[Music]

Laurie Cramer:

00:07

sensory story time really does open up

00:10

the library to children who may not

00:12

otherwise feel like they have access to

00:14

it and families who have access to it

00:15

and that's because sometimes it's hard

00:18

for our kids to be quiet to sit still to

00:23

you know just sit and be able to read a

00:24

book quietly like you're supposed to do

00:26

in a library and so really sensory story

00:29

times about meeting the families where

00:31

they are and that might be where they

00:34

need some space to walk around whenever

00:36

they read a book or to be more

00:37

interactive when they're reading the

00:39

books and to sing and everything that

00:41

Tricia brings into that program really

00:43

is about meeting them where they are and

00:45

to open up the library to them in a way

00:47

that makes it an accommodation we are

00:49

really hoping to expand it and if not in

00:52

every branch at least hoping to expand

00:55

it to every kind of quadrant of Summit

00:57

County to where it's accessible for

00:59

everybody and I know that the Library

01:01

System has been hard at work where

01:03

Tricia's training other librarians to be

01:05

able to do the program and we're just

01:07

thrilled with that so we're hoping to

01:08

continue to support that in any way that

01:10

we can from our part we got a grant from

01:13

the Millennium fund for children and

01:16

that really helped us to fund the

01:18

materials that go with it and the little

01:21

sensory balance beam and some of the

01:23

stuff that that the library needs to

01:25

really put on a good program so we're

01:27

hoping to continue that partnership and

01:29

help them expand it throughout Summit

01:30

County

Patricia Twarogowski:

01:32 

the sensory storytime began in

01:33

North Carolina I was a children's

01:35

supervisor librarian there in August of

01:38

2008 we scheduled a program I have not a

01:41

background in special education I'm a

01:44

librarian master's degree librarian by

01:46

trade and we just took a leap and the

01:49

program that we do today looks nothing

01:51

like that program that we had then we

01:53

really were just trying to provide

01:54

something everything that we've done to

01:57

improve the program from that point has

01:59

been because parents have been so

02:01

helpful to give us feedback and evaluate

02:04

what we're doing and so we are able to

02:06

have the product that we do today which

02:08

is a much more

02:10

responsive program to the customers

02:13

needs to prepare for a session I I set

02:16

up the room in a very simple setup where

02:19

the distractions are minimal

02:22

whenever I've programmed in a lot of

02:23

different rooms and I always look at

02:25

what could possibly distract be it

02:27

vertical blinds or books and clutter so

02:32

my room is set up very simply I just

02:35

have a table in the front with a IKEA

02:37

canvas toy box and inside the toy box I

02:42

put my program in order so it's simple

02:44

for me I have the schedule on the wall

02:46

and I have the sensory balance beam at

02:49

the back of the room set up behind the

02:52

tables in the area where we do this the

02:54

social or playtime when I start the

02:56

program I like to go over the schedule

02:58

for the day I also like to welcome

02:59

that's the first part of the program

03:01

that I have after going over the

03:03

schedule I like to welcome everybody and

03:04

explain that the class is not intended

03:06

to be exclusionary it's it's to offer a

03:09

safe and non-judgmental environment for

03:12

people who might not consider that their

03:15

family is you know a library customer

03:18

and that we have options for them after

03:20

the welcome I do the Hello song the

03:23

Hello song is a very acoustic mellow

03:26

song it has no jumping jarring or

03:30

spinning it is an acoustic song where we

03:33

do a little bit of Rocking and then we

03:35

also wiggle our ears and blink our eyes

03:38

and we end up with waving hello there's

03:42

other app that adaptations to the

03:44

sensory sensor related related things so

03:47

that would include instead of clapping

03:48

we do knee tapping because it's less

03:52

jarring and doesn't make as lot of an

03:55

echo sound the music that I choose is

03:57

more acoustic it's not as rabble-rousing

03:59

as I typically would do in a in a music

04:02

storytime the mirror activity is an

04:04

activity that I received as a tip from

04:07

the librarians at the public library of

04:09

Cincinnati and Hamilton County and that

04:11

is where we incorporate an unbreakable

04:13

mirror into the program towards the

04:15

beginning of the program I love it

04:17

because this is not a group that I would

04:19

use name tags with because of sensory

04:20

issues

04:21

the sound that crunched the feel of

04:23

having a nametag on you and by using the

04:26

mirror to go around and seeing a very

04:28

simple song I'm able to find out the

04:30

child's name and get to engage with them

04:33

in a way that's not intimidating to them

04:35

because I do use a safe distance so that

04:38

I'm not intimidating but also it's a way

04:40

to welcome everybody individually to the

04:42

class by using their name in a way

04:44

that's friendly and welcoming because

04:46

I've been doing the program for so long

04:47

I have a repertoire of themes that I've

04:50

used over the years I find that the best

04:53

books for the program are ones that

04:54

allow for production of prop or any kind

04:58

of thing like a flannel piece that would

05:00

allow the children to have that extra

05:02

element of involvement in the program if

05:04

I sense that someone is distracted we

05:08

have some elements that we would pull in

05:09

to try to help the parents we have

05:12

fidgets including Koosh balls and little

05:14

twisty things that we can offer the

05:16

parents if they need the tools for their

05:18

child I incorporated a beanbag activity

05:21

into every class because it exercises

05:23

social skills that some of us may take

05:26

for granted is passing a beanbag to each

05:29

other in a group that has special needs

05:31

or disabilities is often a challenging

05:35

activity but it's really great to see

05:37

the progress that the children make with

05:39

the encouragement of their caregiver and

05:41

the siblings modeling behavior and it's

05:44

just a really fun activity I like to use

05:46

it every time because I like to see the

05:48

progress the children are making over

05:50

the course of time we utilize the

05:51

sensory balance team in the program

05:53

because it allows me to use Laurie

05:55

Berkner one of my favorite music artists

05:57

for her balance beam song additionally

05:59

the benefit to the children is multiple

06:02

they can use the balance beam it's a

06:04

sensory balance beam so it has knobs on

06:06

it and it can provide sensitive sensory

06:08

calming or stimulation depending on

06:10

their sensory where they are sensory

06:12

wise and so they can use it without

06:15

their shoes and they can sense that what

06:18

I like to watch is how the children line

06:21

up because lining up for the children

06:24

who are attending this class is

06:25

something that they're working on and so

06:27

it allows them to with or without their

06:29

parents you know see how they're

06:31

interacting with the other children and

06:33

take turns

06:34

and line up and enjoy in a group

06:37

sometimes if it's really successful I'll

06:39

play the song twice if I see that we

06:41

have a lot of kids who are enjoying and

06:43

taking nice turns the bubbles are such a

06:45

joy to watch with the children I've been

06:50

able to engage children in the bubble

06:53

portion of the program who perhaps have

06:55

not been engaged prior to that point

06:58

it's something that they look forward to

07:00

it's something that they remember it's a

07:02

way for them to interact with other

07:04

children as they're running around the

07:06

room and engaging in the bubbles it

07:07

became apparent right from the beginning

07:09

way back in 2008 that the social and

07:12

play time was so important not just to

07:14

the children for them to have social

07:16

interaction with each other but for the

07:18

parents to also have a place where they

07:19

can relax and know that the children are

07:21

there and they're engaged in activities

07:24

with other children and with adults and

07:26

that they are able to talk to people

07:29

they talk about doctors they talk about

07:32

therapies they talk about things that

07:33

they're doing that are working for their

07:35

children and the value of the social

07:37

time is just the impact I think of the

07:40

social time is so very important our

07:42

partnership with the Autism Society of

07:44

Greater Akron has been phenomenal and

07:46

part of that is that they have such a

07:49

great volunteer group and part of what

07:52

the volunteer group does for them and

07:54

for us for our program is every month

07:57

when we have a book or theme the we pick

07:59

a book that we're going to be doing in

08:01

the program and we create a storyboard

08:03

after the program each family can take

08:05

home storyboards and they can retell the

08:07

story at home which is very important

08:09

for narrative skills the ideal

08:11

personality for engaging a group and

08:13

sensory programming in general is

08:15

extreme flexibility when I'm in the room

08:19

it's nice to have a partner but I've

08:21

done it the program without a partner as

08:23

well and to be fully aware of every

08:27

aspect of what's going on in the room is

08:28

ideal being able to change the program

08:32

at a moment's notice even though we have

08:34

a schedule I have had partners in the

08:37

past where if we looked around the room

08:39

and we saw things were getting a little

08:41

chaotic we would very subtly take the

08:44

schedule card down stick it in the done

08:45

envelope and skip onto the next thing

08:47

and it's okay to do that just knowing

08:50

that it's okay and that the families who

08:53

are attending these programs are

08:54

extremely appreciative they offer

08:56

terrific feedback and moving forward

09:00

with their support and their feedback is

09:02

just the most ideal situation