By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The new early literacy coordinator at the Hays Public Library says even before babies can talk, they can benefit from their parents reading to them.

Sara Schoenthaler, HPL early literacy coordinator, said babies learn to recognize text very early.

“Let them hold the book, and let them turn the pages,” she said. “That is so important that they know that is how a book works because when they see someone else using a book, they will know how to hold it. Eventually when they have encountered print enough, they can see it in the book and understand that ‘A’ is upside down. I need to turn the book around. Now it is right side up even if they can’t read it.”

Schoenthaler will be promoting the 1,000 books before kindergarten program starting this fall.

Research has shown children who are read to as babies, toddlers and preschoolers are better prepared to enter kindergarten and perform better later in their school years.

The library is offering storytimes throughout the week for varying ages to get some of that reading time in.

Itty Bitty Book Buddies at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at HPL is a hands-on storytime designed for infants and toddlers. Children learn skills that are the building blocks for literacy. Parents can also get tips to enrich children’s early learning.

For parents who work and can’t make storytime during the day, HPL is trying to launch a evening program called Babynauts, which is named for the space theme of the Summer Reading Program.

The library has toys especially geared for developing fine- and gross-motor skills for infants birth to about  1-1/2 (crawlers or early walkers). Each night will also feature a special sensory experience for the babies, like bubble wrap, sand or destroying gelatin to get to a toy.

“Babies really learn through their play and sensory,” Schoenthaler said, “so figuring out how things work by touching them and understanding different feels and sounds and different things that those objects do — that is a big learning element.”

The babies are learning early problem-solving skills and developing social skills by interacting with other children, she said.

The program has a blow-up swimming pool so the babies can use it to pull themselves up, climb, walk around or sit inside with toys off the carpet.

“I try to, especially when I am planning for babies, do a lot of physical activity because that is a big thing they need to develop, obviously” she said.

Schoenthaler envisioned the event, which is at 6:30 p.m. every Thursdays of the month, to be a time during which parents of infants can network while also spending quality time with their infants.

To date, Babynauts has had poor attendance. Schoenthaler encouraged parents to contact the library if they have interest in this program, but would prefer the program be offered at another time or on another day.

For children who are walking, ages 2 to 5, the library offers STEM Tots at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays. The programs are 15 to 20 minutes.

For older children, the library has a variety of STEAM-related programs set for this summer in conjunction with its space-themed Summer Reading Program “A Universe of Stories.”

Schoenthaler is coordinating Astronaut Training for children 3-11 at 11 a.m. Mondays through Fridays in the children’s department. The program was purposely scheduled right before the Summer Lunch Program, which is being offered in the Schmidt Gallery downstairs at the library starting at 11:30 a.m. Lunch is free for children 18 and younger.

This week, children learned about planets. Thursday the children drew their own planets and told stories about those planets. Schoenthaler said the activity helped the children express their creativity and build verbal skills. The children will be learning about the moon next week.

The children will be exercising on Wednesdays during Astronaut Training, just as the astronauts have to do in space to keep up their muscle tone in low gravity. Later this summer, children will participate in a solar oven demonstration and learn about telescopes.

In the long term, Schoenthaler, who is in her first summer at HPL, hopes to do an early literacy needs analysis and develop a strategic plan for early literacy at the library. The library is conducting stakeholder meetings from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 10 in the Schmidt Gallery at HPL. The public is invited to either session.

You can find a complete list of library events on the HPL website.

Also follow this link to learn more on the Summer Reading program for youth and adults.

If you have question on children’s programs or would like to offer library input, you can also contact the library at 785-625-9014.

Correction 11;47 a.m. June 4, 2019: Babynauts is every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the library. 1,000 books before kindergarten  will start this fall.