Throughout the pandemic, elementary, middle and high school students have continued their learning journeys through virtual means.  But what about the littlest learners, those who have not yet entered formal schooling?  

A great deal of foundational learning takes place during the preschool years, and it is a crucial time to nurture creativity and curiosity.  Recognizing that many young children are missing out on the traditional preschool experience, our youth librarians created Preschool Kits To Go that provide supplies and activities to support the cognitive, physical and social development of children ages 3-5.  Each kit is themed and includes ideas for a variety of playful learning activities, while an online video provides activity demonstrations, suggestions, parent tips and more. 

Here's a few examples of prior themed kits: the Halloween kit provided play dough to make a base for four straws.  Children then had to sort 16 spider rings by color and place them over the appropriate vertical straw.  For the Fall Leaves kit, the child’s name was written on fabric leaves, with one letter per leaf, which then could be mixed up and rearranged in correct order, or be hidden and used for a scavenger hunt.  With the same leaves, children were challenged to use wooden clothes pins and wax sticks to make a structure to support some of the leaves. With these simple activities, children work on several key math concepts, visual discrimination, letter recognition, fine and gross motor skills, and even STEM learning, all while having fun!  

Upcoming Preschool To Go Kits will focus on Thanksgiving (November 25), Snow (December 9), and the Holidays (December 23).  Mark the dates and be sure to pick one up from either Cesar Chavez or El Gabilan Libraries.  For more details, please visit our website.