In 2009, the Mother Goose on the Loose program was introduced at the Calhoun County Library. It is a structured learning program for early child development that brings literature to babies, toddlers, and kids. This program is loved by many because of its focus on engagement through music, movement, stories, singing, dancing, and puppetry. It’s very exciting, energetic, educational, and enjoyable.
Dr. Betsy Diamant-Cohen, developer of this program, was fascinated when she took her young son to multiple “Your Baby Needs Music” classes run by Barbara Cass-Beggs in the late 1980s. Her very first Mother Goose on the Loose program was in 1998 and it has been running strong ever since. With its engaging nature, it is understandable why! The Mother Goose on the Loose website states,“It helps young children develop and strengthen early literacy and school readiness skills in a nurturing environment through engaging activities.”
Our teacher, Mary Jo Springs, has been conducting this program for 13 years! She is a wonderful teacher who loves to interact with everyone and encourages kids to be themselves by having fun. The kids get to sing along, dance around, bang drums, shake shakers, and enjoy their perpetual favorite, popping bubbles.
This program is free to attend and is meant for children aged 0 - 3, but older siblings are more than welcome to attend and take part in the fun! It is every Wednesday at 10:30 AM. Every program includes ten activities performed in an expected routine. It is repetitive in nature because repetition helps children this age learn best. Sometimes the songs or a particular activity will be replaced with a new one, but there can be only one activity change from week to week. The Mother Goose on the Loose program does not aim to confuse the children who have memorized the activities because that is all a part of the special learning tools used to educate them.
The kids learn the order of activities, and it’s so lovely to hear them announce what’s coming up next. This energy created by the children, their caretakers, and Mary Jo make this a wonderful and adorable environment. One of the ten activities is always a storytime with a book or two. The books get changed out every week, but storytime is never skipped or omitted and always falls in the same place in the schedule.
On Wednesday, March 2, 2022, one of the books Mary Jo read was Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. Not only do children love his silly rhymes, but March 2 was National Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss’s birthday, as well. Reading one of his books to the children at Mother Goose on the Loose was a perfect way to celebrate him!
So, we hope to see you and your little ones next Wednesday at 10:30 AM to have fun at the library. If you cannot come to a program here at the Calhoun County Library, don’t worry, you and your child do not have to miss out on the fun. There are more than one thousand short videos on Mother Goose on the Loose’s YouTube channel! (Follow this link to go take a gander for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/c/MotherGooseontheLoose)
Also, on April 30, 2022, we are having a very special event here at the Calhoun County Library to celebrate Día de los Niños and one of the activities will include a presentation of the Mother Goose on the Loose program en Español.
Es tan emocionante! (It’s so exciting!)
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