Last month when Andrina and I visited April and Anne, we went to a session of story time at the library in their town. Andrina did great and we both enjoyed it so I went online to our library's website to see what programs they have available for Andrina. Well they have an infant story time once a week for babies up to 11 months old but, get this, you have to register for it! Can you believe that! And you have to enter your library card number to register! Well, I don't have a library card. I've been in college and graduate school for, what, years and years, finally finished grad school so I have had my share of the library when I was writing my dissertation. Oh wow, there's something I am relieved to have finished if I may digress....
Anyways, I had to go to the town library today, register for a library card for myself and Andrina (since the program is for her I have to register with her library card number. Seesh). I got our library cards, registered Andrina for the winter sessions of infant story time and registered myself for a parent's "early reading" workshop for her. Whew. That was a lot of work to simply be able to take my baby to story time. I found out that you can't just show up for story time, like at April's library which is really disappointing since my best friend lives in a different town so we can't take our babies to a program at the library together. Which, by the way, our property taxes go towards that stuff. Becca and I would have to register for Mommy and Me or Gymboree in order to do structured activities with our babies together. And Andrina is a day shy of 6 months old and Ryan is only 4 and 1/2 months old too. It's really disappointing that there are such restrictions on baby activities at such a young age.
I also went to a infants through pre-school open house today. I'm interested in Andrina starting structured activities but I learned that at her age, it's more like day-care for babies than it is a school; it's a full-day, 5 days a week "school" for babies up to 15 months old. Once Andrina is 15 months old, she could go to as little as 2 half days a week at this particular pre-school I visited today. That is more of what I was looking for for her. Beginning structured activities and learning and socializing with other children on a part-time basis, not day-care. That's ok though, because for right now, I think story time at the library and maybe a few Mommy and Me classes will be enough until she is a toddler. I do spend A LOT of time playing with her, reading to her, singing to her, encouraging her motor skills development, and talking with her at home. I am proud that I am doing everything I can with her for her to have the best start in life.
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1 comment:
Yeah, it sucks that there are a few and far between libraries that make you register...as if just getting out the door and to the library isn't hard enough.
We have really liked our park district classes. We are taking one now that I really like. The one I took when she was A's age, was a lot like the story time at the library. For us, unfortunately, the classes don't get more fun until they are about 2 years old. :(
Try gymboree though, I've heard those are fun. Or there is a place called Kindermusik (i think it's called that) they do music and rythym type classes. Gymboree also has a baby sign language class where you can teach her signs. Anne still uses her signs at almost 2 years old! I joked that at her wedding she'll sign "More" when she wants more cake or something. :)
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