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Storytelling Workshop for Toddlers Comes to Red Hook Library

 Find & Seek will host its summer kids' workshop at the Red Hook Public Library with an emphasis on storytelling.
Find & Seek will host its summer kids' workshop at the Red Hook Public Library with an emphasis on storytelling.
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RED HOOK — Babies and toddlers can let their imaginations run wild this summer at a storytelling workshop series at a local library.

Find & Seek, a Brooklyn-based educational organization, is hosting a series of play sessions for young children next month to craft their own stories and illustrate them using materials like sticks and leaves, felt and fabric, and even lights and shadows through projectors.

During each session, hosted at the Red Hook Public Library, educators will read or perform at least one storybook for the young participants, said Kristin Eno, co-director of Find & Seek along with Elisha Georgiou.

But the series focuses on giving children “unscheduled play time,” said Eno, quoting an article from The Atlantic titled “Why Free Play is the Best Summer School.”

Activities can sometimes stem from the stories, like creating paper puppet characters or imagining boxes as rocket ships, but educators give children open play time rather than dictating or interfering with it.

“It’s all about facilitation of what is already [in] play,” said Eno. “We just try to help them do something really interesting.”

The workshop is for babies, toddlers and children who will be entering kindergarten this fall.

While books are an important part of the series, educators focus on pre-literacy and oral language development in storytelling rather than actual reading skills because of the group’s age. This is why children are being provided with materials to help supplement their own storytelling skills.

One class is priced at $20 for 1 1/2 hours. While each session can stand alone, parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring the children to more than one class.

The workshop runs July 7-18. For details about the summer schedule, visit this website.