Elaine Perez, Author at Patchogue-Medford Library

Children will Have a Successful School Year with Routines

September 8, 2017 By Elaine Perez

The yellow and orange leaves are gliding slowly to the ground and the evenings have become cooler and crisp. Yet the most noticeable change is that sunsets are coming earlier. Boys with new haircuts and girls with braided hairdos are looking happy. Before you know it, fall is coming. With that comes the return of school and establishing new daily routines for families and children. Students undergo a tremendous amount of stress in starting a new school year. They are apprehensive about what the school year will bring, such as a new teacher, new friendships and the stress of learning new skills.

There are several positive and influential ways of how we can improve old habits and instill new habits to assist our children.

Benefits of Routines

Routines “eliminate power struggles.” If children are told what they are expected to do on a daily basis, such as bathing and brushing their teeth every night, they will know what is expected to do each night without being told constantly.
Children learn how to cooperate and may assist the younger children to complete their day and evening activities. Parents may take turns reading to their children before wishing them good night. The children will sleep better and be prepared for the next morning’s activities.
Children become independent when they learn that they are responsible to take care of themselves with the help of their families.
Please keep in mind that sometimes routines have to be broken. A family may be celebrating a holiday or relatives could be visiting. Time must be made to enjoy those precious memories.

Wishing everyone a great school year! Have fun!

Tell Me A Story

February 25, 2017 By Elaine Perez

Storytelling is as simple as reading a story from a book. If you don’t have that much time, you can always share a story from memory, talk about your own childhood, or even read out loud from your phone. There are innumerable advantages of story telling for kids, especially for preschoolers, kindergarten and young children.

Explore the rewards of storytelling and how your family can engage in lively discussions about past stories.

What are some of the benefits of storytelling for kids?

— Instills virtues in your child

— Makes them aware of their own culture and roots

— Enhances verbal proficiency

— Improves listening skills

— A great tool for sharpening memories

— Encourages creativity and imagination power

–Broadens horizon

— Makes academic learning easier

— Better communication

— Helps to face difficult situations with ease

For more information, please check out the

following link: http://momjunction.com/articles

Top Image Credit: www.designpm.com/5-storytelling-tips/

Libraries Make a Difference

November 8, 2016 By Elaine Perez

The article is from Real Simple – November 2016 issue,

titled 5 Reasons the world is still a wonderful place by Liz Loerke.

Photo Credit: Elaine Perez

Libraries Still Exist by Caitlin Moran (excerpt)

When you’re a child, if your home is perhaps unhappy or else just cramped or dull, and you are too poor for the mall to hold any appeal for you, there is a third, magical space you can go to on a rainy day: the library. A place where you can go without a penny in your pocket and be given a room full of worlds. For each book is a doorway you can walk through into another land. There are a million people, from across the world and through time, who are sitting on those shelves, dying to tell their stories and become your friend. It is a place where you will be valued not for what you wear or how you look, but for how many words you have collected and stored in your head (corybantic, uxorious, shagreen, mimosa). Most important, it is a place where you can just sit on a chair and read all the rude bits from Judy Blume books. And we invented these facilities! We made them happen. How cool is that? This humanity’s greatest achievement.

Knowledge is Power

November 2, 2016 By Elaine Perez

Reading to children at an early age provides the foundation for reading at grade level, obtaining higher reading scores, and achieving academic success.

Patchogue-Medford Library's newest reading program is designed to give kids a jump-start into books. Photo courtesy of Kim Morales.

Patchogue-Medford Library’s newest reading program, Read Me In To Kindergarten is designed to give kids a jump-start into books. Photo courtesy of Kim Morales.

It’s important for children to see that their parents enjoy reading.
Reading to children daily is important for their emotional and intellectual development and can help them become good readers and prepare them to learn in school.

Father reading to baby on sofa Photo Credit: http://huffingtonpost.com

There are many effective ways a parent can read to a child. For example, if you are tired reading the same story, try reading two stories: your child’s favorite story and a new one. You could also read poems to a child. Children enjoy repetition. Another suggestion is to find a place that is comfortable to read, where the television is turned off and full attention can be focused on the book. Finally, HAVE FUN! When reading is animated and interactive, a child will be more engaged.

Photo Credit: http://mytoddlerisreading.com

Don’t forget a child’s age and state of development when selecting books to read to him or her. There are different types of books available according to the age and maturity of a child. If you need help in selecting the right book, consult your librarian.

The above information is part of the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors, Session 5 entitled, “Let’s Continue Opening Doors – “Knowledge is Power.”

El Desarrollo del Lenguaje

October 21, 2016 By Elaine Perez

“Para que los niños tener éxito en la escuela, deben tener un lengua rico (vocabulario), donde los adultos se comunican bien, eschucar y leer en voz alta todos los días.”

Ernest L. Boyer, 1991

Nuestro departmento de niños y servicios de padres en la biblioteca Patchogue – Medford
ofrecen los siguente programas:

Bilingual Rhyme Time – para niños de 2- 35 meses

Games for Ones – para niños de 12 – 23 meses

Games for Twos – para la niños de 24-35 meses

Baby Games – para la niños de 3 – 11 meses

Parachute Play – para las niños 18 – 35 meses

Introducción a la lengua de los bebés está hecha inicialmente por los padres/cuidadores. Deben escuchar un idioma de forma coherente con el fin de aprender vocabulario. Al escuchar las palabras hechas diariamente por todos los miembros de un hogar, así como los demás, aprende a comunicarse. En este proceso, los niños aprenderán cómo utilizar sonidos, palabras y frases para informar a sus emociones a sus miembros de la familia, así como los demás. El vocabulario de un niño crecerá a una velocidad increíble, sobre todo en el premier año a partir del desarrollo físico.

[Read more…]

The Development of Language – The Beginning Stages

October 10, 2016 By Elaine Perez

“In order for a child to be successful in school, they must have a rich language (vocabulary), where adults communicate well, listen, and read out loud everyday.” Ernest L. Boyer, 1991

The Patchogue-Medford Library offers the following

programs for young children in the Children’s

and Parents’ Department:

Bilingual Rhyme Time – for children ages 2- 35 months

Games for Ones – for children ages 12 – 23 months

Games for Twos – for children ages 24-35 months

Baby Games – for children ages 3 – 11 months

Parachute Play – for children ages 18 – 35 months

Babies’ introduction to language is initially made by parents/caregivers. They should hear a language consistently in order to learn vocabulary. By hearing the words made daily by all the members of a household as well as others, they learn how to communicate. In this process, children will learn how to use sounds, words and sentences to inform their emotions to their family members as well as others. A child’s vocabulary will increase at an amazing speed especially in the beginning first year of physical development.

[Read more…]

Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School

August 29, 2016 By Elaine Perez

Reading Out Loud: A Workshop for Parents

Monday, September 26th from 6:30 to 7:15 pm.

What are the benefits of reading out loud to your child?

Join Margaret King, a certified teacher,

to discuss the importance of reading to your child.

Register on line, in person, or by phone beginning

September 19th.

Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School

Attend Back-to-School Night and Parent-Teacher Conferences – Meeting your child’s teacher at the beginning of the school year is a great way to learn about his/her teacher’s expectations. If you cannot attend this first meeting, request a meeting at your earliest convenience to meet your child’s teacher and notify the teacher of any special needs your child may have.
Visit the School and Its Website – On the school website, you will find information on the school calendar, staff contact information, and upcoming events.
Support Homework Expectations – Homework in grade school reinforces and extends classroom learning and helps kids practice important study skills. It helps them develop a sense of responsibility and a work ethic that will benefit them beyond the classroom.
Send Your Child to School Ready to Learn –You can boost your child’s attention span by providing a breakfast rich in whole grains, fiber and proteins and low in sugar. Most school age children need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. After school activities, television, computers and video games can contribute to students not getting sufficient sleep every night.
Get involved by –
- being a classroom helper or homeroom parent
- organizing and/or working at fundraising activities and other special events
- attending school board meetings
- joining the school’s parent-teacher group

Learn other ways of helping your child succeed in elementary school by clicking the following link: http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/school-help-elementary.html

Image found on www.education.com

Consejos de Lectura de Verano para sus Hijos

June 29, 2016 By Elaine Perez

Translated by Gilda Ramos, Patchogue-Medford Library

El verano nos brinda la oportunidad de leer formatos que usualmente no experimentamos durante el año escolar. Preste revistas de su biblioteca local y descubra títulos atractivos para los niños.

Lea el periódico con sus hijos. Muéstrele a su niño las diferentes secciones: internacional, nacional, deportes, etc. Léale el párrafo inicial y déjele saber lo que está pasando en el mundo. Muchos periódicos tienen una sección de ciencia y de historia que les puede interesar a todos. Tenga un mapa a la mano y enséñele donde están los países. Venga a la biblioteca y preste libros sobre un país en particular y aprenda sus costumbres, idioma y comida.

Siga una receta simple y disfrute de una nueva delicia culinaria. Regístrense para el club de lectura de verano. Rete a su niño para ver cuántos libros puede leer este verano. Los adultos también pueden participar en los programas de lectura de verano y hacer que todos se reúnan a final del día, después de la cena, para leer. Tomen turnos leyendo en voz alta desde los más pequeños hasta los mayores. Cambie su voz para reflejar los diferentes personajes de la historia. Ríase y diviértase. ¡Es momentos como este, que se hacen memorables!

Organice intercambio de libros en el verano. ¿Tiene algún libro usado que le gustaría intercambiar con algún amigo? ¡Puede disfrutar de una discusión sobre algún libro maravilloso en la casa de alguien o en el parque! Yo sé que libro me gustaría discutir. Lo vemos pronto en la biblioteca.

Summer Reading Tips for Your Children

June 4, 2016 By Elaine Perez

The summer is a great opportunity to read formats that we normally do not have the time to read throughout the school year. Check out the magazines at our library and discover titles that will appeal to children of all ages. Look at National Geographic Kids, Highlights, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and American Girls.

Read the newspaper together. Show your child the different categories in the paper: international, national, city and sports. Read to them the opening paragraph and let them know what is happening around the world. Many newspapers have a science and a historical section that may be of interest to everybody. Keep a map nearby and show them where the countries are located. Come to the library and take out books about a particular country and learn their customs, language and food. Follow a simple recipe together and discover a new culinary delight.

The paperback section at our library has several paperback series for younger and older children. Many children like reading a series because they can follow the same characters on their adventures in different stories. They are located downstairs where children have easy access to the collection and have a chance to sit in comfy chairs. You can share the readings together at the beach or at the pool especially after lunch when you have wait several minutes before going back into the water. Some series include: Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, Go Girl series and Goosebumps.

Register for your library’s summer reading challenge. Have your child challenge themselves to see how many books they can read this summer. Adults can also join the summer reading programs and have everyone gather together especially at the end of the day after dinner to read. Take turns reading out loud from the youngest to the oldest. Change your voice to reflect the different characters in the story. Laugh, giggle and have lots of fun. It is this time together that will become memorable!

Have a book swap party any time during the summer. Do you have a gently used book that you are willing to swap with one of your friends? You could have a wonderful book discussion party at someone’s home or at the park! I know which book I want to discuss. See you soon at the library!

Image : http://www.cobbk12.org/sites/literacy/centers/1centersbooks.htm

Summer Reading Clubs

May 25, 2016 By Elaine Perez

Stop. Listen. There’s excitement stirring in the air throughout the library. The Graphics Department is designing flyers for the Reference, Young Adult and Children’s Departments. Library personnel are busy strategizing ideas for videos, games and prizes. Ideas are being formulated on how to decorate the library with the theme of “On Your Mark, Get Set… Read.”

In the Children’s area, a contest will commence in June to see which of the seven elementary schools will win the Summer Reading Club trophy. Visits to the schools are being scheduled, with librarians showing students our creative video with the details of the summer reading program. What prizes will everyone like? The children can’t wait to see the cabinet in the lower level to see how many books they should read to obtain that one particular awesome prize!

Summer Reading Clubs for all ages begin June 24!

Preregister on Saturday, June 11 from 12-3 pm for any of our exciting Summer Reading Clubs! Here’s your chance to check out our “Get Outside and Play games – INSIDE THE LIBRARY!”

Croquet in the stacks, bocce among the books and more! Meet the Long Island Ducks’ one and only Quacker Jack from 1-3 pm. Take a chance and spin our prize wheel! Enter to win tickets to a Long Island Ducks game!