25 May, 2016: Today children from Lady Gowrie Mudgee were given the opportunity to venture outside of the childcare facility and partake in ‘Simultaneous Story Time’ at the local library.
Run by Mid-Western Regional Council Library, ‘National Simultaneous Story Time,’ was designed to offer young children an engaging and unique reading experience.
Children, families and educators gathered at Mudgee Town Hall Theatre above the library, to hear from special guest story teller, Mel Heldon a radio host from Real FM Mudgee’s morning show, read “I Got This Hat” by Jol and Kate Temple.
As Mel read the story, her side-kick “Sam” provided a comic intimation of the book by trying on funny hats throughout, provoking lots of laughter from those in the audience.
Mandy Edwards, Centre Director at Lady Gowrie Mudgee, said the children had a fantastic time and loved seeing all the different hats people wore.
“It was wonderful to see the little ones, as well as parents and educators attend this special reading event and really get into the theme,” Ms Edwards said.
“I could see that the children were having fun and really engaged with the book.”
Ms Edwards said the excursion allowed the children in her care to build upon their social experiences by interacting with others in a different social setting. As well, she believes the excursion provided a chance for the children to demonstrate a sense of belonging and comfort within other environments.
“The excursion allowed them to really begin to recognise that they have a right to belong to many communities, by broadening their understanding of the world in which we live,” Ms Edwards said.
“I would like to thank Librarian Cheryl Harris from the Mudgee library for organising such a great event for the kids,” she added.