Over the last 6 months Foolish Operations artists Sarah Gallos and Julie Lebel have been working alongside Surrey Youth Services Librarians and Technicians to increase physical literacy in storytimes and explore the possibilities of dancing books.

Foolish Operations hosted professional development sessions covering developmental movement pathways, attachment theories and how to dance words. Julie and Sarah visited library branches all over Surrey, hosting Dancing Storytimes for the public with the support of Youth Services Librarians and Technicians. The conversations after these events were full of learning from each other and the sharing of knowledge around storytimes with young children.

November is the Month of Movement for Surrey libraries staff who participated in this project. During this time, they are testing out new movement practices, adding sprinkles of dance to their own storytimes.

We are continually amazed by and so proud of the Surrey Youth Services Librarians and Technician‘s work. We want to celebrate what they do and congratulate them on continuing to offer storytimes with movement and play. This strengthens family bonds and brings dance to unusual settings.

Thanks to the City of Surrey for supporting this project!