You are your child's first teacher

Before your child goes to school or learns how to read, he or she needs all sorts of pre-reading skills. And who should teach these skills to your child? You!

Young children, beginning even before they're born, learn through interaction with you and the other loving adults in their lives. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

• You can start reading to your baby as soon as they can hear (even in the womb!). Simply hearing written language being read aloud will make neurological connections in your child's brain.
• Interaction while reading is more important than finishing a book or reading each word of a story. The best literacy skill a child can learn is that reading is fun!
• Rhyming and singing with your baby will help him or her develop listening skills and language abilities. Rhymes and songs are great even before your baby can respond to you, and it's also an excellent way to bond!

Attending library story programs is also delightfully beneficial! Our programs are designed for specific age groups with developmentally appropriate activities. Stop in and pick up a calendar, call us at 617-972-6435, or check online to find out when we're having programs that are perfect for your child!

Museum of Science ROCKETS Program

As part of our town-wide One Book One Watertown program, a representative from the Museum of Science taught school-aged kids all about rockets! He explained how rockets work and gave the kids plenty of opportunities for hands-on exploration.

The kids got to try out their understanding of the concepts they learned using balloons and air to make rockets fly!

This was one of the final programs in this year's One Book One Watertown program, celebrating the book Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, Jr. There's still time to read the book everybody's talking about! Stop in and pick up a copy today!

Fall Story Times

School has started, and so has our newest season of Story Times! We're offering more Story Times than ever, and we've tailored them more specifically to certain ages. So take a look at what we've got for your child's age group!

Babies - We've got special programming for newborns and infants who are not yet walking.
Nursery Rhyme Time: Tuesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. Join us for nursery rhymes, stories, songs and fingerplays, perfect for your baby's early literacy development.

Toddlers - One and two-year-old's have their own special programs.
Toddler Story Time: Tuesday mornings at 10:15 a.m. This program is an abridged story time filled with stories, rhymes, singing and dancing. It's perfect for your wiggly little one.

Preschoolers - We have a variety of programs for kids ages 3-5.
Preschool Story Time: Friday mornings at 10:15 a.m. Stories, songs, and other activities that help your child get ready for reading and starting school.
Preschool Activity: Once a month we'll do a special activity with preschoolers, usually on a Friday morning instead of a regular Preschool Story Time.

Other Fun!
Arsenal Mall Story Times: The first Thursday of each month we hold Story Time in the mall! Join us at 11:30 a.m. in the food court for all your favorite Story Time activities in a new place!
Family Story Time: Once a month we'll do a special Story Time for children of all ages, focusing on early literacy skills. This will also be an excellent program for parents to pick up some tips and ideas to use at home.
Music Programs: Throughout each month we'll do a variety of music programs, usually for ages 5 and under.
Spanish Story Time: Bilingual stories, songs, rhymes and fun in both Spanish and English for children of all ages.

And that's not all! Check our online calendar, pick up a schedule, or give us a call at 617-972-6435 to find out what else is going on.

Guessing Jar Winner!

Congratulations to Elizabeth, our latest Guessing Jar winner! She guessed the correct number of Good and Fruity and won a Frisbee!

The guessing jar is done for the summer, but we're still waiting to hear back from our final winner. So check back soon to find out who guessed the closest number of red Smarties, a delicious European chocolate candy!

Congratulations Readers!

Yesterday we held our wrap-up party to celebrate an overwhelmingly successful summer. Following an amazing concert with Bates and Tincknell, we announced our final total of reading hours. Together, the 273 kid who signed up logged 2,066 hours! The kids shouted, clapped and literally danced with glee when they found out they had reached their final goal: donating a sheep to Heifer International!

Way to go Watertown Kids!

Don't miss our last few events!!

Summer reading is nearing the end here at the Watertown Free Public Library -- but it's not done yet!!

We're so close to meeting all of our reading goals! Remember to stop in tomorrow or before noon on Wednesday to log your hours and help us donate a sheep to Heifer International! And don't miss the fun programs coming up!

TOMORROW at 11:00 a.m. - Tempo Time!
Children ages 5 and under are invited to share in some music and movement!

Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. - Bates & Tincknell: Under One Sky
Elementary-aged kids (grades K-5) will enjoy stories and songs from around the world!

Wednesday, following the performance - WRAP UP PARTY!
We'll celebrate our accomplishments with cake and an announcement of the total number of hours we're read!

Questions? Call us at 617-972-6435.

Make sure your hours count!

With less than a week left, we're getting so close to our final goal and donating a sheep to Heifer International! Be sure to stop in and log your hours at the library before noon on Wednesday, August 17 to have your hours count toward our goal.

We'll need time to total all of our hours before our big Wrap Up Party!! It'll follow a fantastic musical performance with Bates and Tincknell that starts at 1:30 p.m. on the 17th. So mark your calendars and come hear some music, eat some cake, and find out how many hours Watertown kids have read this summer!