The Power of a Grandparent

This week I issued three library cards to a dad and his two daughters. This is not anything out of the ordinary. In fact, I’ve issued a lot of cards to parents and children this week. But what makes this set of cards special is the fact that this family may still not have library cards had it not been for the girls’ grandfather.

This grandfather lives out of state but was here visiting for a few weeks. He brought his granddaughters to the library. He told me he was surprised that his granddaughters didn’t have library cards and had not visited the library even though they live within walking distance of my library. The grandfather brought the girls here, introduced them to the library, and inquired what needed to be done to get cards for the girls. When he learned that a parent’s signature was required, this grandfather made a phone call and persuaded Dad (who was busy mowing grass) to come to the library right away to complete the necessary paperwork for the girls to get their own library cards (which Dad promptly did).

The grandfather later told me, “I enjoy reading, and I want to make sure all of my grandkids enjoy it, too.” What a wonderful gift this grandfather has given to his grandchildren—an influential nudge toward positive reading experiences!

Learning the Alphabet—One Box at a Time

One of my grandsons, Luis, recently turned five years old. In spite of his bilingual capabilities and keen awareness for details, he has not quite caught onto learning the names and sounds of the alphabet. Living 10 hours away (by car) makes tutoring him practically impossible. So I came up with “Plan B.” Knowing how much Luis loves to receive mail, I decided I could help him learn his letters by mailing an alphabet box to him each week.

I decided to begin with the consonants, followed by the short vowel sounds, and rounding off the “classes” with long vowel sounds. For the first week, I sent Luis a large envelope with a letter indicating that Grandma was going to help him learn the alphabet and instructing him that each week he would receive a new package from me. The envelope included an alphabet flash card for the letter B, some “B” worksheets to color, and a Book—one from my childhood about a sheep. (Sheep, after all, say Baaaa!) I also wrote a list of other B words for him to find around the house (brother, ball, Banana, bread, etc.) While not the most exciting things to send, the package included enough stuff to get Luis excited about the alphabet. He asked his parents to read the book. He did activities during the week with a ball and a balloon, and he colored his large letter B. Thankfully, Luis did not think B is for boring!

Week two’s package was a bit more exciting. It was a box that included the C flashcard with a picture of a cat on it, some “C” worksheets to colors, a letter from me suggesting Luis find other C words at home (cup, cap, car, etc.), a package of cookie mix (just add water and an egg!) and some really fun cookie cutters.

By week four, Luis had received packages for D and F, and he had also visited the zoo. While there, he enthusiastically told his mother, “CAT! That sign says CAT!” when they neared the display for the bobcat. When his mom asked how he knew that, Luis replied, “I remember it from the C box!” He added, “I can read!”

Now Luis eagerly looks forward to his boxes and his "distance learning" alphabet classes. He tries to guess what might be in the box. (He thought donuts might be in the D box, and considered a tea cup could be in the F box until he rightly sounded out that “cup” starts with C.) My boxes cost approximately $3-$5 a week, depending on what I include in them and the size of the container necessary to ship them, but the benefit and joy of Luis learning the alphabet is MORE than worth the price! H is for Happy—as in a happy grandchild and an even happier grandmother.

Check out this article from DailyFinance

Check out this article from DailyFinance

This article predicts the death of DVDs (and I can foresee the same thing), but I'm still attempting to clear the VHS collection from my library!

A Librarian in the Making

The other day I was working the front desk at my library. A very young girl was clickety-clacking on one of the OPACs. Her mother approached her and advised her to “stop playing with the computer.” The little girl answered, “But Mommy, I’m doing research!”

I was amazed that the child knew the word “research” and thought perhaps she must be older than she looked. When the mother approached my desk to check out her selections, I asked her how about the age of her daughter. (The daughter, meanwhile, had wandered off to a nearby public access computer and was again tapping on the keyboard.) It turns out that this kid was only five years old! When Mom advised the computer-loving child that it was time to leave, the girl again said, “But I’m researching! I’m researching penguins!” Sure enough, this kid had managed to find a penguin on the computer screen! Mom was impressed, as was I.

As the mother and daughter headed out the door, I heard the child say, “Sometimes you’ve gotta do some research.” I smiled. Surely THIS was a librarian in the making!