Curious George attends library event
ELIZABETH GOLDEN/DAILY FORUM
Curious George made an appearance at the Maryville Public Library on Tuesday as part of an early literacy event. More than 100 children attended to take pictures with the cartoon character in addition to taking part in various booths, which encourage pre-literacy skills.
Curious George made an appearance at Maryville Public Library on Tuesday night as part of the early-literacy initiatives.
Funded by the Spotlight on Literacy grant through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the library has been working on encouraging pre-literacy skills in children.
Stephanie Patterson, library director, said the grant has been financing literacy events for the past few months, and supported the production and advertising for this particular program.
Specifically geared toward supporting early literacy, the grant will help fund pre-literacy events for the remainder of the year.
“It’s a way for us to disseminate information to parents about supporting literacy at home for young children who aren’t yet learning to read,” Patterson said. “It’s also a way to celebrate reading and promote recreational reading in our culture. Reading is something that goes on every day; it’s not just something in school. It’s enjoyable, fun and something that’s a part of everyone’s life.”
Patterson said early literacy refers to skills children acquire before learning to read.
“Those pre-literacy skills get kids off to a great start before they even learn to read,” Patterson said. “They’re building blocks. When a kid comes to school ready and excited about learning, it’s a much easier process.”
In addition to encouraging lifelong reading, Patterson said early literacy is important in economic development.
“They’ve done some studies that being sustainable as a community has a lot to do with a highly literacy work force,” she said. “It’s a great investment communities can make, although it is a long-term investment. You see the payback later on.”
Although the library and surrounding school districts have been hosting early-literacy occasions over the course of the year, this is the first time Pajama Party with Curious George has taken place.
However, a similar event took place five years ago.
“Back then, we had Clifford,” Patterson said. “Any character kids recognize is a great way to get them here, so we were looking at different characters and decided on Curious George. He’s been around for a while and might be the most widely recognized among the choices.”
More than 200 parents and children attended. Each child participated in at least five stations, which encouraged some sort of literacy skill, in order to be eligible for door prizes. Children younger than 5 worked on enhancing fine motor skills while older children participated in science experiments and reading comprehension activities.
“The stations were all models for parents,” Patterson said. “We’re showing them things they can do at home to encourage early literacy. It’s all really simple like reading, writing and talking about the book. Whenever parents ask kids questions, it helps them process the information, synthesize it and comprehend it.”
Prizes were donated by local businesses, which included movie tickets, gift certificates, happy meals and books.
“It’s nice to see businesses are eager to support something like this,” Patterson said. “It’s a community event, and always heartening to see community members and groups come in to support this.”
ELIZABETH GOLDEN/DAILY FORUM
One child hesitantly approaches Curious George at a Maryville Public Library event on Tuesday. This is part of an early literacy initiative, which encourages pre-literacy skills in children. The cartoon animal posed for pictures with several children as others waited in line.
Khloe Burns, 6, takes part in a science experiment at Maryville Public Library as part of an early literacy night on Tuesday. With her mother, Heather, watching, Burns combines vinegar and baking soda to create an explosion.
Colin Hoffmann, 3, gives Curious George a hug at an early literacy night hosted by the Maryville Public Library. The night aimed to encourage pre-literacy skills and life long reading.
Curious George holds Tripp Wallace, 9 months old, as his parents snap a picture. This is part of an early literacy initiative, which encourages pre-literacy skills in children
