Children ages 2-5 are developing a love for reading at the Dunkirk Free Library. From now until June 13 story times will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 to 11 a.m. in the children's room.
Children's Service Coordinator Pam Czarniak reads a story to the children and then has them participate in a short craft activity.
Tuesday, the group settled in the story area, complete with a rocking chair for "Miss Pam" and brightly colored cushions. Parents and grandparents sat next to their children on the rug.
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OBSERVER Photo by Diane R. Chodan
Kelly Porpiglia works with Roan, while Ryan works independently. This was the first time Kelly and her sons tried story time.
Cora Marshall of Hamburg snuggled next to her grandmother, JoAnn Hoffman of Dunkirk. Hoffman said her granddaughter spends two days a week with her, and they like to come to story time.
Czarniak read"Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons" by Eric Litwin. Pete has four buttons and loses them one at a time. Besides reading, beginning math was introduced in this book. One youngster had beginning subtraction figured out, telling Czarniak how many buttons were left even before she asked.
After the story, the children gathered at a table to color a picture of Pete and then, assisted by adults, glue on four differently colored buttons. Meanwhile, a song about Pete and the buttons played on the computer.
Kelly Porpiglia of Dunkirk brought her two sons, Roan, 21 months, and Ryan, 3, to story time.
"I bring them to the library, but this is the first time I tried story hour," she said.
Both boys were good and because Ryan was a little more independent, they were successful at completing the craft.
Jana Tarnowski brought her grandson, Benjamin Amidon, and helped him with his craft while visiting with other adults.
The reading and craft lasted only about a half hour, just exactly the right amount of time for the youngsters' attention spans.
In addition to the twice-a-week story hours, a number of free kids' events are scheduled this fall. On this Saturday, as well as Oct. 20 and Dec. 1, the SUNY Fredonia math department will present Math Story-Time and Craft from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Children will learn math concepts while having fun.
On Oct. 27 from 11 a.m. to noon children can participate in a Halloween costume party complete with refreshments and spooky stories.
On Nov. 3, the SUNY Fredonia music department will offer two concerts, one at 10:30 a.m. and the other at 11:30 a.m.
Comments on this article may be directed to dchodan@observertoday.com
