Kids Are Customers 2008

For the first time media specialists from throughout the state attended this conference. It was great to see some of our local school media specialists and have their input. In addition there were extensive vendor displays this year.
Jill Hutchinson from St. Mary's County talked about their "Wiggle-Giggle Storytime" where they include children from their local Infants and Toddlers Program (a statewide early intervention program) and they also invite children from regular storytime who find it difficult to sit through a traditional storytime. Some of the hints they recommended were using music that is exciting but that has a calming effect at the end. She found that using music which is more highly frentic tends to get the children too hyperactive. Recommended music included CDs by Hap Palmer and Raffi. She also recommended lots of repetition and using one favorite song like "Twinkle, Twinkle" whenever the children get too excitable to bring their focus back to storytime.
Gloria Ann Bartas from Enoch Pratt presented numerous storytime transitions from music to echo stories to movement. One of her rhymes was "Imagine that. Imagine that. Here's a pretend game just for you. Pick a card. Read and do. " (Then the librarian gives children pictures of something like different animals and has the child act out their animal.) Gloria quickly went through about 50 of these and did not complete her whole outline. She has promised to put this information on the Maryland Library Association website, but it has not been posted yet.