[Michlib-l] Responses for Adult Sensory Storytime advice

[Cindi Place]

I have compiled the responses I received (THANK YOU everyone for your
help/advice/encouragement):

Cindi,  I would be interested in any results as I am working with some
severely disabled students operating at a preschool or more probably infant
level starting this week.  I have some stories I plan to tell for the first
four of ten sessions, but suspect they will work better with the other
classes I will be doing with hearing or other disabilities but those
students are both younger and cognitively are preschoolers.

I would gladly share what I am doing with you if it's at all of any help.
In the case of hearing impairment, you would need a local interpreter.  (I
am able to tell in voice and sign, so I chose some stories I already
tell.)  Your mention of sensory storytime was what caught my own attention
as their learning may require something more attuned to different sensory
methods than I have experienced so far.

Lois

-- 
Lois Sprengnether Keel
Website:<http://www.LoiS-sez.com> <http://www.lois-sez.com/>,
Blog:<http://www.StorytellingResearchLoiS.com>
<http://www.storytellingresearchlois.com/>,


One tip I recall getting is that picture books are fine but look for
some that have real people featured in them instead of cartoon
characters.

Brenda Dunseth
Youth Services
Highland Township Public Library



A book that ties well to them could be fun - art activities could be
paired with books like Radiant Child by Steptoe. This is also a
possible opportunity to use picture books with longer text, depending
on your audience’s disabilities and attention span – I’d recommend
some of Patricia Polacco’s books, like The Bee Tree or When Lightning
Comes in a Jar. If you have BookFlix or Tumblebooks those might be
handy as well, particularly if your patrons have tablets handy.



I found a couple handy resources online for patrons with disabilities as well:

https://www.urbanlibraries.org/sensory-storytime-for-special-needs-adults-innovation-852.php?page_id=175



http://brycedontplay.blogspot.com/search/label/accessibility - I can’t
recommend this blog’s accessibility posts highly enough – great
insights into the disabled community.



Hope this helps!



Thanks,



Gillian Streeter

Lead Librarian I - Youth Services

Norton Shores Branch

Muskegon Area District Library



 I do special needs storytime all year round. Every month at the
library and at my son's school. He's handicapped. My choose picture
books and themes at a preschool level. I do have special needs adults
attend at times. I hope if you collate a list, please share! Have a
great day!

Deb


Deborah Sobczak
Canton Public Library
Information Services Librarian
My hours: M,W,Th 5p-9p; Fri/Sat 9a-6p



Juvenile nonfiction can be a helpful resource when working with
disabled adults: the content is still of interest, it’s visually
stimulating, and of course you have the option of choosing a topic or
topics that work with the sensory materials you want to use.



*Hope E. Nobel, M.S.L.S.*

*Director*

*Tamarack District Library*


Hi Cindi,

My colleague in Adult Services, Ed Niemchak, and I recently presented
on this topic at MLA annual this past fall. We are going to be working
on a handout of favorite teen/adult sensory story time titles for our
5/1 presentation at the Loleta Fyan Rural Library Conference
(“Outgrowing the Seat but Not the Stories: Engaging Teens and Adults
with Special Needs at the Library”). I think Ed will be responding to
your email with some of his monthly adult sensory story time
favorites, too, and we can pass on our handout to you if we don’t see
you in Traverse City on 5/1. Here is a recent response I sent to
another librarian:


Here are some ideas from my blog posts about our story times for ages
3 - 26 at Wing Lake Developmental
Center:http://adaptiveumbrella.blogspot.com/search/label/Outreach .
When choosing titles for sensory story times, I find it helpful to go
with picture books (either fiction or non-fiction) that are
interactive, rhythmic, and/or repetitive. (Note: I have found that
incorporating interactive/sensory experiences is more important than a
book that rhymes.) With an older audience, also try to go with a book
that has age respectful illustrations or photographs. Here are a few
of my recent favorites:

Sayre, April Pulley (love her books!!) Raindrops Roll, Best in Snow,
Rah Rah Radishes, Full of Fall

Hale, Christy    Dreaming Up: a Celebration of Building

Schofield-Morrison, Connie    I Got the Rhythm

Ward, Jennifer        What Will Grow?

Matheson, Christie    Tap the Magic Tree, Plant the Tiny Seed, Touch
the Brightest Star

Messner, Kate        Over and Under the Pond, Over and Under the Snow

Miyakoshi, Akiko    The Way Home in the Night

Wenzel, Brendan    They All Saw a Cat

Henkes, Kevin        Birds

Frazier, Craig        Lots of Dots

Portis, Antoinette    Not a Box



Glad to hear you are offering this program at your library!



Best,

Jen





Jen Taggart

Assistant Department Head, Youth Services

Bloomfield Township Public Library

1099 Lone Pine Road
<https://maps.google.com/?q=1099+Lone+Pine+Road%0D+Bloomfield+Township,+MI+48302&entry=gmail&source=g>

Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
<https://maps.google.com/?q=1099+Lone+Pine+Road%0D+Bloomfield+Township,+MI+48302&entry=gmail&source=g>

(248)642-5800 <(248)%20642-5800>

www.btpl.org


Hi Cindi,



We have offered the program monthly here at BTPL for over two years
now and sometimes the hardest part is picking a theme. Even though we
work with adults, we try to choose age-respectful books from the youth
department.



We have explored holidays using books like “Valentine’s Day Is…”, “St.
Patrick’s Day Is…”, and “Halloween Is…” (all by Gail Gibbons).



We have also celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday one March using “Mr. Brown
Can Moo, Can You?” and “My Many Colored Days” both of which explore
colors (and the second explores emotions as well), we played a game of
Dr. Seuss Bingo using the covers of the books in lieu of numbers.



“Arctic White” by: Danna Smith is another cool book which tells the
story of a young girl seeing the northern lights for the first time.
We also used oil pastels and crayons to draw our own northern lights.



“Plant the Tiny Seed” by Christie Matheson and “The Very Hungry
Caterpillar are good to explore the theme of things that grow, where
you can end by having the patrons plant their own sunflower or other
seeds to take home.



“Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?” by: Rita Gray and “Mama Built a
Little Nest” by: Jennifer Ward are good to present a program on birds
also.



This year, we are visiting a different country each month. Instead of
books though we are using facts and pictures of well-known landmarks,
events, and people from each. We are also listening to music from each
country and trying to find a craft project unique to the area, as
crafts tend to be the biggest hit of the program.



The last thing is that I tend to use the books more as a guide for
discussion topics instead of straight reading and description,



Good luck with your first program and let us know if you have more questions.



Best,



Ed Niemchak

Adult Services Librarian

Bloomfield Township Public Library

1099 Lone Pine Road
<https://maps.google.com/?q=1099+Lone+Pine+Road%0D+Bloomfield+Township,+MI+48302&entry=gmail&source=g>

Bloomfield Township, MI 48302
<https://maps.google.com/?q=1099+Lone+Pine+Road%0D+Bloomfield+Township,+MI+48302&entry=gmail&source=g>

(248)642-5800 <(248)%20642-5800> (ext. 140)

niemchae at btpl.org









Cindi L. Place
Reference & Technology Librarian
Boyne District Library
(231)582-7861
placec at boynelibrary.org
cindiplace at gmail.com
Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back
the right one.

*–Neil Gaiman*
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