Library Visit

As last week (or was it the week before?) we were late to the library, so they didn't do Rhyme Time, I made sure we left earlier this past Monday.  Even though we had more to do before we got to the library, we still ended up getting there 20minutes early!  DD1 was in a very excited mood and was jumping all over the place.  That was until the male librarian tried to lead the session.  TBH it is not helped by the fact he is not the most natural person wrt kids, and he also doesn't know most of the rhymes or tunes.  He decided he wanted to sing "A Hedgehog is very prickly", so DD1 started banging on the drum and singing aloud.  The librarian repeatedly said "sorry, I don't know that one - can we sing ..." so I had to point out that DD1 was already singing, and by now, had sung that song.  I do realise that often parents are the only people that can understand and decipher their own children, but DD1 is very eloquent (which was again commented upon by the HV yesterday), very understandable, and much more tuneful than the librarian himself, so even if he could not understand her words, there was no mistaking the tune!  Anyway, things went a bit downhill from there.  DD1 was refusing to join in at some parts, and when DD2 finally woke up, the librarian said he was going to stop.  Again, I had to step in and say that DD2 actually likes nursery rhymes, especially "Grand Old Duke of York", but it wasn't until I finally persuaded DD1 to start singing again, that DD2 got to hear some tunes.  The Rhyme Time sessions only last 30min, so it seems a shame that when we do turn up, they try to end it early.  My two are the only children who regularly attend (very often, the only children who attend at all), but I'd rather they cancelled it altogether, than try to cut it short on a specific day, itms.  Anyway...

We got out of the library:

• The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, by Dr. Seuss
• Weather, by Clarke
• Just one more! by Orme and Blake
• When a Monster is Born, by Taylor and Sharratt
• Go away, Baby! by Llewellyn and Lovsin
• Goal! by Matthew and Heyworth

and,

• Black and White, by Amazing Baby

for DD2.  A good selection of books, and DD1 was really interested in all her selection.

So we walked home, emptied the shopping and books from under the pushchair, and noticed that half the books were missing!  We literally walked straight back from the library to home (we went shopping before the library), and I didn't notice at all anything falling out of the basket.  I had a quick look on our road, but there wasn't anything to see.  There was nothing for it, we had to go back to the library and home that either it was still lying on the pavement or some nice person had handed it in.
I strap DD2 back in the pushchair, put DD1's wellie back on her feet and go for a walk back to the library.  On the good side, the weather has been lovely these past few days, so we didn't bother with coats or anything.  No sign of the books anywhere.  Part of me was tempted to go home, but we did go and ask at the library.  Phew!  Somebody had handed the books in. Apparently they were found outside the shop, which we didn't go past, so I can only guess that somebody had found them on the path and dumped them by the shop, before some other kind soul returned them to the library.  (The library and shop are on other sides of a green, known as The Circle - I won't explain why. LoL)  so we got to take the books home again.

DD1 was very pleased because for the past few weeks she has been tlaking about clouds, and the weather, and is really interested.  She was desperate to get this book out of the library again, and typically it was one of the books that had fallen out of the pushchair.  She is now very knowledgeable about the weather, and whilst she does get confused about somethings (she is only 3, after all!) I can see how HE benefits children by allowing them to learn at their own pace and what they are interested in.
I'm still reading "How Children Learn" by John Holt (which I took out the library last week).  It is very interesting, and I will do another book review when I have finished it.