Catch the Story!

Hope you can catch some storytelling this week at the Menlo Park, Sunnyvale, or Palo Alto Library!

Storyteller John Weaver
Keep up with me on Facebook!


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"Parents, put down your phones."

Do you see it all the time, too: children trying to engage with their parents, only to be ignored in favor of a screen?  

From the KQED Perspective series, here's a very well-put-together commentary on the topic by Pam Miller, a psychotherapist & early literacy adviser.

Hang Up and Talk
Pam Miller sees it all the time -- parents more interested in their phones than talking to their children.

By Pam Miller

I bet we all can agree: parenting is hard work. It's a huge responsibility. It's tiring, never-ending and sometimes unrewarding. Yet, as a therapist and mother, I've never met a parent who didn't want to be good at it.

Still, as I ride the bus, I notice how many parents are not talking to their kids, especially their little kids, the two-to-five year olds, kids old enough to talk. The parents I see are almost always staring at or talking on their cell phones.

Their children try valiantly to engage them in conversation.  The kids look out the window or at their fellow passengers. They're curious, watchful and stimulated. They want to share their experiences, to connect, to feel attached. Yet, too often, these precious opportunities are lost.

Recently, on Muni I heard, "Mommy, look at that house out there."  "Daddy, I'm thirsty."  "Mommy, why is that person in a wheelchair?"  Kids trying to talk things over with their parents. Yet, in each instance the parents were too absorbed in their phones to respond. Some even seemed annoyed.

The kids' reactions? Either they asked again and again, and were reprimanded, or they withdrew in silence, believing they'd done something wrong. Their little faces registered rejection, resignation, and they tugged at my heartstrings.  They were just doing what comes naturally -- trying to share their experiences with a grownup.

Yes, parenting is hard, but parents are the ones who have the most influence on their children's futures. Research is overwhelmingly clear: kids who are spoken to and who hear lots of words, hopefully positive ones, do much better in school than kids who don't. And that means they usually do better in life, too.

What can we do? We can remind adults who care for children to talk to them or to bring a book along to read to them.

We can encourage Muni and BART to put up public service signs, reminding parents to talk to their children on their ride.

Parents, put down your phones. Give your kids a very special gift this season, the gift of conversation.

With a Perspective, this is Pam Miller.

Pam Miller is a San Francisco psychotherapist and an advisor to an early literacy non-profit group.

Listen to the audio at KQED.org

Weekly Storytelling in Menlo Park

Excited to be back to my weekly storytelling event at the Menlo Park Library--something just for the big kids & their grown-ups!

Storyteller John Weaver

Keep up with me on Facebook!



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Kind Words

"Dear Mr. John, Thank you very much for providing many enjoyable Monday nights of entertainment for our children...and for us."

Love this note left for me by one of my regular storytime families.  Nice bat, too!  I'm bats for the whole thing.

Upcoming Events

Catch me story telling or "story timing!"  Here's where to look...

I do kneel down, but I get up again; you're never going to keep me down!

Storytimes at the Livermore & Menlo Park Libraries are in brown; storytelling events are in red. Keep checking in for updates!

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WEEKLY LIBRARY STORYTIME EVENTS:


MONDAYS (Livermore Public Library, Civic Center)
10:30am Toddler Storytime
11:30am Toddler Storytime
7pm Pajamatime Family Storytime

THURSDAYS (Menlo Park Library)
11:15 Toddler Storytime

FRIDAYS (Livermore Public Library, Rincon)
10:30 Toddler Storytime
11am Preschool Storytime

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STORYTELLING APPEARANCES:

Thursday, January 9
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!


Thursday, January 16
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!

January 17-19, 2014: Presenting "Literacy Building Through Enhanced Read-Aloud" at Santa Clara County Reading Council's Asilomar Reading Conference


Thursday, January 23
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!

Do I love storytelling at the Sunnyvale Library?  I DO!

Saturday, January 25
SUNNYVALE LIBRARY
665 W. Olive Ave
Storytelling at 3pm


Sunday, January 26
PALO ALTO CHILDREN'S LIBRARY
1276 Harriet Street
Taking part in the library's annual Storytelling Festival, set to take place between 1:30 & 4:30pm.


Thursday, January 23
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!


Thursday, January 30
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!


Thursday, February 6
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!

Giving them the run-around at Children's Fairyland

Saturday, February 8
Sunday, February 9
CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND
Lake Merritt, Oakland
Storytelling at 1:30pm & 2:30pm (different stories each time), weather-dependent.



Thursday, February 13
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!

Thursday, February 20
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!


Thursday, February 27
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!


Thursday, March 6
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!


Thursday, March 13
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!


Thursday, March 20
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!


Thursday, March 27
MENLO PARK LIBRARY
School-Age Storytelling
4pm
It’s a new weekly storytelling series (this is NOT a storytime) for school-agers and their grown-ups!

Sunday, April 6
HAWAII CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY CENTER
111 Ohe Street, Honolulu
Performing at 11am, included in Discovery Center admission.

I get into the aloha spirit at the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center, an awesome children's museum.

Saturday, April 12
Sunday, April 13
CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND
Lake Merritt, Oakland
Storytelling at 1:30pm & 2:30pm (different stories each time), weather-dependent.


Saturday, April 26
SUNNYVALE LIBRARY
665 W. Olive Ave
Participating in the library's Annual Storytelling Festival, which begins at 2pm


Other recent or upcoming events include storytelling & education for Brier Elementary, The Nueva School & Exceptional Needs Network. Private events (for schools, etc.) do not show up in listings above. For regular updates, connect with me on Facebook!

Storyteller John Weaver


Check out the book: How to be a Storyteller: Essays and Advice on the Art of Storytelling!

Off-the-Leash Fun!

Storyteller John Weaver 

storytellerjohnweaver.com

Keep up with me on Facebook!

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