Hooked on Education
Hopkinton woman to open additional location
Above, Mary Murphy with two of her
five children, Sinead, 2, and Declan 4.
by Elizabeth Eidlitz
August 1, 2007 — Unlike the woman
who lived in a shoe, with so many children she didn't know what
to do, Mary Murphy, who lives in a spacious house on Elizabeth
Road, knows exactly what to do with the children who come to
participate in her Hooray for Books/ Hooked on Books programs in
Hopkinton and Medfield. (Hooked on Books is in the process of
changing its name slightly to Hooray for Books.)
“Everyone likes to laugh; it’s universal,” says Murphy, who,
finds that humor connects with every young personality style,
from the painfully shy to the active extrovert. Her imaginative
classes emphasize learning to read, encouraged by cooking and
having fun.
“I grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut, as one of five children. My
husband (Brian Herr) was one of seven, and now we have five
kids,” notes Murphy, who likes big families with a lot going on.
“When I created Hooked on Books/Hooray for Books more than six
years ago I put on several "hats" to consider what the program
should look like. As a mom, I know children love to cook, but
moms don't always like the mess at home! I was also frustrated
by typical 45 minute classes because†there's not enough time to
get any errands done.
“As a Kindergarten teacher for 12 years in the Newton Public
School System, I knew how many transitions kids could handle and
I knew what activities took place in the schools and what ones
did not. Finally, as an educator, with a degree from Boston
College in Early Childhood Education, I knew small class sizes
were a must. Children can survive in big classes, but they
thrive in small ones.
“When it comes to noise levels, transitions, and ability to
learn and be heard, twenty four children with three teachers is
not the same as eight children with one.”
STORY CONTINUES
Murphy tries to factor many different activities into themed
based creative classes with a standard format. For example,
'Farmer Murphy’s Veggie Patch,’ is a 90-minute lesson plan where
kids look, cook and devour good books. It includes an activity
to get you hooked (a puzzle with peas, beans and other summer
veggies), a challenge, (matching vegetable names and objects), a
theme-related story (Gregory, a goat who’s a terrible eater), a
hands-on cooking activity (each child grates, mixes, stirs and
bakes his or her own mini loaf of zucchini bread and enjoys
putting the pieces together as well as the end product), a
reading readiness activity (increasing phonemic awareness by
focusing on the letter ‘V’ in their cookbooks), and a final
themed book to get you hooked (a baby mouse explores the garden
in The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd.)
“I was in the trenches in a Kindergarten program,” Murphy
declares. “Less can be incorporated, and budget cuts leave kids
with fewer choices. We don't talk about the weather and the
calendar; we plunge into the theme and the reading.”
Murphy’s large carpeted room is the perfect whimsical and
stimulating setting for multiple activities. It’s furnished with
colorful plastic storage bins, low tables, and chairs with
tennis ball feet. The walls are decorated with letters of the
alphabet and characters from children’s books. The area
incorporates a stove, refrigerator, counters, cabinets and a
bathroom.
Thus the space adapts itself to baking unusual treats like
wafflecity skyscrapers or lemonade cookies; having a pretend
beach day with lobster claws made from crescent rolls with red
sprinkles; giggling on the floor listening to a story of Baby
Mouse who splats a tomato on grandmother and grandfather, or
introducing science with an immediate and dramatic homemade
volcano from Alka Seltzer tablets, one of many surprising
experiments.
Take an eyedropper and water, for example. Estimate the number
of drops a penny can hold? Would you guess ‘six?’ (The answer is
’69.’)
Murphy is currently enrolling children for mixed age (2.9 to 6
years old) August mini camps as well as fall programs. Class
sizes are limited to 8.
“That way you get to know the kids sooner and can take them to
the next level while enjoying the process,” says Murphy, whose
educational enrichment program makes learning to read an
enjoyable adventure.
Murphy, who also insists that her teachers have degrees in Early
Childhood or Elementary Education, has four qualified
assistants, one of them fulltime,
Murphy started her program with kindergarteners, “a great age
group, so honest, they’ll tell you anything.” Gradually she
added four more classes-- for 4-5 year olds, 2.9ish-3 year olds,
1 _-2 year old with a parent/caregiver, and first grade readers
who also love to cook. The male to female ratio is usually
50-50.
These classes will resume in September. All but the K Stay
program which will continue to meet at 31 Elizabeth Road will be
held at a brand new facility behind the Hopkinton Schools
administration building.
Murphy is holding an Open House there at 89 Hayden Rowe on
Friday, September 7th and Saturday, September 8th from 11-4 on
both days. Old families & new ones are welcome.
For more information about programs and “family-friendly”
tuition which includes sibling discounts and refunds, see
www.hookedbooks.com or call 508-544-1520.
