Community Corner
Mother Goose On The Loose At Mentor Public Library
The library has a new program that uses rhymes, songs, puppets, musical instruments and more to stimulate the learning process of babies and toddlers
Mentor Public Library launched its Mother Goose on the Loose program last Friday and more than 20 people attended this new program for children 30 months and younger.
Mother Goose on the Loose is the brainchild of Betsy Diamant-Cohen and has been around since the early 2000s.
The 30-minute program uses routine and repetition through a variety of activities, like rhymes and songs; to foster speech development, motor coordination and much more. The concept is based on research, which shows that children learn best through routine and repetition in a friendly, nurturing environment.
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Children’s Services Manager Kim Sidorick attended one of Cohen’s workshops and, with permission, decided to use the concept for a program that would be in line with the library’s goal of promoting early literacy.
“Our Tiddlywinks program has such high numbers,” said Sidorick. “We realized that there is an interest in the community for early childhood programming,”
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While Tiddlywinks uses some of the same elements, there is a little more variety from week to week. The Mother Goose on the Loose program may also be considered a calmer setting that can work well for babies or a first story time experience, she said.
“We wanted to utilize the Read House in a way that would be cozier for parents and children,” said Sidorick. “Mother Goose on the Loose seemed to be the ideal program.”
Heather Miller and her five-month-old son Trey, attended the program last Friday and it was the also the first program they had ever attended at Mentor Public Library.
“I was drawn to this program because of the age group it targets and we enjoyed today’s session,” she said.
Mother Goose on the Loose is a four-week program currently held every Friday at 10 a.m. in the Early Literacy Room at Mentor Public Library’s Read House. Due to the popularity of the program, a Monday timeslot will be added, beginning Feb. 4.
For more information or to register for a program, please call 440-255-8811 or log on to www.mentorpl.org.
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