. Action rhyme (Repeat once.)

10. Hokey-pokey (I demonstrate using a stuffed animal. We do this every session because kids and parents love it.)

11. Good-bye song (I use “It’s time to say good-bye to all our friends.”)

After the program, I bring out board books, and the parents stay and read with their babies for 10-15 minutes. This is also a nice time for parents to talk to each other. For many parents, this is the first chance they have to meet other parents with young children and to let their babies meet kids their own age.

Finding the Material

Infant lapsits are a little easier to plan than toddler and preschool storytimes once you’ve selected your basic material. You don’t have to worry about themes, crafts, or coming up with something new each week. I keep rhymes, sign language, stories, flannel board rhymes, and action rhymes on colored index cards, and I can plan the program just before it starts by swapping a few cards, choosing a different story, and adding the next ASL sign.

Unlike toddlers and preschoolers, babies don’t yet have their own large body of literature suitable for storytimes. A lapsit story will often be something that could also be used with toddlers. Some can be read straight through; some will have to be shortened or altered to fit babies’ attention spans. My goal is to model reading to babies—point out pictures, repeat things, and respond to any interest the babies show, rather than to read straight through uninterrupted. Generally, books with bold pictures and simple text work well. Denise Fleming, Eric Carle, and Lois Ehlert are some of my favorite authors for this age group.

Because of babies’ love of repetition, I use one of the action rhymes from the previous week, one of the flannel board rhymes, and one or two nursery rhymes. I’ve come up with a roster of rhymes that I like to use. Some are well-known, like “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and some are less familiar. I’ve found them in lapsit books, several of which are listed below, and in collections of Mother Goose rhymes. I also use contemporary rhymes and I’ve changed a few action rhymes to suit babies’ movement abilities.

Other Considerations

Some libraries prefer to integrate instruction in early literacy skills directly into the program. Using information from PLA’s Every Child Ready to read, an early literacy storytime aims to teach parents and caregivers how to help their children develop the six skills needed in order for children to learn to read. The presenter of an early literacy storytime can use as much or as little of the material as they feel comfortable with. For example, it can be as simple as letting parents know that nursery rhymes help children develop phonological awareness, or the ability to separate words into individual sounds.

Infant lapsits come with some of the same considerations as programs for older children. Will you have registration? How many props and activities do you want to incorporate? What is your policy on disruptive noise? How can you best evaluate your program?

Every library finds its own answers to these questions. I’ve tried registration and found that I prefer an open program. I use one puppet, one stuffed animal, and I pass out egg shakers. Some libraries add scarves or other instruments; some purchase multiple copies of board books so that each parent/child set has a copy to read together. I decided to make my program as simple as possible to satisfy babies’ needs: familiarity, repetition, brevity, and simple stimuli.

I have more tolerant of noise and movement with this age group than I would be with older children, and this means being flexible. I set basic rules about how close children can come to the flannel board and my supplies during a lapsit, but I let parents know that they don’t need to worry about keeping a 12-month-old sitting still in their laps. Early walkers like to move, and physical movement is an important part of brain and language development, too.

One final word of advice: don’t be afraid to stray from your plan. Any storytime can have unexpected interruptions, but it happens particularly often with babies. You might need to drop a rhyme, add movement, or leave the last few pages out of the book you’re reading. Experiment and find what works best for you, and enjoy introducing your youngest patrons to the library.

Resources

• Diamant-Cohen, Betsy. Mother Goose on the Loose. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2006.
• Ernst, Linda. Baby Rhyming Time. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2008.
• Ghoting, Saroj Nadkarni. Early Literacy Storytime @ your library. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2006.
• Greene, Ellin. Books, Babies, and Libraries: Serving Infants, Toddlers, their Parents, and Caregivers. Chicago: ALA Editions, 1992.
• Marino, Jane and Dorothy F. Houlihan. Mother Goose Time: Library Programs for Babies and their Caregivers. H.W. Wilson, 1992.
• Opie, Iona. Illus. Rosemary Wells. Here Comes Mother Goose. Cambridge: Candlewick, 1999.
• Pio Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes. Selected by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. New York: HarperCollins, 2003.
• The Real Mother Goose. Illus. Blanche Fisher Wright. New York: Scholastic, 1994.

Books to Read to Babies

• Bang, Molly. Ten, Nine, Eight.
• Carle, Eric. From Head to Toe; The Very Hungry Caterpillar (I use a giant board book with a toy caterpillar that moves through the holes in the pages.)
• Crews, Donald. Freight Train.
• Cruise, Robin. Only You.
• Ehlert, Lois. Snowballs; Color Farm; Feathers for Lunch.
• Fleming, Denise. Beetle Bop; In the Tall, Tall Grass; Lunch.
• George, Kristine O’Connell. Book!
• Wood, Don and Audrey. Piggies.

Websites

• Every Child ready to Read
  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/ecrr/index.cfm
• Zero to Three (A national nonprofit that supports parents & professionals who work with infants and toddlers.)
  http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer

State Library Updates and Announcements

Summer Reading Workshops:

The 2009 Summer Reading Program is just finishing up; whew!! Job well done! Take lots of deep breaths, get some good nights’ sleep, and relax for a while. And just for those of you already thinking about the 2010 SRP, you can start planning for this fall’s SRP workshops, with the theme of water. The State Library is teaming up with several water-related organizations to offer workshops both engaging and informative for you. We hope to see you at one of the workshops! (Registration has not begun for these workshops; this is just a sneak peek!)

• Nov. 13: Albuquerque, NM Museum of Natural History & Science
• Nov. 16: Portales, Portales Public Library
• Nov. 18: Santa Fe, NM State Library
• Dec. 8: Las Cruces, Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park
• And, if 2010 will be your first SRP, we’ll offer an online workshop for just for you on Nov. 9 to introduce SRP basics and tips of the trade.

Upcoming newsletter topics:

• August: Library Exhibits
• September: Family Stay-cations

Please contribute any materials, tips, questions, and comments you have on these topics to be included in the newsletters! And please let me know if there are any topics you’d like to see featured in the newsletter.

Resources and Opportunities

• The Library of Congress (LC) has many resources for youth and librarians. Here are just a few:
  LC is distributing portions of its audio and video collections—including 100-year-old films from the Thomas Edison studio—on YouTube. Check out the options at http://www.youtube.com/user/LibraryOfCongress.
  LC’s Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program works with an educational consortium of schools, universities, libraries, and foundations to help teachers use the Library's vast collection of digitized primary sources to enrich their classroom instruction.
  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and 32 partner institutions launched the World Digital Library, a website that features unique cultural materials from libraries and archives from around the world. The site―located at www.wdl.org―includes manuscripts, maps, rare books, films, sound recordings, prints and photographs.

• Grow a (Library) Garden: First Lady Michelle Obama has stimulated popular interest in environmentalism and gardening when she started the new White House vegetable garden on the south lawn. Planting is often a symbol of hope and what better opportunity is there for libraries to creatively work with youth? That program just might be the 2009 Healthy Sprouts Awards. These awards support youth garden programs that teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger in the U.S.  So why not consider growing a library garden?
  To be eligible for the 2009 Healthy Sprouts Award, the organization must plan to garden in 2010 with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18. Selection is based on the demonstrated relationship between the garden program and nutrition and hunger issues in the U.S. Applications are due by October 17, 2009. Go to http://www.kidsgardening.org for more info and to apply.
• Location in Education is an educational program for middle and high school students. The Location in Education program consists of 10-15 GPS units (valued at $100 each), “The World in a Box” video, a geo caching book, extra batteries, and a set of operating instructions along with instructions on how to erase any information you input. The kit may be used for up to one month dependent upon a waiting list. For no charge units, may be picked up and dropped off directly at the GITA office headquarters in Aurora, Colorado. However if shipping of the units is necessary, the only expense you will incur will be the freight charge. Click here to download more information and the contract to sign up for this program today! Teachers who are interested in the program are encouraged to contact Julie Marques at 303-337-0513, e-mail info@gita.org. (Thanks to Angie Manfredi for info on this program!)
• There’s a Support Community for Children's Librarians at WebJunction. There are hundreds of WebJunction members whose primary role is children's librarianship or youth services, a number of whom have helped build a section for Services to Children. You'll find dozen of documents and a discussion board for exchange of news and ideas, and you are welcome to add your own resources to this knowledge base. Also, the Course Catalog offers courses that focus on children's services. Plus, this month they’re hosting a free webinar that may be of interest:
• Bilingual Storytimes: Building Early Literacy and Community
  July 29, noon to 1:00 pm MT
  http://evanced.info/webjunction/evanced/eventsignup.asp?ID=1614
  (And check out WebJunction’s free archived webinars at http://www.webjunction.org/events/webinars/webinar-archives)
• Dr. Estevan Rael-Galvez, NM’s outgoing State Historian, has announced the launch of New Mexico's Lincoln Bicentennial Website, the newest part of the state's Digital History Project. The Lincoln website is a part of a national initiative, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission's technology-based learning experience, www.abrahamlincoln200.org.
• News from the publishing world:
  • Marshall Cavendish is republishing classic children’s and YA books. They will be chosen from different original publishers in addition to Marshall Cavendish backlists. http://www.marshallcavendish.us/marshallcavendish-us/children/catalog/classics/index.xml
  • Hammond Publishing will start a line of children's picture books this fall centering around self-awareness, the importance of personal choices, and social awareness.
  • Capstone Publishers is teaming with Sports Illustrated Kids to publish elementary and mid-grade sports books. Formats will be high/low informational, graphic novels, and illustrated chapter books.
    (from PW's Children Bookshelf, July 9)
• Free Gaming- in-Libraries Class. If you recently watched the webinar on how to market to tweens and teens, you may remember that one of the activities that this hard-to-reach market loves is gaming. Many public libraries across the country are exploring this new service and The Shifted Librarian web site announces that Dr. Scott Nicholson, program director for the Masters of Science in Library & Information Science at the Syracuse iSchool, is running a 30-day introductory course about gaming in libraries. Anyone, anywhere can watch the daily video lectures he's posting on YouTube and discuss them in the class community on ALA Connect.  The syllabus is available as a Google doc, and the videos can be downloaded from the Internet Archive to take them on to go. The lectures have ranged between 5-17 minutes. Click here for more information.
• And to learn more about the potential benefits of gaming, video game researchers gathered June 23 to discuss ways gaming can help address the gaps in U.S. students' educational performance, while also helping to improve their health. Go to Digital games: Playing for learning and health for a summary of their discussions.
• Google's Literacy Project, UNESCO and the International Reading Association have named Make Beliefs Comix! as one of the most innovative for making reading and writing fun. This fun site allows users to make their own comic strips easily that they can email or print out. Teacher resources are included. Great for reluctant readers and writers of all ages and—as you can make comics in 7 languages—it has fun and practical applications for second language learners, too!
• Libraries, and kids and teens 8-14 years old, are welcome to enter the Green Dragon lyrics writing contest—and explore the world of dragons. Entrants will write lyrics set to the story of the Green Dragon, and the winning lyrics will then be set to music tied in with A Practical Guide to Dragons and the books in the Dragon Codex series. Go to http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4dnd/greendragon&red for more info and to enter.
• American Veteran, The Power of One Essay and Scholarship Project is a free essay project open to teens ages 13-17. Teens who want to enter a story in the project should write about a veteran that served from WWII or any period through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The essay should be written about a veteran who exhibited the ability to be a role model and explore how that person has shown the "power of one" by making a difference in the lives of others. Essays should not exceed 1000 words. The top essay winner will receive a 2010 summer camp experience, titled MISSION QUEST at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia. The second place essay will receive a $50.00 cash prize. The deadline for essays is October 15, 2009.
• Our busy friends at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) send the following message: LPI is proud to bring the Moon to your community through our new website, MyMoon:  http://mymoon.lpi.usra.edu.  MyMoon is an evolving collaboration of scientists, artists, and the members of the Net Generation. We will host contests, discussion groups, and live Web-conferenced presentations. Visitors can share their thoughts, creations, and experiences relating to Earth’s Moon through MyMoon groups on Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr.
  We’d love your help in bringing this resource to the 18- to 35-year-old members of your community!  We have black-and-white and color versions of our flyer advertising the MyMoon website available online. Please feel free to print copies and post them in the public areas of your community! 
  MyMoon flyer in black and white: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/announcements/mymoon-black-white-flyer.pdf
  MyMoon flyer in color: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/announcements/mymoon-color-flyer.pdf

• Megan McFarlane, Campaign Coordinator for ALA’s The Campaign for America's Libraries, requests this info: We are looking for examples of library programs or clubs targeting first time moms; and moms of children ages 5 and under. If your library has organized these types of programs, please let us know and give us some detail on the program.  Thank you very much for your help. Contact Megan at 312-280-2148 or mmcfarlane@ala.org. Thanks to those of you who have already contributed your info!
• RoseMary Honnold, a long-time teen services librarian and current editor of VOYA, has her own website: See YA Around. Check it out for lots of program ideas, handouts, forms, and book reviews.
• Booklist’s blog Bookends has an entertaining and informative look at books about kids losing their baby teeth: http://bookends.booklistonline.com/2009/07/03/loose-teeth/.

Tips & Tools

(reprinted with permission from the Idaho Commission for Libraries, The Scoop newsletter, July 17, 2009)

• Libri Foundation Books for Children Grant: Deadline: August 15, 2009. The Libri Foundation is a nationwide non-profit organization which donates new, quality, hardcover children's books to small, rural public libraries throughout the United States. Local sponsors can contribute $50-350, which the Foundation will match on a 2-to-1 ratio. A library can receive up to $1,050 worth of new, quality, hardcover children's books. Qualifying libraries should be in a rural area, have a limited operating budget, and an active children's department.
• More than 22,000 schools, clubs, and churches have raised much-needed funds for their organizations through the EcoPhones Recycling Fundraiser. The fundraiser pays up to $300 for cell phones, ink-jet printer cartridges, DVD movies, videogames, portable DVD players, laptops, MP3 players, digital cameras, Wii, Sony Playstations, and more. Participants should ask parents, neighbors, co-workers, and local businesses to donate and recycle their used consumer electronics. Participants can also receive money for damaged, non-working, and non-listed models.
• Kindersay is a free online video website designed to help preschool and English as Second Language (ESL) children learn English words. Over 500 online activities are available in a special Word Show format. It also matches American Sign Language simple signs with words. The “My Family” section allows uploading of family photos to personalize words.
• August 12 is International Youth Day - The theme for International Youth Day 2009 is “Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future.” Young people will be encouraged to adopt a global sense of social responsibility. Go to www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyouthday.htm for more.
• Other fun dates include: August 3 – National Watermelon Day, August 6 – Wiggle Your Toes Day, August 10 – S’Mores Day, August 12 – Middle Children’s Day, August 14 – National Creamsicle Day, August 15 – National Relaxation Day, August 18 – Bad Poetry Day, August 22 – Be An Angel Day, August 24 – National Peach Pie Day, and August 30 - National Toasted Marshmallow Day.

Book Look

(reprinted with permission from the Idaho Commission for Libraries, The Scoop newsletter, July 17, 2009)

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) Medal Winners for 2009:

The Carnegie Medal is awarded annually to the writer of an outstanding book for children. This year’s winner is Bog Child, by Siobhan Dowd.

The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded annually for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people. This year’s winner is Harris Finds His Feet, by Catherine Rayner.

Visit www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/home/index.php for more information about the awards, to see the shortlists for 2009, to see past winners, or to check out their cool “shadowing” site.

Library to Library

• The Octavia Fellin Public Library is hosting "The Brain Teasers Exhibit" from the Explora Museum at the Children's Library from May 12 until August 31, 2009. Come in and test your puzzle solving ability!
• The Green Bat is flying around New Mexico! Thanks to the Farmington Public Library, the bat is touring libraries around the state. Where is the bat now? Please send along a photo or 2 of the bat in your library and I’ll feature his adventures in the newsletter each month.

Beth Crist, Library Development Bureau Director
Beth.crist@state.nm.us; 505-476-9753