first five forever | Western Downs Libraries

Mar, 2020

The benefits of listening to audiobooks are extensive…

By: Janette Quince | Tags: bell, Chinchilla Library, dalby library, Early Literacy, education, first five forever, Jandowae Library | Comments: 0

Available online for free through BorrowBox or RB Digital Audiobooks are immersive, educational, instructional, entertaining and they’re perfect for the time rich and the time poor. Audiobooks can also change the way we listen, read and learn, improving the literacy of young readers and those for whom English is a second language. There are plenty of benefits to regularly listening to audiobooks, including: Increasing reading accuracy by 52% Increasing reading speed, expanding vocabulary and improving fluency Teaching pronunciation Improving comprehension by 76%; and Increasing test scores by 21% when engaged in multi-modal learning. […]

Jul, 2019

What’s on Trevor’s bookshelf!

By: Janette Quince | Tags: children, dalby, dalby library, Early Literacy, education, first five forever, reading, storytime, storytime for bubs, Storytime for Kids | Comments: 0

How did Trevor get so clever? Well he reads books – lots of books. His favourite non-fiction book is The Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever by Larry Kay and Chris Perondi and Teach My Dog to do That by Jo-Rosie Haffenden. He also loves the book Lucky Dog Lessons by Brandon McMillan and Dog Training 101 by Kyra Sundance. Trevor also loves picture books and his favourite ones are the Pig the Pug series – yes, he is named after Pig’s best friend. Trevor also loves […]

Feb, 2019

Let’s talk about Conversational Reading

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: books, dalby, dalby library, education, family, first five forever, reading, storytime | Comments: 0

Children are actively involved in conversation reading. Conversational reading goes back-and-forth. The child does not always have to talk in the “conversation”. He can take part by looking and by pointing. Ask your child to respond on three levels – See, Show and Say. Step 1: See – watch your baby’s eyes. Does she look where you point? Name anything your child sees or touches in the book. Say the key word first. Then, point to and name pictures or words your child is not looking at. Point to lots […]

Aug, 2018

Solving problems through books: Bibliotherapy

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: books, dalby library, Early Literacy, education, family, first five forever, reading, storytime, Storytime for Toddlers | Comments: 0

Reading can and often does serve as a tool for personal growth and adjustment. Reading frequently helps the reader to accept himself for what he is, to obtain insights into his own problems, and to evaluate his own strengths and weaknesses. Almost everyone has to face some personal problems. These range from the trivial distress caused by straight or unkept hair to the tragic loss of hearing or eyesight. There are a myriad of problems that may be an issue for your child. Perhaps through reading about problems that children […]

Aug, 2017

What is marginalia?

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: bell, bell library, books, Chinchilla Library, dalby, dalby library, first five forever, friends, storytime, storytime for bubs | Comments: 0

For centuries, readers have inscribed books with handwritten marginal notes, or marginalia. These annotations can serve as ownership indicators, inscriptions, study notes, summaries, or they can facilitate what has been described as social reading in which two or more readers discuss the book’s contents in a margin-based conversation. Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined the term marginalia to encompass all such annotations, but the practice is as old as the printed book and even older: marginalia have been found in scrolls painstakingly copied down by medieval monks. Marginalia can serve […]

Mar, 2017

Storytime

By: chinchillawordpress | Tags: 1-3 years, Chinchilla Library, craft, Dads, dalby library, Early Literacy, first five forever, fun, Games, learning, Mums, outreach, parents, school holidays, songs, stories, storytime, Storytime for Toddlers, toddlers, Tots | Comments: 0

Your young kids are active, cheeky, and constantly learning. With songs and rhymes, stories, movement and activities, Storytime is an interactive session geared towards developing your child’s early literacy capabilities. Our Storytime sessions are currently postponed, but there are lots of ways that you can continue Storytime at home, including Reading books together Watching your favourite stories narrated on Story Box Library Singing and dancing to your favourite nursery rhymes or songs together Storytimes are interactive sessions between parent (or caregiver) and Western Downs Libaries offer several unique Storytime […]

Sep, 2016

Building World Knowledge and Vocabulary

By: dalbywordpress | Tags: books, first five forever, pop up libraries, storytime | Comments: 0

Reading a book with your child doesn’t have to mean starting at the start and reading through to the back page in one go. Children’s picture books (e.g. Grandpa and Thomas, by Pamela Allen) are a great way to build your child’s knowledge of how a book works and how the story goes. Examine the cover. Where does the story take place? What do you see on the cover? Who is at the beach? What can you do at the beach? Where’s the name of the book? Who wrote this book? […]