Library takes a 'Leap'

Last week, the Douglas County Public Library in Minden unveiled new learning resources from the Language First! Program, to a crowd of about 15 preschoolers and kindergartners.

The students from Minden Montessori School unwrapped covered racks to reveal colorful books and computers.

"Oh yeah!" said Sarah Hammock, 4, who said she was "the princess" in the library's storytime room that is fashioned to look like a castle.

The acquisitions, purchased through Leap Frog Schoolhouse of Emeryville, Calif., consist of 28 machines or "personal learning tools" from the LeapTrack System, as well as about 150 books which fit into them.

"They're interactive books," said youth services librarian Kathy Echavarria. "Studies have indicated this particular product encourages and develops literacy."

The catalog shows the results of research done on third-grade students in Mississippi. The group using the LeapTrack System gained an average of 16 percent in reading percentile scores, while the control group that didn't use the system showed a loss of 10 percent.

Of the 28 units, four of them are My First Leap Pads for pre-kindergartners, a dozen are Leap Pads for ages kindergarten through second-grade and 12 more are Quantum Leap Pads for grades third through fifth.

The books are divided into categories, such as math, science and reading.

"The books are for these age groups," said Echavarria. "They have a wide variety of subjects for different interests."

The books feature familiar characters such as Thomas the Tank Engine and Sponge Bob, or Leap the frog, who's exclusive to LeapTrack.

Echavarria demonstrated one of the books that, with the press of the wand on a button, would read the book out loud in six different languages.

"That is so cool," said Echavarria.

The wand also can be pressed on individual words, pictures and quizzes, and the "answer" is heard through the speakers.

"It's a multi-sensory program for English language development," she said.

Each Leap Pad comes with headphones, AC adapters and batteries, as well as carrying cases. The books are labeled by category and placed into their own brightly colored bags with clear fronts so the children can see what they are choosing.

The children helped themselves to cookies and soda while they waited their turns. Danny Longre, 4, had just finished working with a dinosaur book.

"I like them," he said.

The system and books were purchased by a $6,000 grant funded through the Library Services and Technology Act.

The Douglas County Public Library is located at 1625 Library Lane in Minden. For more information call 782-9841.

n Jo Rafferty can be reached at jrafferty@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 210.