Library Lapsits

The relationship between parent and child is enriched and nurtured through the shared enjoyment of play. Lapsits held at the public library provide thematic activities for parents and children ages 1-3. Sessions last approximately 30 minutes.
All parents and children ages 1 through 3 are welcome. No reservations needed.

Lapsits are held at the Decatur Public Library on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month at 9:30 a.m. OR 10:30 a.m. and again every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Lapsits are also held at Rock Springs Environmental Center on the 2nd Saturday
of each month at 10 a.m.

Lapsits are supported by the Decatur Public Library, Friends of the Library and Rock Springs Center.

Each Lapsit begins and ends with the same song and finger play in order to remind children that they are in a familiar setting. The teacher introduces the theme for the day and quickly explains any activities. The bulk of the time is spent by parents and children using appropriate books, finger plays, songs and activities which will enhance the interactive play between parent and child.

Parents appreciate the freedom to bring siblings along, so these events often take on the character of a family story time.

Birthday Parties

When babies celebrate their first birthdays, they are invited to Decatur Public Library for a Birthday Party. At that time, parents share what it is like to live with a twelve month old child. Simple games are played ("Ring Around the Rosy" is always a favorite), songs are sung, and books are shared. Each child chooses a free book as a birthday gift.
Families are invited to stay for the Lapsit following the party. If this is the child's first visit to the library, he is photographed for the Baby TALK photo album.

Studies Affirm Benefits of Lapsits

Often, even the most well-intentioned and well-read parents do not recognize that reading every day to your child from the day he is born will better prepare him for the challenges of school. The lapsit program reinforces the notion of reading to young children in a way that is fun for both parents and children and reinforces the benefit of interacting with the child with a positive focus. Furthermore, it brings families to the library when children are quite young and establishes a pattern of library usage which benefits the child during all her school years.

We wanted to know whether children of families who had participated in the lapsit program were, in fact, better prepared for the language challenges of formal schooling. Baby TALK collaborates with the public schools for research purposes in an effort to assess the effectiveness of many Baby TALK programs. Each year in the fall, the kindergartners in the largest school district in the county are given the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-R) by Title I reading strategists. This test is a measure of receptive language and is based on American Standard English. Children are tested individually outside of the regular classroom during September and October. Results from these tests are shared with Baby TALK. These studies have been conducted for the past three years for lapsit programs.

Results are shown below:

Receptive Language of Children at Kindergarten Year
(PPVT-R Mean Standard Score)

	1995	1996	1997
Lapsit Children	102.96	102.45	102.33
All Children	86.43	85.98	93.3

We are very encouraged by these results. The mean of children who participated in Baby TALK lapsits is one standard deviation above the mean of all children. This is a very significant difference. It means that lapsit children come to school ready to learn. Their receptive language skills are well developed. Their vocabulary is enhanced. and they can match words with pictures describing actions, ideas, and objects. We know from years of experience that children who are read to and interacted with are curious children who are eager to learn. It is satisfying to have the research data which backs up that experiential data.

http://www.babytalk.org/lapsits.html

Featured Lapsits: Similarities & Differences

Joliet, Illinois

A tri-county area near Joliet, Illinois, enjoys Lapsits thanks to Parent University, a program of the Education Service Network located in Morris.

Piet Fieldman coordinates Parent University, which reaches out to parents of children from birth to age 18 in Will, Grundy and Kendall counties. After receiving Baby TALK training from Claudia Quigg, Fieldman and two part-time educators began leading Lapsits at several area libraries, the park district and a local bookstore.

"Our success rate with Lapsits is good," comments Fieldman about their four-year-old program based on Baby TALK's Lapsits. "They are really taking off and we are getting offers all the time from libraries that don't have the staff or time to do Lapsits. And some libraries are very timid about the birth to age 3 group, so they are happy to have us come in."

Fieldman and the other Education Service Network educators lead Lapsits that meet once a week, predominantly at libraries. They have found the most successful time for Lapsits to be somewhere within the 9-11 a.m. range.

Attendance varies depending on the season and weather. Some parents and children are very regular about attending, and others show up only occasionally.
A typical Lapsit begins with a hello song followed by favorite songs and fingerplays. Suggestions are then taken from the crowd. If the group is relatively small, the leader reads a short book aloud. If the group is large, board books are distributed for parent and child to read together while the leader quietly observes and offers encouragement. A taped song draws the group back together for a few more songs and fingerplays before closing. Before, during and after the Lapsit, parents informally share, ask questions and learn from each other.

"There are so many layers of interactions that happen at Lapsits," says Fieldman, who is currently finishing a master's degree in child development. "Many parents are embarrassed to ask others about their concerns, but here they feel free to case in questions about parenting. And if I see parents struggling, I can toss out little pointers to the group without directing it specifically at anyone. Lapsits are so important that I wish every library could offer them."

For more information about their program, Fieldman invites you to call (815) 941-3231.

South Bend, Indiana

I realized how important Lapsits could be while I was doing a toddler program and saw babies in their car seats moving to the program," shares Linda Conyers. "I knew those babies were moving to the music."
About four years ago, Conyers started a Lapsit program in South Bend, Indiana, after attending a Baby TALK workshop. At that time, she was preschool project manager at South Bend's main library for the St. Joseph County Public Library system.

"One role of a library is to open the door to learning for preschoolers--before formal schooling begins," she says. "Lapsits fill part of that role."

South Bend offers Lapsits once a month at their main library and two of their seven branches. The half-hour programs are open to parents and caregivers of babies under the age of two. The main library divides Lapsits into two groups--'walkers' and 'pre-walkers.' A separate library program is designed for toddlers ages 2-3, and other preschool storytimes for 3-5 year olds. Sometimes, Lapsits are scheduled concurrently with the preschool storytime so that parents and babies have something to do while waiting for big brother or big sister. Once a season, an evening Lapsit is offered.

Conyers, who now manages a branch library and leads the Lapsit there, says her typical Lapsit begins with "Lambie," a puppet, interacting with babies in the library. Then the bell around Lambie's neck is rung to signal that a Lapsit is beginning An opening song is sung and a board book read. Conyers uses a rag doll (or a tag-along sibling) to model what she does during the songs and lap games. Parents select board books to read to their babies, and later they share reactions. A simple craft is completed to take home, and music is always a big part of the program. A closing song ends the Lapsit.

"It's great when we have a variety of ages there," says Conyers. "Parents get to see different stages and reactions to books. The craft helps parents realize that their babies are not too little to do a lot of things. I also point out to parents that with a little modification, activities can work with a baby in arms or with a toddler. And that they should feel free to go with what their baby wants to do."

The Lapsits also provide an opportunity to share materials available from the library. Besides books, parents can also check out loaner toys or storytime bags. Each storytime bag has a theme -- such as circus animals or trains-and includes books, an audiocassette, a video, and craft ideas based on the theme.\

"Our storytime bags have met with great success," shares Conyers. "Parents use them, and day care workers who might not be trained or have the time to plan a unit can pick up a bag with ideas and materials."

Conyers shares that when she started Lapsits she especially wanted to reach at-risk moms. She has come to realize that a lot of parents who are not "at-risk" also want ideas for doing things with their little ones. And while she enjoys helping meet that need, she still would like to find more ways to reach those who are at-risk.

For more information about SJCPL's Preschool Project, contact the new manager, Lis Tracht at (219)282-4914.