Big turnout at toddler time

When walking into a library the last thing residents might expect is to hear is the sound of children singing.

This may be the case with other libraries, but not the Sweetwater County Library. On Monday mornings, for about an hour, the multipurpose room is transformed into a toddler heaven.

During regular toddler times, which are Mondays at 10 a.m. Becky Iwen, youth services assistant, uses "The Very Ready Reading Program" as her guide.

This program encourages parents to follow seven easy ways to help prepare their child for reading. Iwen said the seven days, seven ways bookmark encourages parents to compete one of the seven ways to work literacy into the day. Iwen said the best way to incorporate these into activities is by sharing books, sounds, words, rhymes, songs, stories and playtime.

Reading a book together is the best way to raise a reader, while sounds are the way to build a toddler's vocabulary. Learning words helps to build a strong vocabulary, and rhymes help the child understand that words have different parts and rhythms. Songs are a fun way for children to learn and understand words, while listening to stories allows the child connect with the world. Playtime is also a great way for the parent and child to develop a loving bond.

Iwen enjoys singing songs with the children. She said the program does come with a CD, but she feels more comfortable singing. Iwen said the program just doesn't flow as well when she uses the CD.

When the children arrive, they are encouraged to grab a round cushion, put it on the floor and sit on it with their parents behind them. The program kicks off with a song "If You're Happy to Be Here." The children are encouraged to clap their hands and sing along. Some regular attendees already know the song.

Once the children are settled in, Iwen passes out color cards. These laminated cards have circles of various colors on them. The children are then asked to point to the correct color when Iwen says one. She

Iwen expanded the color lesson by asking all the children to come up and grab two different colors of scarves. Next, she sang the "Color Song." During the song, toddlers are asked to stand when one of their colors of scarves is called. The children laughed and danced when it was their turn to stand up.

After Iwen finished the song, the children were asked to put the scarves back. Next, Iwen moved onto a telling a story about different animals. As she picked up each animal she identified it by what it was and what color it was. She then asked the children to repeat it.

Iwen sang a few more songs and the program ended with the children receiving a snack of 15 Cheerios and sharing a book with their parent. Once parents were done reading the book to their child, they could stay and work on a coloring project. On Monday the coloring project focused on the letter G.

The snack and reading time is a nice way to calm the children down and thank them for coming, she said.

Monday's class was packed and Iwen was excited about the turnout.

"Toddler Time has kind of exploded," Iwen said.

She is happy to see so many attending the class for children ages birth to two. Some of the children are older, but came with their younger sibling.

Iwen said she always encourages parents or grandparents to pick up a tip sheet on how to integrate reading into their child's life.

This week's tip sheet asked parents to pick out a book with bold colors and go over the colors with the toddler. Another tip was for parents to tell their children what color of food they were putting in their shopping cart. For example: the carrot is orange. This tip was trying to show parents that simple every day tasks can become a learning experience for toddlers.

Although this toddler time focused on colors, that is not the focus every week. Iwen said she covers animals, parts of the world and the United States. The topics are different every week.

Making sure children develop an interest in reading at a young age is something the library strives to do. Iwen said it starts with toddler time, but the library also offers story time, which is geared toward three to six year olds. Story times take place on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 11 a.m.

Those who cannot make it to toddler times or story times are still encouraged to stop by the library and see what it has to offer children.

"We want kids to come in and participate," she said.

To encourage this the youth area has a train track, Legos and a gated area for younger children.

"We love having kids and families here at the library and we welcome everyone to come and play with us," Iwen said.