Press Event! You are invited!
Calvert Library is pleased to announce that they are the recipients of a $5,000 Grow Up Great grant from the PNC Foundation. With another grant for $10,000 from Calvert Library Foundation, Calvert Library Twin Beaches Branch was able to install an Imagination Station for our youngest customers. On Monday, January 26 at 6:30pm, there will be a reception to unveil the new equipment to the public and thank PNC Foundation and Calvert Library Foundation for their generous support.
Calvert Library introduced the concept of Imagination Stations with the opening of the Interim Southern Branch in May of 2013. The equipment at that location includes a wooden kitchen complete with oven, stove and refrigerator along with a wide variety of manipulatives that provide learning opportunities for children at different developmental stages. According to Branch Manager Colleen Cano, the Southern Imagination Station is extremely popular, “Parents bring their kids in to play when it’s too hot or cold for the playground and often just because they were in the mood for great imaginative play.” Youth Coordinator Beverly Allyn Izzi describes the importance of play for childhood development, “Play is how children learn. Hands-on, imaginative play is the best way for children to understand the world around them. They develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills and more importantly, they engage their imagination in ways that structured play cannot.”
Twin Beaches Branch Manager Joan Kilmon chose the “Play and Learn Island” created by Rancho Cucamonga Public Library as Twin’s Imagination Station and describes it as a “flexible oasis for learning.” At the moment they have the station set up as a Farmer’s Market reflecting the very popular market in nearby North Beach. Kilmon says, “Children can sort, learn to recognize colors and letters, practice counting and weighing, learn the vocabulary for fruits and vegetables, learn about healthy food choices and develop motor skills all the while strengthening their relationship with the parent they are playing with.” She has different learning toys that she can swap out to keep the space fresh and exciting. Because space is limited at Twin Beaches, Kilmon said she chose this piece for its “Locomotion! It’s on lockable wheels and we can take it out with us for library learning on the go!”
Calvert Library Director Carrie Plymire said, “We are so grateful to PNC Bank and the Library Foundation for making it possible for us to bring education through play to another library in our community. We have seen the benefits of imaginative play on early literacy skills and we know that libraries are one of the main places parents of young children take their children for fun, educational activities. We all love watching children discover and learn, especially at the library!”
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Some photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/calvertlibrary/15624058964/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/calvertlibrary/16245636202/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/calvertlibrary/15624062514/in/photostream/
Robyn Truslow
Public Relations Coordinator
Calvert Library
850 Costley Way
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
410-535-0291
410-535-3022 (fax)
Calvert Library…Your Source for Awesome!
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