Each season, the Children’s Programmers at the Sioux Center Public Library use a different theme to engage preschool aged children in learning activities and enjoyment of a wide array of quality children’s literature. During the fall of 2024, we have focused on the season of fall under the larger umbrella of “A Season in Stories.” We have had a lot of fun exploring fall themes such as football, squirrels, apples and pumpkins. As we look back on the past few months of stories, the Children’s Programmers have some favorite books and memories to share from this season of Storytime.
Kaleigh DeVries- Children’s programmer
Some of my favorite moments this fall were from our football themed Storytime where we read “Fall Ball” by Peter McCarty, and made pennant flags. The kids were really into the theme and were great listeners during the stories. They also loved decorating the flags with their names and favorite team colors. Another fun Storytime we hosted was pie themed, which was fun! We even gave out little pies to the kids as they were leaving.
Rachel Byars- Chilren’s programmer
My favorite event this fall was the “field trip” Storytime at Fields of Fun! We read a book called “A Pumpkin Seeds Secret” by Hannah Barnaby. It was fun watching the kids doing a pumpkin scavenger hunt and picking their own pumpkin from the field. There was a large crowd, as always, at this Story Time and we had a beautiful day for exploring the playground and pumpkin patch!
Twila DeGroot- Children’s programmer
My favorite Story Time books are ones that invite active involvement from the children who attend Story Time. The book “Aw, Nuts!” by Rob McClurkan is a great example of this type of story. It is an entertaining story about a squirrel in pursuit of the perfect acorn. As the acorn bounces from page to page, just out of his reach, the poor squirrel meets with minor catastrophes to which he repeatedly responds with, “Aw, nuts!” It’s such fun to have the kids join me in repeating this refrain (and to see their smiles each time we say it together!). I also love this book because I can bring out my old friend Sammy the Squirrel to introduce the theme of squirrels storing away nuts for the winter (spoiler alert: my friend Sammy is a squirrel puppet – don’t tell the kids!)
Now that we have wrapped up our Fall season, we look forward to a special Christmas Story Time party on December 10. In January, the Children’s Programmers look forward to sharing books and songs celebrating all things winter. Eventually, we will segue into the joys of springtime.
Lord willing, January will also usher in a new season at the library – a season of construction. If all goes as planned, things will look (and sound!) a bit different than usual at our story times. We hope to “weather” these changes with grace and flexibility and we invite our preschool friends and their families to join us on this new adventure.
Librarian On The Loose 