Come flex your biceps and learn some anatomy too! Authors of the children’s book B is for Biceps: Anatomy for Children are also Physical Therapists. They will lead the group in a fun and interactive anatomy lesson including excerpts from the book and physical activities to test your balance and agility. The lesson will include anatomical models for the children to explore as well as age appropriate fitness challenges. Do you know what your patella does? Come and find out! Signed copies of the book will be available to purchase at this event.

Ages: 4-10

I can’t believe it is April already. I hope everyone had a happy Easter! April is Autism Awareness Month and in Youth Services we have a special book display for that. We have chapter books, picture books, and informational books about autism. Stop by and check it out!

Attention all males grades 4th- 8th: Have we got a Book Club for you!

Join us as we talk about books, have a snack, and do fun activities! Pick up books at the Circulation desk!

The book for April 20 is Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos.

Registration began March 16th. We hope to you there!

We have this fantastic program provided by the American Red Cross and sponsored by Disney. Kids will learn how to become empowered to take action during an emergency, such as a fire or tornado warning, and also learn how to be prepared. Kids will get to decorate their own pillowcase to fill with emergency supplies when they get home. This class provides great resources and coping skills for kids to be prepared for storms and fires, and is equally fantastic for kids who want to share skills with family and friends on how to be safe.

Pillowcase Project will take place on Saturday, March 10th from 10:30 am- 11:30 am. This workshop is for grades 3-5 and will take place in the meeting room.

Registration begins February 24th.

 

The groundhog saw his shadow and while that means 6 more weeks of winter, we have plenty for you to do in Youth Services and the time will fly.

The Winter Olympic Games begin Friday, February 9th. Our display features books about Winter sports and former Olympians.

Our Make and Take table features groundhog, Valentine’s Day, and winter themed crafts and coloring pages.

We have a felt board in the Makerspace area  where children can create their own Olympic scene.

Also in the Makerspace area, we have a cork board where children can create and solve their own addition problems.

Our Makerspace Activity Challenge is to create a device to help you land safely. This challenge is based on the book Hot Air: the (mostly) true story of the first hot-air balloon ride by Marjorie Priceman

In the Makerspace area, we have Slot-A-Shape Builders. Create animals, buildings, or anything your heart desires. We invite you to take a picture with your creation and post in to our Facebook page.

Check out our new books at this adorable display in Youth Services:)

We have love themed books at this amazing display located near the tree in Youth Services.

Don’t forget to check out our Valentine’s Day themed DVDs.

We have several empty display cases where we would love to showcase your collections. Stop by the Youth Services desk for information about our display cases.

On behalf of the Youth Services Department,  we would like to say “Happy New Year!” to everyone.

We have many exciting things happening at Youth Services right now!

Our Winter Reading Program began Tuesday, January 2nd and continues through Saturday, February 24th. The program is for all readers from birth through 8th grade. Stop by the Youth Services desk to get a reading log and either a bookmark or a sticker. Once the reading log is filled out bring it back to the Youth Services desk to receive a raffle ticket and a toy prize. Winners will be chosen on a weekly basis. Prizes will include tickets to the Chicago Wolves game and Chicago Wolves memorabilia.

We have a Winter Boredom Busters display. Winter is the perfect time to start a new hobby. We have books about Pokemon Go hacks, cookbooks, secret code books and so much more. Stop by and check these books out!

At the Make and Take table, you never know what craft project or coloring sheets you are going to find. We currently have winter themed crafts and coloring sheets available.

In the Makerspace area, we have a Makerspace Challenge Activity to go along with the book Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce. The challenge is to create something you would leave on the moon if you had a chance.

There is always something new and exciting to do in the Youth Services department. We look forward to spending time with you in 2018!

Have you ever heard of such a thing?  I had not, until I started looking for unusual celebrations each month.  This September celebration was begun in 1996 by Wayne Hepburn, mostly because of his fascination with these majestic creatures.  You can read about its origins here:

The World Wildlife Fund, WWF, is a good resource to learn more about the Asian, Indian, and African elephant.

     

Five Fun Facts about Elephants:

• Elephants spend about 16 hours per day eating.
• Elephants’ eyelashes are about 5 inches long.
• Elephants are the only mammal that can’t jump.
• Elephants do not like peanuts.
• Elephants can get sunburned so they cover themselves with sand.

A few of the many books available here in the library:

 E ROO     J 599.67 LOC   J 599.67 BLO

If you’re in the mood for a little STEM thinking, you could try this activity using the book Twenty One Elephants and Still Standing and the website Playground Parkbench:

      

This is a delightful story about the Brooklyn Bridge, people wondering whether or not the bridge would be safe, and P.T. Barnum rising to the occasion!  After reading the story, try the challenge of building a bridge for 21 elephants out of household items.

If you thought you saw a variety of turtles around the library last Saturday, your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you.  It was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Extravaganza!

    

The TMNT candidates had to first decipher their Ninja name, then decorate a shuriken, or throwing star to use at a training station.

   

Next, the TMNT candidates were required to complete 5 training exercises, consisting of:

Accuracy– Toss the turtle into the sewer lid

   

Agility– Do a spin move, throw the ninja star into the pizza box

Balance– Carry the pizza box across the balance beam

 

Endurance– Hold your best ninja pose for 10 seconds

      

Patience– Transfer the sushi using chopsticks

    

     

Stealth– Move through the lasers without sounding the alarm

   

And check out the radioactive ooze- how it all started for the Turtles!

As the candidates finished the training course, they showed their completion form…

       

and were awarded their official TMNT headband!

     

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles LOVE pizza, so to end the day, the new “heros-in-a-half-shell” decorated pizza cookies,

 

       

and then enjoyed their treat after a hard day’s work!

                   

COWABUNGA DUDE……TURTLE POWER!

Be sure to ask for a new Winter Program Guide at the Youth Services desk for information about our upcoming programs and join in the fun!

You might be feeling a little melancholy about now thinking that summer is over, but don’t fret!  Here are some special days to celebrate these lazy, hazy days before heading back to school….

International Clown Week – August 1-7 Do they make you nervous?

National Scrabble Week – August 6-10-Brush up on your spelling!

August 9^th National book Lovers day- Be sure to come and see us!!

August 10^th National Lazy Day- Take it easy and stay cool!

August 11^th National Son and Daughter Day- Perhaps celebrate with dinner? Or ice cream? Or both?

August 13^th National Left-handers Day- Hooray for Southpaws!

Elvis Week – August 8-12- What’s your favorite Elvis tune?

National Aviation Week – August 15-21 (Always during week of Orville Wright’s Birthday August 19)

August 19^th National Aviation Day- Check out the Chicago Air and Water Show along the lakefront- Charles Tillman is skydiving on the 20th!!

Be Kind to Humankind Week – August 25-31- Pay something forward!

August  26^th   National Dog Day   http://www.nationaldogday.com/

The hot, hazy days of late July and August are also known as “the dog days of summer”, but what does the weather have to do with dogs?

 

According to Farmers’ Almanac and other sites, people explain 
that when the weather is so hot, dogs become lazy and rest to stay cool and not get overheated.

 

 

 

 

It sounds like a good explanation, but both the Farmers’ Almanac and Wonderopolis trace the phrase back to the ancient Romans believing that Sirius (Dog Star), or the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, was so bright that it caused the Earth’s temperature to rise.  Of course, it’s really about the tilt of the Earth towards the sun and the distance between them, but it’s a good story!

To learn more about constellations, visit the  520 section of the library for books like these:

                                               

J 523.8 SAS                            J 523.8 LOR                        J 520 LOV

And star-gazing on a warm summer night could be just the thing to add to your summer memories!