In the Nest

In the Nest

Welcome aboard! We are delighted that you will offer the Hatchlings: In the Nest program in your community.

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We designed In the Nest for parents of newborns (from birth to four months old). It is best offered weekly, virtually or in person, over four (4) days, in a participating library or an outreach location in coordination with at least one community partner.

To help you prepare, we highly recommend watching our Programming for Parents with Infants video below and reviewing this accompanying handout before facilitating Hatchlings sessions.

We encourage Hatchlings facilitators to adapt the program to meet their needs; however, all adapted materials should include the following credits: "The content is adapted from the Mother Goose on the Loose: Hatchlings Program by Betsy Diamant-Cohen, a grant originally sponsored by the Maryland State Library Agency and the Maryland State Department of Education."

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Introduction to In the Nest

1. Read the Instruction Guide

  • The In the Nest Instruction Guide contains everything you need to know about planning sessions and presenting Hatchlings. It also includes instructions on the links below and on using or modifying all downloadable resources, such as the visual panels.

We recommend printing and keeping the guide on-site as a handy reference tool. 

If you prefer not to print your materials or do not have access to a photocopier, you can order printed copies from the MGOL Store via Booklogix for the prices listed below, plus shipping and handling in the US.

In the Nest Products

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Demonstration Video

  • Emily Trovato presented this Hatchlings: In the Nest session two at the Elkridge Public Library in Maryland.

MGOL Hatchlings: In the Nest Session 2

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Preparing for In The Nest

Organization Timeline

Our prewritten Timeline Checklist outlines a suggested timeline starting 3-6 months before a Hatchlings session. This PDF details the steps for preparation, publicity, distribution, printing, etc. The checklist is also available as a Word document for customization.

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Program Considerations

The Program Considerations contains a list of factors for local librarians to discuss with their directors and partners before planning the program, such as room accessibility and capacity-building policies. 

Logistics Checklist

Compare your considerations to the Logistics Checklist, which will remind you to mention materials and services that your library can offer to registered participants.

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Design Your Session

The Instructional Guide provides four (4) suggested Hatchlings scripts; however, to present your best session, it is important for you to “make it your own” so you will feel comfortable delivering it. Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm; everyone at your session will enjoy themselves if you enjoy yourself. Pro Tip: We recommend reading at least one (1) script from the Instructional Guide several times to familiarize yourself with the material.

These Cheat Sheets outline the basic program, topics, and songs if you want to follow the script.

However, In the Nest Topics enable you to pick and choose what you wish to cover. 

  • Use the Design Your Own Session Template to rearrange but keep the natural flow of the session. 
  • Librarian Sylvia Hennessie of the Howard County Library System created and graciously shared a Baby Beginnings Hatchlings script. Here is her script as a Word document to download for easy editing.
  • Pro Tips from Librarian Sylvia Hennessie of the Howard County Library System:
    • Change the tense of the shared information (e.g., "when the baby was in the womb").
    • Ask parents to share more examples of things they have been doing with their baby thus far.
    • Try to elicit more from the group so that the session is even more relatable and reinforces their work.

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Panels

The In the Nest Panels are best printed in full color on an 11x17 tagboard and then laminated. Note: Add your library's logo on the bottom left side of panel 16. Tip: It is best to download the files to print instead of printing them from the site.

Prepare the panels in numerical order, with the first one on top. Pro Tip: When looking for questions, you can use the unnumbered question panel to spur conversation. 

Other unnumbered panels are song lyrics, which you may or may not choose to use. Pro Tip: If the lyrics are too small for everyone to see, try picking up a panel and walking around the circle with it.

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Promoting Your Session

Advertising Flyers

Our flyer template can be used to advertise your session. Feel free to download an editable version.

See examples of flyers designed by various counties in Maryland

We provide additional multilingual resources on the Hatchlings: Across Languages page.

Post your flyer in the library, supermarkets, and obstetrician's offices and distribute it to your community partners. You can also post it on social media, such as the library website, listservs, electronic newsletters, blogs, Instagram, etc.

NOTE: MGOL collaborated with the Maryland State Library Agency (MSLA) to develop Hatchlings. Maryland libraries are highly encouraged to include both the MSLA logo and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) along with their logo on all promotional materials to reflect this fruitful partnership. If you are outside of Maryland, feel free to exchange the MSLA logo with that of your state library.

Click the logos to download its image file.Maryland State Library Agency logoMaryland State Dept. of Education logo

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Social Media Posts

Promote your workshops using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, electronic newsletters, library blogs, or other media.

Examples from other librarians can help you create your social media posts:

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Registration Form

Although many libraries use online registration, our Registration Form will come in handy if the computer is down. Your partner organizations may not be set up for computer registration and may benefit from having the form on hand. 

Consent Form

If photos and videos will be taken during the session, attendees must complete a consent form during registration.

You can obtain consent in advance or as participants arrive at the session. Feel free to use our Consent Form or download and edit a copy to suit your needs. Remember to add any applicable logos!

Pro Tip: Creating a QR code on flyers will allow participants to quickly assess and complete online registration via their smart device instead of asking for paper copies. Bitly allows you to generate a free QR code and specify a contact to receive the results. 

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Session Day

Songsheet and Audio Files

We provide a Song Booklet to help with sing-a-longs. 

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Pro Tip: To help expectant parents recreate the Ready to Hatch experience at home, make the song sheet available via a scanned QR code with the link to Hatchlings: In the Nest Songs & Rhymes audio or video recordings.

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Following the Session

Evaluation / Survey

How was your session? The best way to get feedback is to ask participants to complete an Evaluation Survey. Feel free to edit our template. Pro Tip: Continue to use the QR code versions for easy access.

Self Reflection

After your session, consider what you liked the best and what challenged you. You may want to use this Self-Reflection Form to take notes. Now, tweak your next presentation for a better one next time!

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Continue to the Hatchlings: In the Nest program, which we designed for parents with newborns (from birth to four months old).

Additional Resources

The Mother Goose on the Loose: Hatchlings program by Betsy Diamant-Cohen is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0