Early Literacy Events and More: Winter at NYPL

By Chelsea Condren, Early Literacy Coordinator
February 19, 2019

There’s nothing like February in New York City. On one hand, love is in the air and spring is just around the corner. On the other, the city is still cold, wet, and still getting darker earlier than we’d like. How do you keep your young children entertained when the weather isn’t on your side? The New York Public Library is here to help!
Now is the time to explore the great indoors by taking your baby, toddler, or preschooler to your nearest NYPL branch. It’s natural to become stir-crazy during the winter months, and NYPL is a great place for young children to release their energy! While our branch libraries aren’t equipped with full indoor playgrounds, each branch does have a dedicated early literacy space with stations for dramatic play, manipulatives, and materials that develop their early literacy skills.

The best part about out branches? The dedicated children’s staff who work hard to develop innovative programming all winter long. We visited with a couple librarians to talk about their favorite February early literacy programs, which you can find below, along with some tips for families while at home.

Melissa Koszer, George Bruce Library, West Harlem

Melissa is one of two incredible children’s librarians at the George Bruce library, and she just hosted a Windy Winter Workshop in January.
 

A wind tunnel decorated with colorful feathers and an illustrated cloud

Photo by librarian Melissa Koszer

"I bought a wind tunnel and wasn't sure how to incorporate it into programming," says Melissa. "On a particularly windy winter January day, I got the idea to do a Windy Winter Workshop, full of wind-themed activities that would also help parents and children learn about early literacy skills." 

The wind tunnel remains at George Bruce for special programs like this one, albeit without the beautiful decorations. Until the next George Bruce Library special event, talk about wind with your young children on a windy day!
Ask your child how the wind feels on their face, what sounds they hear the wind make, or how fast they think the wind blows. Use rich vocabulary words, like "blustery" or "gust," and ask your local children’s librarian for books about wind and weather!

Clarissa Cooke, 96th Street Library

For little artists, 96th Street branch children’s librarian Clarissa Cooke hosts a series of family literacy workshops dedicated to process art. Process art, unlike other forms of crafts and art projects, is loose and exploratory, with no formal directions or rules. As Clarissa says, "Open-ended art engages children longer and allows them to express themselves."
Clarissa frequently hosts process art programs as part of the 96th Street Library event programming, and provides lots of tips and handouts for families to continue process art at home. If you’d like to get started on your own, process art is wildly simple.
Gather whatever art supplies you have, and think creatively! Try repurposing old magazines or newspapers, holiday cards, cotton balls, Q-tips, cardboard boxes, or bubble wrap. Then, bust out any writing instruments, glue, and child safety scissors if you have them, and let your artist take the lead. Don’t forget to talk to your child about their work.

We hope these provide for some helpful and enjoyable times as families are enjoying the last lion’s roar of winter. Don’t forget your local library is here to warm you up—and don't forget to look for our next early literacy blog post in the spring.