Teaching Toes: Interactive Learning in a Box

What is a Teaching Tote?

Teaching Totes are portable plastic bins featuring themed library materials designed to create fun and interactive learning experiences for young children and their families, teachers, and caregivers.

Teaching Totes Contain:

• Picture books

• Beginning Reader books (EZ-Readers)

• Non-fiction books

• Bilingual books (Spanish/English)

• May also include rhymes and tactile activities to engage your little ones

Purpose

Teaching Totes reinforce literacy skills through books with rich vocabulary words and concepts, which in turn provide further opportunities for interaction and conversation between caregiver and child. The wide variety of exciting themes promises to stimulate and inspire the imagination of children (including babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children).

Goals

• Connect a specific area of interest with literacy and learning

• Foster interaction and conversation between caregiver and child

• Encourage language development and comprehension through print-rich, age-appropriate books

Educational Benefits

Each tote has been thoughtfully curated by Youth Services staff in accordance with the following learning standards:

• The Palmetto Basics

• South Carolina Early Learning Standards

• The South Carolina College and Career-Ready Standards

By connecting tote materials to learning standards, parents and teachers are offered themes that foster early learning skills necessary for the introduction of foundational concepts.

The Palmetto Basics is a county-wide kindergarten readiness initiative brought to South Carolina by Greenville First Steps that explores five dynamic areas of early learning that make a substantial impact on later school success. South Carolina Early Learning Standards were created by The Department of Social Services for use by South Carolina’s early childhood professionals, Head Start teachers, and other teachers who nurture and support the development of young children. The South Carolina College and Career-Ready Standards are used by all public schools in South Carolina. These academic standards were created to align research and best practices for use by teachers in South Carolina.

More About The Palmetto Basics:

The Greenville County Library System has embraced The Palmetto Basics, a county-wide kindergarten readiness initiative brought to South Carolina by Greenville First Steps. Experts tell us that exploring these five areas of learning early in your child’s life can make a big impact on later school success.

By incorporating these evidence-based principles into your activities with young children, you help to foster school readiness. And don’t worry! You are almost certainly already incorporating the Palmetto Basics without knowing it. For example, as you explore and move with your child, you’re also Maximizing Love and Managing Stress, for both you and your child, just by spending time together.

Find downloadable lists of suggested activities representing each of the Palmetto Basics at greenvillelibrary.org/littlelearners-club. Choose activities that best fit your child's age and abilities. You may also create your own activities.

Check out a Teaching Tote today!

• Borrowing: Visit the Children’s Area at the Hughes Main Library to explore available Teaching Totes.

• Holds: You may also visit greenvillelibrary.org/ teaching-totes to place Teaching Totes on hold.

• For: Adult Greenville County Library System card holders.

• Loan Period: 14 days.

• Checkout limit: Two Teaching Totes may be checked out at a time.

• Availability: Teaching Totes are available for checkout only at the Hughes Main Library.

• Returning: Teaching Totes must be returned inperson to the Children’s Area Desk at the Hughes Main Library.

greenvillelibrary.org/teaching-totes