Three family-geared programs for children and youth are returning to the South Interlake Regional Library (SIRL)—Stonewall Branch this winter, starting Jan. 7 and running until March 28.
Kelsey Dingwall, a staff member at the Stonewall Library, has been conducting the family-friendly literary program for eight years and is thrilled to see it resume for the new year.
“These sessions are a part of a very well-established program that I run here every week,” said Dingwall.
She hosts three weekly programs in the multipurpose room. They are geared towards different age groups to allow for multi-age literary benefits.
“Our main goal here is to start the development of a life-long love of the library.”
Babies, toddlers, and their caregivers can join Miss Kelsey (Dingwall) for Baby Storytime every Tuesday from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. or 11- 11:30 a.m.
“We will sing songs, read stories and sing rhymes at Baby Story Time. Then, at the end, there is a little bit of time for free play.”
Baby Storytime debuted at the Stonewall library last year after Dingwall noticed minimal literacy programs geared towards younger children. The program was developed after the library obtained funding through the Winnipeg Foundation’s Literacy for Life grant, a program emphasizing the importance of intergenerational literacy learning.
“I saw the need for something more in our community, and I thought it (Baby Storytime) would be a great addition to our regular weekly programming.”
The newly introduced program was a huge hit among the young library patrons, and Dingwall is excited to see the session take place again this winter.
Preschoolers and their caregivers can visit Miss Kelsey on Friday mornings from 10:15-10:45 or 11-11:30 for a Storytime session of their own.
Similar to Baby Storytime, you and your tiny tot can expect a full 30 minutes of stories, songs, rhyme time, and crafts.
School-aged children are welcome to attend Library Club every second Thursday after school until 4:45 p.m.
Students in Grades 1, 2 and 3 will be in Group A of Library Club can attend every second Thursday beginning Jan. 9 . Students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 will be in Group B of Library Club, and can attend every second Thursday beginning Jan. 16.
“At Library Club, we try to alternates between literary activities and library skills activities. This includes topics such as fiction vs. non-fiction, the Dewey Decimal System, exploring different book genres… We are introducing some of these topics to the kids in a fun way to help grow their literacy and library skills.”
Of course, you will also be able to read and check out books of your own at Library Club, helping prepare you for your next two weeks of reading.
Dingwall invites everyone to register for one of her weekly sessions. They are completely free to attend for all community members; you just need to register with the library in advance so they have your contact information in the event of a program cancellation.
To register, you can phone the Stonewall Library directly at (204) 467-8415, or you can drop-by the library in person to speak with one of the staff members.
You are welcome to register for Dingwall’s winter programming at any point throughout the session’s durations, and staff members will also be able to answer any questions you may have about their weekly programs when you register.
The SIRL- Stonewall Branch is located 419 Main St. and is open from Tuesday through Saturday. A full list of their operating hours can be found on their webpage at www.sirlibrary.com.
