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| Windham Library Children's Room Coordinator Diana Currier leads a session of 'Calm as a Critter' for a You Tube segment on July 25. The program promotes relaxation and self-awareness for children. COURTESY PHOTO, WINDHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY |
By
Elizabeth Richards
The
Windham Public Library’s Saturday morning Calm as a Critter Program may seem perfect
for helping children deal with life during a global pandemic, but it began long
before the days of COVID-19.
Children’s
Room Coordinator Diana Currier said the program has been offered in the summer
every year since 2017.
The
program was designed to give children things to do with their body, hands, mind
and breathing to relax and feel good about themselves, she said.
Over
time, the audience began to get younger, Currier said, so she modified
activities appropriately. Adults who
came with their children were invited to participate, and did so, even asking
if there was a similar program for adults.
The
program was going to be phased out this summer, Currier said, but had a tie-in
that reflected the need people had to be able to handle themselves.
“Calm
is the key word here, of course,” she said.
Though
Children’s Librarian Samantha Cote “stepped right up to the plate to do virtual
story time,” Currier said she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the platform.
But
before summer began, she offered “Good Old-Fashioned Fun with Miss Diana” online
on Saturdays at 9 a.m., and they carried that time slot over to Calm as a
Critter. Although that’s when videos are posted, since they are pre-recorded,
people aren’t limited to watching on Saturday mornings.
Currier
puts a lot of effort into the information she presents, using books and other
resources to design the program each week.
Each episode offers a craft so children can do something with their
hands, a breathing activity, and a challenge or “homework.”
In
the Fresh Air episode, for instance, she challenged children to try going for
an extended period of time without talking, and to watch either a sunrise or a
sunset.
She
tries to keep episodes to about 15 minutes to hold the attention span of her
young audience. She also plans the order
intentionally, such as putting the craft first to keep their hands busy so they
can focus better when she is talking. Feedback is appreciated, she said, so she
can please the audience.
There
was a demand for this type of activity even before the pandemic, Currier said.
Parents
often come to the library asking for books to help their children deal with
nervousness and anxiety. And the suggestions she offers are things she enjoys,
Currier said, adding that she tries the suggestions first to see what works for
her before suggesting them to others.
“I
really want to make the world a better place,” Currier said. “I’m trying to do
it through these videos somehow, and if people can walk away with a good thing
or two, hopefully it’ll pay it forward somehow, someday.”
The
Calm as a Critter program will run on Saturday mornings through Aug. 22.
Past
episodes are available and are posted in the Calm as a Critter Playlist on the Windham
Library’s Facebook page. <
