Category Archives: Children’s services

Children's services

Day Eighty Three of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

ICCE First Student Wallkill School Bus
Summer may be coming to an end here, but we are always interested in helping kids to work on their literacy skills! So we totally approve of, and give a CMLE Endorsement to, Richmond, VA for their work in this area!

“RICHMOND, Va. — When students can’t come to the school library, teachers bring the library to the students.

Oak Grove-Bellmeade is one of 20 Richmond schools participating in Reading Riders; mobile libraries, or school buses, packed with books.

“We are proud teachers at Oak Grove and we love our community and we love our students,” said Kisha Christian, a fourth-grade teacher.

She said that reading can prevent what they call “the summer slide”; something a lot of parents don’t think about when they’re kids are off for the summer.

“It’s going to help them continue to be educated during the summer and not just sit there on their video games, fidget spinners,” Christian said. “It’s gonna help them continue to make sure that they’re building on skills they already have.”

Kids from kindergarten through fifth grade can check out two books, read and return them, and be registered for prizes. It’s an incentive that helps them retain what they learned during the school year, and Christian said it seems to be working.

“To come back year after year and see the smaller kids with their older brothers and sisters being able to come back and get books and being exposed to new and different things,” Takia Archer, a school bus driver said. “It’s exciting to me.”

(Read the rest of this article here!)

Children's services, Tech

Day Seventy Four of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

Cabin Camp 3 PRWI

Summer may be winding down, but there is still plenty of fun to be had online!

Have you seen Camp Wonderoplis?? It looks like a really fun way to work on some good STEM skills. It might be fun for your younger patrons to try! And yes, it also might be fun for you – don’t forget to do fun things during your summer adventures!

“About Camp Wonderopolis™ 2017

The plans have been drawn up and construction’s underway on the latest edition of Camp Wonderopolis®! Get your hard hats ready because this year’s Camp explores Wonders about construction and city planning. You’ll create your own version of “Wonderocity” as you work your way through the Campgrounds.

Camp enables programs, families, and individuals to customize their experience to their needs while campers explore different tracks of STEM-based exploration. Along the way they will build their vocabulary, background knowledge, and literacy skills.

When you register as a Camper (kids of all ages) or a Counselor (parents, library staff, teachers), you will be able to:

  • Select your own avatar
  • Follow your own path through six tracks of scientific exploration
  • Engage in Wonder lessons and test your learning to earn all 42 new Wonder Cards®
  • See what other Campers are doing and share your own experiences on the Wonder Wall
  • Keep track of your Camp activities on your personal dashboard (Counselor dashboards will track individual and groups of Campers—perfect for parents, libraries, and summer learning programs)
  • Try out fun, hands-on Maker activities with everyday items”
Children's services, Programs

Day Sixty Two of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

Monoclonius dinosaur
It is always fun to see what other libraries are doing, and the different programs going on in libraries.  The public library in Liberty, NY has a fun program for kids: digging up dinosaur bones! Hands up: how many of us spent our childhoods being interested in dinosaurs? Me too!

Add together digging, some education, and dinosaurs, and you have all the makings of a fun program!

Dig for dinosaur bones at
Liberty Public Library

“LIBERTY — On Aug. 3 at 6:30 p.m., the Liberty Public Library at 189 N Main Street in Liberty will be hosting a real, hands-on Dinosaur Dig inside the library. To get the children ready for the dig, the program will start off with a 30-minute interactive fossil talk presented by Field Paleontologist, Mike Straka. During the talk Mr. Straka will cover how and where we find fossils and will show some amazing fossil discoveries from the time of the dinosaurs to the time of the ice age.

He will then assist children in digging for real dinosaur bones, identifying the bones and placing them on top of a Triceratops cut out. Please note that while this program is free, the hands-on “dig” workshop is limited to 50 participants, ages 5-11. Weather permitting; the dig will be set up outside the library so children should come dressed in play clothes. After the dig, children will have an opportunity to spend time looking at the expanded fossil “museum” set up in the library.”

Children's services, Materials

Day Fifty Six of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

Hitane Elementary School library 2

Libraries are always looking for new and great ways to reach out to our communities. And this library has a great  program for reaching out to their patrons, mostly students with special needs.

New school library filled with multi-sensory stories

“Stories are being brought to life with the help of new resources that go beyond words and pictures.

Books are an important feature at Palatine Primary School but as the children have special educational needs, they also need multi-sensory stories, told through voice and emotion.

The school, in Palatine Road, Worthing, was granted £5,000 by the Foyle Foundation to fund books and head teacher Catriona Goldsmith officially opened the new library on Thursday.

Mandy Short, fundraising assistant at the school, said: “It has made a significant difference to our facility and being able to choose so many new books and resources was very exciting.

“As we are a special needs school, as well as reading books, we selected lots of books in multi-sensory form where the teacher can use props with visuals, sounds and touch to create storytelling based on voice and emotion rather than pictures and words.

“Our opening was the first opportunity for our pupils to experience their new library books and resources.”

With the help of Tracey Smith from the Schools Library Service in Worthing, a variety of books were chosen, including the touchy-feely series from Usborne and sound books.

There are also sturdy iPads, story bags full of characters and props to go with the books, and multi-sensory story boxes from the charity Bag Books.”

Children's services, Programs

Day Fifty Five of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

PST Model Airplane Jet Trainer

I have never been to Red Hook, New York; but after reading this I really wish I had been at their so-cool program!!

Hands-on Flight Camp offered at Red Hook Public Library

“RED HOOK — Kids in grades 3-5 will be challenged to design a variety of aerial vehicles and conduct experiments in aeronautics during Flight Camp at Red Hook Public Library at 7444 S. Broadway in Red Hook.

A part of the library’s 2017 Summer Reading Program, this camp will take place from 10 a.m.- noon, July 17-21. Participants may find themselves channeling their inner Wright Brothers as they learn about aerodynamics and the history of human flight in particular.

Flight Camp is free and open to the public, and all materials will be provided. Space is limited and registration is required online or in person. Call 758-3241 for more information.

Red Hook Public Library has been serving the community of Red Hook and its need for lifelong learning since 1898. It has been designated a five-star library by Library Journal since 2013. The library was chosen as a finalist for the Best Small Library in America award, given by Library Journal and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in 2015.

For more information, call the Red Hook Public Library at 758-3241or go to redhooklibrary.org.”