B is for Biceps: Anatomy for Kids- April 14th 10:30 AM- 11:15 AM

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

Pillowcase Project

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.

 

What’s New in Youth Services- February 2018

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.

Happy New Year 2018

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!

September Snapshot …What’s up this month?

While many families have been busy getting back into the swing of things with a school schedule again, the new month brings new special days and celebrations to observe and think about.  September is Library Card Sign-up Month, according to the American Library Association.  This year, Snoopy is featured in their promotion:

PEANUTS_WEB_PSA_728x90If you’re a New Lenox resident, and do not have a library card, stop in today for a visit and pick one up! And grab a Fall Program Guide while you’re at it to see what’s coming up over the next few months.

September is also Children’s Good Manners Month.   Take a look at this poster first issued to Queensland, Australia schools in 1898.  It’s evident that good manners haven’t changed all that much over the years!

good manners

Here are just a few books in the library to learn more about manners:

 E MAR   Monster Be Good by Natalie Marshall

 J 395 GIB  Don’t Slurp Your Soup! by Lynne Gibbs

 J 395.122 MAN  Manners Mash-Up by Tedd Arnold (and others)

Some upcoming special days in September:

5th- Labor Day–   Read about it here in the library,

 J 394.261 HAM  Labor Day by Lynn Hamilton

at Time for Kids

tfk laborday

or Ducksterslaborday2

Sept. 11th- Patriot Day, remembering the tragedy of 9/11/2001

J 303.625 MAC   The September 11th Terrorist Attack by Fiona Macdonald

 J 327.676 DEE    14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy

J TAR   I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 by Lauren Tarshis

More information can be found at Kidzworld   patriotday kidzworld

 

 

 

and Ducksters  septll ducks

More September Snapshots to follow….

Pachyderm Party! September 22nd is National Elephant Appreciation Day

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:

elephantwebsite

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

elephants     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:

Engineering Science for Kids - Build a Bridge for Twenty One Elephants

engineering-science-for-kids-cup      engineering-science-for-kids

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.

Turtle Time!

turtletitle

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!

img_7587-2  img_7617  img_7608

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

ninja-name-1  img_7570 img_7569

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

Accuracy– Toss the turtle into the sewer lid

img_7618  img_7586-2  img_7623

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

img_7584

Balance– Carry the pizza box across the balance beam

img_7573  img_7575

Endurance– Hold your best ninja pose for 10 seconds

img_7624   img_7610   img_7571

Patience– Transfer the sushi using chopsticks

img_7581    img_7580

img_7578     img_7625

Stealth– Move through the lasers without sounding the alarm

img_7576   img_7583

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

img_7574

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

 img_7606   img_7605   img_7607

and were awarded their official TMNT headband!

img_7619   img_7622   img_7620

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

img_7591  img_7597

   img_7602  img_7598  img_7609

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

  img_7600    img_7599      img_7614       img_7594

COWABUNGA DUDE……TURTLE POWER!

img_7616

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!

New month, new fun…and the dog days of summer?

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

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

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

August 13th 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 19th 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  26th   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 
dog days
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 dogdays wonderopolisancient 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!