A play post office, a puppet stage and Play-Doh may all sound like the stuff of simple child's play. Yet all can represent building blocks of literacy skills, and were incorporated into a first-time Family Literacy Night, held Tuesday at Elmwood Elementary School in Naperville.
Funded with a $950 grant from the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy, the program was designed to help families understand how to promote literacy skills in preschool-age children who have special needs. Invitations went to all 150 families with children ages 3 to 5 enrolled in District 203's Early Childhood Education programs.
"We wanted to create an atmosphere where parents and children could experience literacy activities together," said Luann Shields, coordinator of early childhood education for the district. "Adults influence how children perceive literacy, develop literacy and how they use literacy."
About 80 families were on hand, moving among the different stations. Each site offered an activity that could be replicated at home, Shields said.
The post office allowed youngsters to match addresses to mailboxes by studying words. A puppet show area contained the materials for making puppets and a stage. The "cozy corner" encouraged one-on-one reading with storybooks, bean bag chairs and rocking chairs. In another area, the preschool pupils could begin their own alphabet books to take home and learn more about letter shapes with cookie cutters and Play-Doh.
"I liked the one where we made the book," said Rachel Frankland, 5.
"By starting something that we could take home, it's a nice way to encourage people to continue these activities at home," said Judith Frankland, a parent who helped organize the event.
"We definitely want to do this again," Shields said. "We'll pursue the same funding, because we're bringing literacy down to the early childhood and early intervention level."
Ian Frankland, 6, had his own ideas for expanding the program. A kindergarten pupil at Prairie Elementary, he was able to attend Literacy Night with his sister, Rachel.
"Can my school have a literacy night?" Ian asked his mom, as the family left for home.