Thursday, November 7, 2013

Early Literacy Ideas from Pre-Conference, Part 2

Today, we are featuring a few more ideas from Jody Hanneman from the Black River Falls Public Library. (Thanks, Jody!)  These are a few more items in her library that enhance early literacy experiences for kids and families.






The treehouse is the star of my activity area.  I chose a treehouse and call the dolls either people or figurines to encourage both boys and girls to play.  Calling it a treehouse rather than a dollhouse and people rather than dolls does get boys and men playing with it together.  

Here's a close-up of the treehouse, submitted by Julie Belz from the Ellsworth Public Library, who had similar things to report about its appeal to both genders:




Jody says:  I also have a large set of nice wooden blocks, a barn with animals, wooden patterning blocks, and various puzzles.  I couldn’t be happier with the purchase of a Boogie Board, which is an LCD version of a magnadoodle—it is much more durable than I thought and has some sort of hip technology appeal to it that really encourages drawing, writing, and play.  The kids and parents love it.  

Lastly, a rather cheap purchase that gets endless use is the hopscotch rug that leads kids into the children’s library.  This encourages number recognition and play.  An easy purchase that is appealing to all ages! 



No comments: