Timberland Libraries Reach Out Through Kids’ Programs

Posted

Starting from a baby’s first year, Timberland Regional Library has free activities for children and their caregivers to learn while having fun.

Shawna Herron, associate and youth services coordinator at the Vernetta Smith Chehalis Library, keeps the library’s collections up-to-date and plans outreach programs for youth in the community.

“One of the big things with kids’ programs is that we offer free activities for families,” Herron said. “Not every community has a lot of free activities.”

After working at the Hoover Public Library in Alabama for 12 years, where there were 20 employees in the children’s department, Herron came to Chehalis. She said she may not be able to do as many elaborate programs, but has more control over the direction of the programs at the library. Once a month, Herron tries to do a Saturday program that can incorporate activities for all ages. Some of the popular children’s activities are book babies, preschool storytime and Lego crew.

Book Babies is made for the age range of birth to 24 months old. Herron designed the program so that one week will include a traditional storytime with reading, songs and playtime, and the next week will include sensory stations for the children, for example, a kiddie pool full of shredded paper or bubble wrap taped to the ground. 

“I like how much of my job is getting to play and be creative,” Herron said. “I also find the research fascinating and, of course, the kids are fantastic.”

During activities, Herron will lay out caregiver tips explaining the importance of the activities and how to help children learn. She noted science that says when kids feel safe and loved, they learn better, so being close to an adult can help them soak up the information.

Preschool storytime is aimed at ages 3 to 5 years old and also includes involvement from kids and caregivers, where there will be songs, stories, movement activities and fingerplays. At the end of each storytime, there is also 30 minutes of playtime for the children in which caregivers have time to socialize with each other and interact with their kids.



“Sometimes people worry about their kids not sitting still and being perfectly behaved and that’s not what storytime is about,” Herron said. “I expect kids to come with the abilities that they have, and that means sometimes it’s a little chaotic and that’s fine. That’s for me to worry about, not the caregivers to be concerned about.”

Each month Herron plans an art activity for children to experiment with while playing. Herron gives children time to get familiar with the art supplies and then builds on those skills with future projects. For example, in January they experimented with chalk on butcher paper, in February they dipped chalk into water and drew on black paper and during March they are drawing on paper with chalk and using sponges.

“We ask that the caregivers participate because it demonstrates to the kids that this is worth doing and it’s important and they are modeling the behavior that we would like to see from the kids,” Herron said.

The library has worked with organizations like Fostering Together and Parents as Teachers to find the best ways to involve the community and find ways to educate people on available resources, Herron said. 

Herron is also working to make sure the library always has a passive activity available for children - something that they can participate in anytime they visit the library. Right now, the library has a wall of sea creatures in the children’s section where kids can add their own art to the wall.

This summer, Herron plans to start trying intergenerational programming called Community Crafting, in which she designs an activity that encourages the youngest and oldest members of the community to come together. Community Crafting will take place once a month in June, July and August. Herron is looking forward to a group mural she is planning for one of the crafting days.

“We would like to be a community gathering point,” Herron said. “A lot of people in Chehalis really appreciate those kind of community activities.”

For more information about Timberland Regional Library events, or to find the nearest library location, visit their Facebook page or website, https://www.trl.org/.