It's Babytime!

I've been working with kids for a very long time. I believe in early childhood education. However, I chose to take a year off work to stay home with my daughter once she was born.  I still

believe that it's important for Angela to be around other kids. What is a stay at home mom to do?

A couple of years ago, the San Antonio Public Library came to do a presentation at the school I where I worked. I was exited to find I could get a library card, as I lived just outside the city limits. I began going to the library regularly.  It's family entertainment on a budget. You can get books, movies, music, and other stuff, all with a tag on your keychain. 

Different events are held at at the library free of charge.  There is something for everyone, and you can find it all online at mysapl.org. For this blog, I am going to focus on Babytime. 

Babytime is a Mommy and Me class offered at some branches of the San Antonio Public Library. I first went to one at the Maverick Library Branch on Wednesdays. I walked in a few minutes late and I was handed a piece of paper with the songs for the day. Angela was still too small to do many of the finger plays, but I didn't think that was important. What is important is the interaction with other babies.  The class at the Maverick also included a story for the babies and an oppertunity to play with musical insturments and other toys.
The next week, we joined the class at the Igo library branch.  We have been going to this one pretty regularly since.  There are more songs with this class then there are stories, but I find the class interactive and fun.  I also find that the class encourages reading to babies.  Angela gets to see other babies, and I get to see other Moms.  It also gets me out of the house, which is very important.
In short, the library here in San Antonio is a great and under utilized resource for families.  I highly recommend that you use your own local library wherever it may be.  In these hot summer months, it is an air conditioned place to explore!