November 24, 2021

It may seem obvious that libraries—public and academic alike—support literacy. They have books, magazines and other materials people can read, and provide programming like family story times, so that’s all there is to it, right?Yes and no: Yes, the simple act of reading helps keep the brain sharp and literate; and no, there’s more to it than that, at least as far as the Marathon County Public Library is concerned.November marks National Family Literacy Month, which began in 1994 through the efforts of the non-profit National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) and “offers an opportunity for practitioners to emphasize the important role that families play in the education of their children...

Children Early Literacy LENA On-Site Services Online Resources Reading Recommendations Story Times

March 4, 2021

Our MCPL staff is back with another fun mix of stories, play and crafts! For this occasional series, staff from nearly all of our nine locations contributed a mix of fun videos that we've pieced together for you to enjoy! We have stories, a couple of interactive segments to get you up and moving around a bit, and you can follow along as we make a fun polar bear craft! You'll also find on this page a link to directions to make an equally fun penguin craft using egg cartons! We hope you enjoy it, and feel free to watch as many times as you'd like!​  

Books Children Early Literacy Learning Library Branches Story Times

January 6, 2021

The Marathon County Public Library staff is back with more fun for the family and this time, it's all about winter! We've put together a series of stories, crafts and fun facts into one video for you to watch from the convenience and safety of home! We also have instructions for the melted snowman craft you'll see in the video, some ideas for healthy snowman snacks and a sheet for the "Five Little Snowflakes" fingerplay that you'll want to print so you can follow along in the video!

Books Children Early Literacy Education Learning Story Times

November 12, 2020

Many of the leaves have fallen from the trees, but it's still autumn according to the calendar! To celebrate, and to give parents and families some fun things to do and see at home, we've put together a special "Fall Fun for the Family" video with stories and fun facts about animals that can be watched anytime! (Or, like our other virtual stories, multiple times if you really like it!) Before you watch the video, you'll want to download the "Animal Play-Along" sheet included below, and either print it or have it ready to view on your screen, so young ones (and adults) can follow along with Miss Lisa (we'll also tell you in the video when it's time for that part of the fun!) Also available to download...

Books Children Early Literacy Education Learning Story Times

April 11, 2020

This week, the Marathon County Public Library continued offering its daily Virtual Story Time to help encourage kids and parents to read and tell stories at home! A roster of our staff members took turns singing songs and reading stories each morning, and will continue doing so for the next several weeks as all MCPL locations continue to be closed. If you or your family missed these story times, which are typically broadcast live on our Facebook page, we've collected them all for you here. You can also hop over to our YouTube channel to watch these story times and many other videos that we've posted!            ...

Story Times Children Books

April 4, 2020

This week, the Marathon County Public Library continued offering its daily Virtual Story Time to help encourage kids and parents to read and tell stories at home! A roster of our staff members took turns singing songs and reading stories each morning, and will continue doing so for the next several weeks as all MCPL locations continue to be closed. If you or your family missed these story times, which are typically broadcast live on our Facebook page, we've collected them all for you here. You can also hop over to our YouTube channel to watch these story times and many other videos that we've posted!   Monday - Story Time with MJ     Tuesday- Story...

Story Times Children Books

March 28, 2020

This week, the Marathon County Public Library did something that it hasn't done before - offered an entire week of story times all online! A roster of our staff members took turns singing songs and reading stories each morning, and will continue doing so for the next several weeks as all MCPL locations continue to be closed. If you or your family missed these story times, which are typically broadcast live on our Facebook page, we've collected them all for you here. You can also hop over to our YouTube channel to watch these story times and many other videos that we've posted! Monday - Story Time with Taylor Tuesday - Story Time with Chad Wednesday - Story Time with Laura...

Children Story Times

March 19, 2020

With most families staying at home these days in order to help stop the spread COVID-19, or to avoid catching the disease, parents are having to come up with different ways to engage, entertain, and teach their children. Luckily, one of the easiest ways to get your child's attention is with your own voice and the power of music! You probably already instinctively use music with your children. Whether it's a lullaby to relax them to sleep, a rise-and-shine song in the morning, or even a silly, made-up song about using the potty, most of us use music and song throughout the day to engage with our children. This is one of those parenting instincts that packs an intellectual punch because...

Children Story Times

July 24, 2019

The Marathon County Public Library's Wausau Headquarters currently offers five different story times throughout the year for children of various ages and their parents/caregivers. While these story times will all continue to be offered, MCPL will begin dividing up the calendar year into three trimesters - summer, fall and winter/spring - with short story time breaks between each trimester. This new schedule will start next month. The current summer session will come to a close on Saturday, August 3. Then, from August 4 through Labor Day (September 2), we will be on a brief story time break so that library staff can prepare for the next set of sessions. The fall session will then commence on Tuesday,...

Libraries Story Times Children

November 22, 2018

Due to the winter holidays, we'll be taking a break from our regularly-scheduled story times at most MCPL locations. Please note the "will not meet" dates in the schedule copied below.  For the most up-to-date story time information, please visit www.mcpl.us/story-times. For a listing of library's holiday hours and special closings, visit www.mcpl.us/holidays. Happy holidays, everyone! Family Story Time MCPL Wausau — Weekly on Saturdays, 10:30am (year-round) (will not meet 12/22, 12/29) MCPL Athens — Weekly on Tuesdays, 10:00am (year-round) (will not meet 12/25, 1/1) MCPL Edgar — Weekly on Thursdays, 9:30am (Sept.-May) (will not meet 11/22, 12/27...

Children Story Times Events Holidays

May 2, 2018

Most of the story times at the Marathon County Public Library's Wausau Headquarters will go on a brief hiatus later this month as the library gears up for its annual Summer Library Program. From May 14 through June 10, Book Babies, Tales for Tots, Preschool Story Time, Family Story Time and Sensory Story Time will not be offered. The weekly Play and Learn story times on Friday mornings will continue to be held each week. The weekly Family Story Times at our Edgar, Mosinee and Spencer branches will also go on hold from June through August to make way for all of the fun, interactive events those locations have planned. Those story times will resume in September. For more information on MCPL's story...

Libraries Children Story Times

August 8, 2017

As our Summer Library Program draws to a close, a number of our "year-round" story times will be taking a short break toward the end of August. Of course, our "September - May" story times will kick into gear shortly thereafter -- in the second week of September unless otherwise specified. These changes and other relevant dates are described below in brief. For our complete story time schedule and related information, please visit www.mcpl.us/story-times. If you have any questions about story time during this transition period, please don't hesitate to contact us! Family Story Time MCPL Wausau — Weekly on Saturdays, 10:30am (year-round) (2017: will not meet 8/21-9/4) MCPL...

Children Story Times

May 8, 2017

With summer just around the corner, the Marathon County Public Library is putting some of their children's story times on hold in order to gear up for their upcoming Summer Library Program! Beginning today, May 8, all story times at MCPL Wausau will go on hiatus, including their Family Story Time, Preschool Story Time, Tales for Tots and Book Babies. All of these story times will resume on June 6.  Story time changes will also be coming to the MCPL branches this summer. Weekly Family Story Times at the Edgar, Mosinee, Spencer and Stratford Branches will take a break for the entire summer, returning in early September. The Marathon City Branch's Family Story Time will meet as planned throughout the...

Libraries Story Times Children

January 9, 2017

New environments can be intimidating for any child, but for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder, that fear can be amplified. New places – especially those in public – come with all sorts of unfamiliar sights, smells, and sounds, all of which can be overwhelming for kids on the spectrum. With our new monthly Sensory Story Time starting up in just a few days, we’ve put together a short photo slideshow to help better acquaint kids and parents with the library’s entrance and children’s area, which we hope will help them prepare for what to expect when visiting our Wausau Headquarters.  

Libraries Story Times Children

January 4, 2017

Autism is one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the United States, affecting 1 in every 68 children, according to Autism Speaks, a nationwide nonprofit autism advocacy organization. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be a broad diagnosis, encompassing folks with various levels of functioning. Common characteristics of ASD include difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors, with the most obvious signs becoming apparent around ages 2-3. MCPL will begin offering a brand-new 30-minute story time designed with children with ASD and Sensory Processing Disorder in mind, as well as typically-developing children and kids who may have difficulty...

Story Times Children Newsletter

April 29, 2015

Many of our locations will be participating in a story time break before our Summer Library Program begins to accommodate school visits and prepare for our summer programs. Athens, Hatley and Rothschild will continue to have regularly scheduled story times. Marathon City will continue to have regulary scheduled story times but will not meet on May 28th. Wausau will have no story times in the month of May, except for the Family Resource Center’s Play & Learn story time on Fridays. Story times will resume in June, along with Sweet Dreams Story Time Monday nights at 6:30. Some story times may be cancelled due to scheduled Summer Library Program events. See our brochure for these events. Edgar,...

Children Story Times Summer Library Program

November 21, 2014

Many of our locations are taking a break from regular story times over the winter holidays. Here is a list of story time breaks for all MCPL locations. For further questions, feel free to contact us. MCPL Wausau: No weekly story time from December 21, 2014-January 4, 2015. Play and Learn story time, which is organized by the Family Resource Center, will still occur on Fridays except on November 28 & December 26, 2014. MCPL Rothschild: Thursday story times will start at 2:30 p.m. effective December 4, 2014. MCPL Marathon: No weekly story time from December 19, 2014-January 7, 2015. MCPL Mosinee: No changes. MCPL Edgar: No weekly story time from December 19, 2014-January 7, 2015....

Children Story Times Books

April 23, 2014

Summer is fast approaching, and as usual, there will be some changes to the regular story time schedules at most MCPL locations. Most branches will take a break from their story times to focus on Summer Library Program events. At MCPL Wausau, we'll be taking a break from story times in May to focus on school tours, and we've added a unique, summer-only story time ("Sweet Dreams"). Additionally, special children's events will supersede concurrent story times (particularly "Tales for Tots" at Wausau), but don't let that stop you from visiting the library -- there will be plenty of fun and learning for your child in either case. As always, the story time schedule is viewable at www.mcpl.us/storytimes,...

Children Events Story Times

February 17, 2014

Make an extra effort to show affection to your child, especially while reading. Kids need a nurturing, healthy relationship to prosper academically. When your child feels loved, he or she is more willing to learn, listen, and grow and will therefore do better in school! Visit http://www.raisegreatkids.org/physical-affection-tips-every-parent-and-caregiver-needs-know for more information. Reading is a great way to show your child affection. Have your child sit on your lap while you read, read and snuggle before bedtime together or, if your child is a baby or toddler, attend a lap-sit story time. All of these activities promote parent-child bonding and early literacy. Check out these picture books about...

Children Reading Recommendations Story Times

December 11, 2013

Due to the holiday season, all MCPL locations will be taking a break from all regularly scheduled story times. The Edgar branch will start this break the week of December 16, and all other MCPL locations will break December 22, 2013-January 4, 2014. All regularly scheduled story times will resume the week of January 6, 2014. Even though there are no story times, there are still plenty of things to do at the library! You can do puzzles, play games, read books, and check out book bundles to put on your own story time at home. Book bundles come with a set of themed books and an early literacy sheet with suggested songs, fingerplays, and activities to get your child ready...

Children Story Times

July 22, 2013

Enjoy learning with your children through stories, songs and literature-based activities! Several story times were discontinued for the summer and will resume on the dates given below. Also, Wausau's "Sweet Dreams" story time and Rothschild's Friday story time will be discontinued soon. Recurring weekly: Family Story Time (all ages) MCPL Wausau — Sat., 10:30am [Resumes 9/21/13] MCPL Athens — Tue., 10am MCPL Edgar — Thu.,  9:30am [Resumes 9/19/13] MCPL Hatley — Tue., 10:30am MCPL Marathon City —Thu., 10:30am [Resumes 9/12/13] MCPL Mosinee — Wed., 10am [Resumes 9/11/13] MCPL Rothschild -- Tue., 10:30am MCPL Rothschild -- Fri., 10:30am [Ends 7/26/13]...

Children Story Times Newsletter

May 7, 2013

Summer is coming, and with it the Summer Library Program at MCPL! The next couple of weeks the Wausau Headquarters children's department will be busy with school tours, so there will be no story times May 12th through June 9th at the Wausau Headquarters library.  Book Babies, Tales for Tots and Preschool Story Times will continue through summer with an adjusted schedule. Beginning June 10th, join us for Sweet Dreams Story Time. This story time will be offered every Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. throughout the summer. Come join the summer fun!  

Children Summer Library Program Story Times

January 15, 2013

Attention kids!  Join the MCPL Rainbow Fish and Tween Reading Clubs any time, now thru April.  Pick up a club card at the Children's Desk in the Wausau Library.  Each time you check-out library materials get your card punched at the Wausau children's desk.  When you have 5 punches you will be able choose a prize from our Treasure Chest.  In addition, children 2nd grade and under, will be able to put their name on a scale to add to the fish mural in the children's department and 3rd thru 5th graders will be able to add their name to the ocean map in the Tween Scene.  Cards can be punched thru April 26th, so join now!!!  

Children Book Clubs Story Times

December 28, 2012

Change in the scheduled time for Book Babies Story Time! To provide a quality story time that specifically addresses the developmental needs of children from birth to 23 months, we are offering one story time session at 10:00 a.m. on Monday mornings.  Change in Tuesday's Story Time! Story time for two-year-olds will now include three-year-olds and is renamed, "Tales for Tots". Most two-year-olds and three-year-olds share the same developmental milestones. According to www.usa.gov, developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age. In our efforts to provide quality story time and foster the language skills and learning skills of two-year-olds and three-year-olds,...

Children Story Times

November 19, 2012

To accommodate the upcoming holidays, there will be short breaks in our regular story time schedule over the next few months, as follows:  last meetsresumes Wausau12/151/2 Athens12/181/8 Edgar12/201/10 Hatley12/181/8 Marathon City12/201/10 Mosinee12/19 **1/9 Rothschild12/21 *1/4 Spencer12/191/16 Stratford12/191/9 * The Rothschild story time on 12/28 will still meet. ** Also, the Mosinee story time on 11/21 won’t meet (from the MCPL Newsletter, Nov. 2012-Jan. 2013) {{2013-01-01}}

Children Story Times Newsletter

September 15, 2011

Storytimes are great opportunities for learning and growth for children,  and give parents and caregivers time to connect with each other as well. New this fall @Wausau for families is a Play and Learn session on Fridays, 9:30-11:00, available through a partnership with the Marathon County Family Resource Center.   Drop in and participate in all or part of the weekly activities.  Book Babies (children 0-23 months), Tales for Twos (children 24-35months) , Preschool storytimes (children 3, 4, and 5  year olds not in kindergarten), and family storytimes for all ages are some of the other regular storytimes offered.  Storytimes consist of stories, songs, rhymes, and other...

Children Story Times

May 16, 2011

Summer is coming,  and with it “One World Many Stories”, the Summer Library Program @ MCPL,  and changes to the storytime schedules. The next two weeks we will be very busy with school tours, so there will be no storytimes May 16-28.   There will also be no storytimes July 4-9. Family Storytimes, Saturday’s @ MCPL Wausau are not held during the summer months; they will resume again in the fall, on Saturday, September 24. Books for Babies @MCPL Wausau will be held per the usual schedule this summer on Monday at  9:45 and 10:30. Tales for Twos @MCPL Wausau will be held on May 31 and the rest of the summer on Tuedays' at 9:45 and 10:30 except on the following dates...

Children Story Times Summer Library Program

May 16, 2010

It really feels like summer today!  With the change in seasons comes changes to our storytime schedule: Our last Family Storytime at the Wausau Headquarters will be held Saturday, May 22.  Family Storytimes are not held during the summer months; they will resume again in the fall. Book Babies, Tales for Twos and Preschool Storytimes at the Wausau Headquarters are going on hiatus for three weeks, May 17-June 4.  During those three weeks, the staff will be visiting over 2000 students at their schools to give presentations about the summer reading program.  Another 600 students will be visiting the library for tours. Book Babies and Preschool Storytimes in Wausau will resume their...

Events Children Story Times