Bookstart

Bookstart - a free book gift to share with your baby or toddler.

Family Fun and

Learning this Spring

There are lots of special events for under-fives in the libraries this spring. There are Spring tales from Sally Tonge, Jo Jingles music and rhyme, pottery workshops with The Flying Potter and musician Richard Salt. Check out what's happening at your local library and download the programme from the attachments area on the right of the screen.

What is Bookstart?

Bookstart is a national programme that gives three free gifts of books to children berfore they are four years old. Bookstart is sharing books with children from as early an age as possible. Bookstart is about quality time spent between a child and a parent or carer. Bookstart is about cuddling up to listen to stories, talking about the pictures and learning to turn the pages. Bookstart is about the pleasure of reading. And it’s fun!

Your free Bookstart gifts:

Bookstart Baby Bag is for children aged 7 - 9 months. You will receive this gift from your Health Visitor, usually at your child’s first health development check. If you did not receive a pack then, you can always pick one up from your local library and join the library at the same time.

Bookstart Plus is for children of about 2 years of age and can be collected from your local library It is also available at many playgroups and nurseries.

Bookstart Treasure Chest is designed for children aged 3 - 4 years and your child will receive this through the nursery class at any maintained or independent school. A timetable detailing when schools will receive their Treasure Chests will be available from this page in late September.

Book Touch is a Bookstart bag specifically designed for children with a visual impairment. The bag contains two free 'touch and feel' books with different textures and textiles as well as a list of recommended books and a guide to services relating to reading for blind and partially sighted people. There are Book Touch bags for babies at 9 months and for toddlers at about 2 years of age.

Book Shine is an extra Bookstart bag specifically designed for children who are deaf or have an hearing impairment. The bag contains a free 'touch and feel' book with different textures and textiles and a board book with signing. There is also a list of recommended books and a guide to services relating to reading for deaf and hearing impaired people. There are Book Shine bags for babies at 9 months and for toddlers at about 2 years of age.

 

Please contact the Solihull Bookstart team for a Book Touch or Book Shine pack if you are in contact with an eligible child.

English as an extra language

Dual language books are also available in a number of community languages and in English. Languages catered for include Bengali, Chinese, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Punjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish and Urdu

For further information about the Solihull Bookstart Scheme, or to book a gifting visit to your pre-school group or nursery, contact the Solihull Bookstart team at Learning Resources and Advice Service at Solihull Central Library on 0121 704 6984 or by email or visit the Bookstart website

You can make the most of your Bookstart gifts by:

Getting your child a library card
You are never too young to borrow a book! Babies can join as soon as they are born. It's free to join and up to eight books can be borrowed at a time.

Joining Book Crawl

Babies and toddlers receive a sticker each time they borrow books from the library. With every four stickers they receive a Book Crawl certificate and there are ten different certificates to collect. After five certificates children can get a Bookstart bear and after ten a special golden certificate. For more information contact your local library or the Solihull Bookstart team on 0121 704 6984 or by email.

Borrowing from a range of great picture books
Check out the board books, nursery rhyme collections, counting and alphabet books and colourful picture books. Click here for a recent list of recommended titles. Story tapes and compact discs can also be borrowed from libraries. Some libraries also stock DVDs, for which there is a small charge, check at your local library for availability.

 

Having fun at story and rhyme times
There are special free storytimes and rhyme times for under fives, listening to stories and learning nursery rhymes is a great boost to speech and language development and to concentration. Storytime sessions usually last for half an hour. Find out more details about storytimes and other activities at your local library.

Family Matters
A special collection of books for parents and carers on childcare, healthy eating, helping children learn to read. There are also books for children about new experiences, like a visit to hospital, starting school, or the arrival of a new baby.

Nurseries, Playgroups and Childminders

Playgroups, nurseries, childminders and parent toddler groups can have a special ticket to borrow extra books. Contact your local library to discuss other services that libraries can offer to early years settings, like a visit to the library or a talk to parents and carers about choosing and using books with the under fives.

 

Useful Childcare Information Sites

Bookstart

Information about the national Bookstart Scheme for parents and carers, health professionals, library professionals, early years providers and journalists and researchers.
http://www.bookstart.org.uk/Home

Talk to Your Baby

Ideas to help you develop your child's communication skills
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talk_to_your_baby

SureStart

The Government's programme to bring together early education, childcare, health and family support.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/earlyyears/surestart/whatsurestartdoes/

What's On for Children and Childcare Information

Family Information Service (FIS)
http://www.4u2dosolihull.org/

Bookstart in Solihull

Click for a copy of the latest annual report.

Your Bookstart Team at The Learning Resources and Advice Service are:

• Steve Palmer, Co-ordinator
• Beverley Bird, Principal Assistant
• Diane Boyne, Principal Assistant
• Sandra Foster, Senior Library Assistant

Contact

Learning Resources and Advice Service
Central Library,
Homer Road, Solihull, B91 3RG.
Tel 0121 704 6984
Fax 0121 704 6991
Email:sls@solihull.gov.uk