By Michelle Waltos

Librarian

Squeals of delight, singing and the sound of an acoustic guitar can be heard as you enter through the door.

You’re not hearing a solo performer at a local café or a band at a restaurant. The sound is of Miss Nicole, the children’s librarian at the Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) at Cicero, delighting toddlers and preschoolers during one of her four weekly story hours.

Story time is meant to be enjoyable for kids, but it is also an opportunity to learn things like being quiet while someone else is speaking, how to interact with other children and how to sit still. Simple crafts are sometimes incorporated into story time, providing an opportunity for children to exercise fine motor skills and harness their creativity.

The full complement of NOPL story times begin Oct. 2, although some sessions have already resumed for the fall.  Here is NOPL’s full schedule of regular story times:

NOPL Brewerton

Miss Wanda hosts Story Time at 10:30 a.m. every Monday, followed by an open playtime (for ages 2 and up). 

NOPL Cicero

Toddler Story Hour is held weekly on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. (for ages 2 to 3), followed by Preschool Story Hour at 11 a.m. (for ages 3 to 5). 

NOPL North Syracuse

Storytime with Miss Sarah for ages birth 3 is held at 10 a.m. Wednesdays, and for ages 3 to 5 it is held at 11 a.m. Thursdays. A special Daycare Storytime — a sessions just for daycare providers — is held at 10 a.m. most Fridays.

Special evening story time events and sessions are often added, such as Monster Storytime, PJ Storytime, and the popular Family Story Time with Miss Anna. Visit nopl.org/events to find all upcoming story times and locations.