August 15, 2018
Come visit MCPL’s new Early Literacy Center at our Wausau Headquarters! In September, we’ll begin offering a variety of pet-themed activities, which will be the first of many rotating themes planned for the Early Literacy Center.
One of the many pet-themed activities you’ll be able to enjoy with your child includes a veterinary dramatic play set, complete with a veterinarian costume and all of the equipment needed to take care of our (stuffed) furry friends! Dramatic play is an integral part of a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. In learning to follow the rules of dramatic play, a child learns to coordinate with others, make plans, and resolve conflicts. Dramatic play also supports literacy by providing prime opportunities for children to experience “functional print” – text in action in the real world.
In addition to the dramatic play set, children and care givers will be able to:
- Practice their counting skills with the Put the Spot on the Puppy counting activity
- Create beautiful pet patterns using Tangram blocks (for ages 3 and up)
- Attend “Dog Obedience School” and practice reading (and performing!) dog commands
- Sort animals alphabetically on the Alphabet Animals pocket chart
- Perfect their lacing and tracing skills with Melissa & Doug Pets Lacing Cards
Of course, there will be plenty of pet-themed books available, too! Here are just a few titles you might want to check out:
Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown
Have You Seen My Cat? By Eric Carl
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Mama Cat Has Three Kittens by Denise Fleming
Pet Show! By Ezra Jack Keats
Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin
Froggy Gets a Doggy by Jonathon London
If You Give a Dog a Donut/If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff
Three Little Kittens by Jerry Pinkney
The Great Gracie Chase by Cynthia Rylant
Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton
The Doghouse by Jan Thomas
They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
The pet theme will be offered through the end of October, so stop in any time to spend some time with your child in the ELC singing, playing, and learning – having fun while also building those early literacy skills!
For more information, call the Wausau Headquarters' children's department at 715-261-7220.
Laura Lawler / (Former) Library Specialist
image credit: Fair use.