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Library program
By Jeanne starmack
hubbard
Two-year-old Clark McAllen walked into the Children’s Room, thinking it was going to be just another day at the library.
It wasn’t the first time his grandmother, Barb Kindler of Hubbard, had brought him to the city’s library on Liberty Street. But this day was going to be different.
He was greeted by a welcoming committee consisting of Nancy Grapevine, the assistant children’s librarian, and Dana Tirabassi, a Children’s Room assistant.
Was it, they wanted to know, Clark’s first time at Alpha Bop, a monthly program that sets constant movement to music to develop body awareness, coordination, language, listening and communication skills. It’s not exactly dance. But for the 2- to 5-year-olds who met in the Children’s Room then made their way to the big, carpeted meeting room down the hall, it turned out to be a whole lot of fun.
Kindler didn’t know she and Clark had arrived just in time for Alpha Bop.
“We’re just here ...,” she said.
“Yes, it’s my first time,” Clark eagerly interrupted.
Off the two went to the meeting room, where everyone was just warming up.
The kids stood in horizontal rows, while their parents ringed the room in chairs. Alpha Bop would be a lesson for the moms and dads, too, with explanations about how each exercise helped their children learn.
A catchy song suddenly filled the room as Grapevine and Tirabassi led the first exercise.
“Let’s start this day, everybody clap your hands ... everybody shake your hips ... swing your arms ... let’s start this day with a song.”
Then the kids got a lesson on how great they are, with some spelling thrown in.
“Y-O-U,” spelled Tirabassi. “you, ’cause you’re so unforgettable ... you’re so incredible ...”
You could almost see the self-esteem building amid the jumping, the raised arms and the squeals.
But there was a practical side to all the fun. “It teaches a variety of skills, body parts, opposites — what they’ll need to know for preschool,” said Grapevine.
After all the exercises, the kids wound down with some yoga. First, there was a necessary explanation that yoga is not the same as yogurt, that stuff that’s good to eat.
“Who’s coming back next month?” Grapevine wanted to know. Every hand went up.
This fall’s Alpha Bop dates are Oct. 18, with registration starting Oct. 7; Nov. 8, with registration starting Oct. 28; and Dec. 20, with registration starting Dec. 9. The program begins at 1 p.m. Call 330-534-3512, ext. 4 to register.