Growing a Reader: Kids' Books, Tips and More

As many of you are aware, the Scarborough Civic Centre branch of Toronto Public Library (pictured above) opens its doors tomorrow, Wednesday, May 20th at 10 am. The City Librarian and Chair of the Library Board will be there to greet you along with entertainment, refreshments and much more. 

But the star of the day is definitely the space, which is bright and airy and very welcoming. The newest branch is home to a Digital Innovation Hub, a beautiful reading garden, and for me, the best part is the KidsStop, an early literacy area located besides the reading garden.

KidsStops are literacy-rich interactive centres where families can build important early reading skills while having fun together. Places where parents and children can find a comfortable spot to read or play with the many interactive elements.

For the Scarborough Civic Centre KidsStop, Environment is the theme, linking the wooded area just across the street, bringing the great outdoors into the interactive area. Children and families are welcomed into the KidsStop by three tall towers that are wood and cast resin. Embedded in the resin are leaves and stems gathered from the woods across the street as well as seeds and young plants.

The three towers provide interactive pre-literacy activities that encourage children to see the world from a bug’s point of view, spin stories, learn the alphabet, count shapes, match items from nature and explore the world around them. As well, the children can measure how many pennies high they are, solve money riddles and count the number of maple leaves they can find.

Children and parents can also enjoy:

• A “big book” based on Over in the Meadow, a traditional counting rhyme by Jan Thornhill with illustrations created with found items that encourage an “I Spy” hunt through the pages.

• An alphabet writing table within one of the towers

• Cuddle chairs designed for caregivers and children to read together.

We look forward to welcoming you to the newest branch and hope that you will be coming to Scarborough Civic Centre on a regular basis with your entire family. There will be many wonderful programs to enjoy as the summer progresses, and I am sure your child/ren will always want to spend some quality time with you exploring all of the amazing features of the KidsStop itself. 

Please add your comments about the space to this blog, I look forward to the feedback on what is, I think, one of the most amazing spaces for young children to spark their imaginations and invite them to read, learn and play!