Miss Nina's wild ramblings

Time to ride off into the sunset!

2011-03-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! As you know, I have been here at Bellingham for awhile and it is time for me to move on. My last day here will be on April 16 and I intend to enjoy my last month here to the fullest. I have loved my time here and the lovely families that I have met, but I know you will love the next children's librarian when they arrive. Please stop in to say bye. Thanks!

February Thoughts

2011-02-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

Well, the groundhog didn't see his shadow. That means spring is on it's way. I think I will hold that groundhog to it's prediction because I am so ready for spring.

We have two cool programs coming up. The first is a celtic program with a little celie dancing. Come join us from four to five pm on Tuesday, February 22. Drop in only.

Our other event is the Percy Jackson All day games day. this is based on the popular books by Rick Rioden. Sign-ups are required for all or part of the day! Hope to see you on Friday, February 25 to see who will win the laurels.

back in the saddle

2011-01-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

It is great to be back at work. Each day gets a little bit better and my office has a floor again! Whoo Hoo! Of course with this quiet time, there is not much to talk about. I do want to encourage people to keep checking out the library website. We are changing it to make it more accessable to everyone. One of my favorite additions is WOWbrary which will show all the new materials that we have added to the collection in a weeks time. It will be a great way to see if the book you are looking for is now part of the collection. This is already a part of the the weekly newsletter going out to patrons that have signed up for it.

I have been neglecting my library thing account, but have been working to get it moving again. There are lots of new books with their reviews. For students, check out: http://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/. Heres an opportunity to see reviews of the newest books published for Youth!

Well, isn't a fine kettle of fish

2010-12-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,

Gang aft agley,

An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,

For promis'd joy!

(The best laid schemes of Mice and Men

oft go awry,

And leave us nothing but grief and pain,

For promised joy!)

Robert Burns, To a Mouse (Poem, November, 1785)

Scottish national poet (1759 - 1796)

I was expecting a quiet week: planning the winter programs, visiting with my families and cleaning up around the childrens area so that the childrens area would remain beautiful and inviting. Instead I am home placing my winter programs on hiatus, visiting with my family and am not allowed to any cleaning at all. Fortunately, for all the pain there is joy. So if you are following this blog: I wish you the happiest of holidays and I will see you next year!

10 1/2 days until Christmas

2010-12-14T12:20:00.000-08:00

I am constantly amazed at how fast the year has gone. The leaves are just about gone. There is snow in the Midwest, I have just about finished my Christmas shopping and the parties are beginning.

As it gets closer to when the school lets out, check out "Windblowne", a childrens book, I thought it was very good. I've joined a state group for critiquing books. I hope to let people know more about the new books coming out.

Blessed Solstice

2010-11-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

For 21 more days, our days will be getting darker and darker. On December 21, it will be the winter solstice and after that our daylight hours will start getting longer again. I can't hardly wait.

Fall is ending and winter will be here soon.

2010-11-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

Well , I have had my first cold of the season. My fingers are crossed it is the only one, but that seems a tad unlikely. I want to encourage people to come to the library. We have a lot going on. In the community room, we have the student art show. The annual winter raffle has started. The Friends are selling their cookbook for 12 dollars. It would be a great Christmas, Hannakah, Kwansaa, Birthday, or "Gee, I think you are a great friend" gift!

Remember the library will be closed on Veterns day!

Autumn leaves and five years

2010-10-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

It has been five years since I have arrived in Bellingham. Time has just flown by. After all this time, I feel like I have more friends then there are leaves on a tree. I am greatful for that. (My spelling hasn't gotten any better, but it hasn't gotten any worse either.)

Over time I have completed so many of my goals that I have been working on and so now I am asking: What would you like to see happen in Childrens? Young Adults? Is there programming you would like to have or additions to the childrens room? Are there books you want?

Here come the witches and goblins and cats, oh my!

2010-09-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's time to begin the holiday run. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are looming before us. I can't wait for this year. To kick of the season, I have Halloween cooking and Crafts AND the 2nd annual Boo Bazaar the second weekend of October. I hope to see lot's of people there!

NEW PICS ON FLICKR!

2010-09-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

Check out the new summer picture that are now online. More are coming soon.

Cool down time

2010-09-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

I have been reflecting on summer, planning for fall and gearing up for winter. So much is happening at the library.

This summer, we changed up the Picturebook area and now it looks so much larger and friendlier. Our first annual Battle of the Books was amazing fun. We gave away over 150 books to our Summer Reading Program readers. How exciting is that!

Our fall classes have started with a bang. Ringading is back to it's regular schedule and is as much fun as ever. The Kids Club is just as much fun. The art classes are full. It is such a pleasure to see our newcomers as well as our regular patrons.

Winter will be upon us soon along with the holiday season. Candymaking and Gingerbread Houses are high on my list of fun things to do. Keep a weathered eye out for the dates.

Congratulations to the winners of the Battle of the Books

2010-08-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

The winner of group one battle teams were:

THE BOOKWORMS

Isabella Donofrio

Paige Goddard

Caela Hurley

Gina Priscella

Bharathi Subbiah

The runners up were:

THE AWESOME MACY READERS

Erin Bartelloni

Lily Bartelloni

Lily Garten

Molly Garten

Tyler Garten

Brad Swain

The winner of the group two battles were:

THE RADICAL READERS

Bryn Gregory

Wyatt Gregory

Max Kolp

Jeremy Payson

The runners up were:

THE BOYS

Ian McCue

Caleb Brant

The other participants were:

Sonal Radhakrishnan
Cameron Hasselbaum
Alexandra Connor
Noah Hanson
Matthew Eggleston
Hailey Brant
Ashleigh Eggleston

Congratulations to all our contestants. You did an amazing job!

Here it is - the end of July

2010-07-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that the summer is two-thirds gone and so is the summer programming. I have decided that summer programming is like a birthday. You spend so much time planning for it, waiting for it and then when it gets here, it's over before you know it. Yesterday, I made the library staff's day when I started talking about Christmas programming! ;-)

As I have been prepping up for fall, I have been trying to figure out how to best meet the needs of all my patrons. I think....ok, I hope, that I have succeeded in creating fun, exciting and educational programs for a wide range of students. Please let me know what you think.

Summer Reading Kick-off program

2010-06-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

David Polansky is going to kick off our summer reading program on June 30 with a family concert. We will get to sing-along with songs that everyone knows and loves. I can't hardly wait for this to happen. I hope I see lots of my Bellingham friends on Wednesday night. This program is sponsored by the Bellingham Cultural Council a branch of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The very next day, we will be having our fourth annual 4th of July crafts day. So far, I have several patriotic crafts planned including a 4th of July centerpeice. This one starts at 10:30 am. I hope to see you there!

End of School, Summer Reading beginning

2010-06-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well, in just a week and half, the kids will be out of school. The school year seemed to just fly by. Time to start thinking summer programming. We have planned a truly exciting summer for everyone and we can hardly wait for it to get started.

The staff and I are hard at work coming up with the questions for the first ever Battle of the Books. We have introduced it to the all the elementary schools and to the middle school. We have to read 30 books and come up with over 300 questions for the battles! Leslianne and I have been talking up the program at all the schools and hope to have an exciting time come August.

Wow, it's almost Summertime.

2010-05-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

This spring has really flown by. Leslianne, the Young Adult Librarian and I have been hard at work at getting ready for all the cool things happening this summer. Check out the blogs to get all the information.

One of the things we have planned is to create trees in our areas, but they won't have any leaves. The leaves will be added to the trees as the kids read their books. They'll get one leaf for every book they read. We are hoping to have VERY leafy trees by the time summer is through.

Next week, people can start picking up the applications for their Rube Goldberg machines. I have been looking at the ones on YouTube and am just facinated with them. I can hardly wait to see what people create for our contest.

Now is the time to start creating teams for the 1st annual Battle of the Books mini-contest. We have three age groups:

group 1: children entering first grade through children entering third grade
group 2: children entering third grade through children entering sixth grade
group 3: t'weens and teens entering seventh grade and up.

Sign-ups begin on June 15, 2010 and each team of 4 - 6 will need to read 10 book between them. The lists will be given out when the teams sign-up. We are also offering an individual competition for those t'weens and teens that want to read all ten books by themselves. They will be doing a Jeopardy style of competition.

Between Leslianne and I, there is something happening everyday of the week. I hope everyone checks it out.

Battle of the books

2010-04-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming and we are gearing up for the "Battle of the Bands". For those of you that don't know what that is, this is a chance for children to show off their exceptional reading skills! We will be having three different age groups- group 1: children entering 1 grade through 3rd grade; group 2: children entering 4th grade through 6th grade; group 3: children entering 7grade -10th grade (and up). The children will form teams of 4 - 6 children or teens and they can sign their team up on June 15, 2010 at the library.

We will be selecting 10 books and the participants will have 8 weeks to read them. During the third week of August, we will then battle to see who is the best readers in Bellingham. On the last day of the battles, we will have an ice cream social for each group as we watch the last battle for each age group. Winners will get their picture taken to be hung on the library wall plus a prize (still to be determined). Everyone will receive a certificate for participating.

Upcoming Class Cancelations

2010-04-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Artsy Kids: Tuesday am- May 4, 11, 25
Thursday am- May 6
Friday Crafts- May 7, 14
Ring-A-Ding-A-Sing Thing - May 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21 & 26

Happy News

2010-04-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am proud to announce the arrival of my granddaughter Lea Marie. She was born on April 13 and is absolutely beautiful.

I just read the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riorden. Wow, was that good! I was totally surprised. When I heard that it was about greek mythology, I wasn't sure, but now I am glad that I read it.

Spring has Sprung

2010-04-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

...and isn't it wonderful. I have loved watching the rain...not snow....falling.

We have several fun programs coming up for Spring break week, so if you are around you should check them out. Our first one is a drop-in Wii music play time. Come make music with your friends. We will be having a movie and craft afternoon on Wednesday. and finish up with a gardening project to start seeds on Thursday. It will be a fun afternoon.

End of March

2010-03-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, March has been such a weird month. Did it come in like a lion or a lamb? Is it going out like a lion or a lamb? I haven't made up my mind.

I have been busy here at the library. We have three great programs programs for the spring break. They are on the website.

Our new, streamlined summer programming is now uploaded to our webpage! I have to say I am really excited about it. We have 7 really exciting performers coming in. A brand new program called "Battle of the Books" is for kids that really like to read, have to read or just like hanging out with friends. More information is coming out in May. We are having a "Rube Goldberg Machine" contest to see who can create the most complicated machine! I hope everyone who participate has as much fun as I had coming up with it. This year, instead of prizes, we will be putting leaves on a tree. For every book that you read, you will get a leaf to put the title on and your first name, then you get to stick it on the library tree. I can't wait to see how many leaves end up on our tree.

Hearts and Flowers

2010-02-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is next weekend, which I am sure you knew, but just in case. Happy Valentine's Day to you and your family.

Next week is school break and we are offering two family programs: A movie with craft and a Wimpy Kid party. At the movie we will be learning the hula and basking in a tropical atmosphere. At the party, we will be having silly games and fun. I hope you can make one of the programs. Both programs require a sign-up.

Tomorrow THE STORM will be here. I hope you have some good books at home for you to enjoy while the snow falls. Remember you can always call the library to check if a program is running or if it has been canceled because of weather. As a rule of thumb, if the weather is bad-class is canceled but it never hurts to check. :-)

Keep warm!

January 28!

2010-01-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

What an interesting winter this has been. I can't believe that yesterday I went outside with just a sweater yesterday. Someone said that there is always a thaw in January, but not like this. Of course this is just my opinion. I was expecting this type of thaw, say, mid-February. But the good part of this, is that it gave me the hope of spring. That was nice.

This is just a heads up for February....We are having a Wimpy Kid Party! Yeah. This will be the Friday of winter break. Keep an eye out for future updates!

The new year

2010-01-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

The holidays have come and gone. Winter is half over. Quite honestly, I don't know where the time went. I hope your holidays were good to you.

With the cold weather here, this is a good time to snuggle up with a new book, some hot cocoa and family. I have been enjoying some of the new Young Adult materials as well as some of our new juvenile.

On an educational note, spending time reading with your children helps increase their vocabulary, their enjoyment of reading and helps develop narrative skills. This includes shared reading and being read to.

Christmas Week

2009-12-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

Friday is Christmas and I am wondering where the year went. With all of it's ups and downs, I have enjoyed this year very much. I think I will spend the next week considering if I am going to make a New Year's Resolution. I rather doubt it since the only New Year's Resolution I have ever kept was the year I resolved not to make a resolution. I was so successful.

The programs for the winter are now on eventkeeper and most of them have been added to the website. Over the winter break, we will only have one program--a craft and movie. We will be building a Rube Goldburg machine. It will be a lot of fun.

We are having a tooth fairy craft day here at the library with Carol from the Regal Cinemas. Come make a wand, a tooth fairy box and other special crafts. It is sure to be a fun time for everyone. It will be on January 8 at 3:30 pm.

Well, I want to wish everyone a: Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas, Blessed Solstice, Happy Hanakah, Joyful Kwansaa and a Peaceful Id al-Fitr. (If I have missed your holiday, I wish you a joyful one.)

December 1st and counting.

2009-12-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

Well , we made it through thanksgiving. Now comes the big ones! Are you ready for (hannakah, christmas, New years, Id el fid, Kwansaa?

Candy making was yesterday. It was so much fun! Even the volunteers had a wonderful time and I have to say that we had chocolate (and jimmies and pretzels) all over the floor, and the tables and ourselves. (Sorry, Don) Seriously, wicked cool fun.

The next big Holiday program is the Gingerbread House stories and decorating this coming week. Tickets for the event are already available.

Thursday is Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

First order of business: Everyone who are driving to be with family---be safe. I want to hear all about your trip.

I am looking out the windows at a grey day. Not gloomy, but definately grey. The rain is falling, but I am grateful that it's not snow. (I really need to practice my spelling. Believe it or not, it has improved over the years.)(Even more unbelievable, Scrabble is my favorite game to play)

We have added some new series like: Just Grace and the Candy Apples stories. Plus we have added some new cd and stories from Discovery Toys. They were donated by Sue Garten and are housed in the house shelving. We have also been adding books and CDs through out the Juvenile room including: Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery by David Adler, President Pennybaker by Kate Feiffer and Horrible Harry and the Dead Letters by Suzy Kline. We have also added Speaking Spanish with Dora and Diego - Vaminos! Let's Go and Family Adventures.

Starting December 1st, we will be having out decorations to make for the christmas tree. This year we will be making cloth garlands, string crandberries and make ornaments.

Middle of november

2009-11-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

Next week is Thanksgiving. The library raffle has started. The library closes after dark and it is only 5 pm. The Holiday programming has started with sign-ups already in full swing for the chocolate making.

As things start speeding up, I want to encourage you to remember to take some quiet time for yourselves. As we start gearing up for families and our respective holidays, it is not unusual to be going so fast to get everything done, you don't have time to enjoy all the stuff going on. Nothing is more important and disasters are all par for the course. In fact, one of my favorite family memories is when the pipes burst and we had to do our Christmas dishes in the downstairs deep sink. Remember that perfect is not nearly as important as enjoying the moment you are in even the bad ones.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Sign ups and new classes

2009-11-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow it Veterens Day. I love that day. The weather isn't too bad. The library is closed (a rare play day) and its the beginning of the holiday season (for me).

I have started getting the sign-ups ready for the candy making class. There are some older recipes we won't be using and I found some new ones that sound really good. Very, Very exciting.

I am starting to look at the winter schedule and to decide on what classes to offer. I have already received two wonderful suggestions from the patrons: A Wimpy Kid party and Winter snow fest. I was thinking about either a laua or an aussie get-together. I am also looking for a fun winter mystery and making instruments from scratch. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear all bout them. I am also looking for simple crafts for the Friday Craft classes. I have learned that some of crafts I consider are only simple for an adult. ;-)

I want to share a wonderful idea someone gave me today. This year instead of wrapping paper for all my gifts, for friends and family that like to sew, I am going to wrap their gifts in a beautiful piece of fabric and raffia. I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me years ago. It is so planet friendly and still beautiful. I think maybe I was too greedy and unwilling to share my beautiful fabrics with others. How silly of me!

I wish everyone the happiest of holidays. Keep your eyes out for the upcoming events. We are going to have jolly, holly time this year!

November 09

2009-11-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

What a wild fall it has been. Cold, then hot and then back to cold - I never know what to wear! I have enjoyed watching the leaves change colors through the windows of the children's room.

There has been a real concern about the H1N1 flu virus. We are very concerned also. To help stop the spread of the virus, we are providing Purell wipes for hands as well as hand sanitizer in the children's room. Also, we are spraying down all the surfaces in the mornings with Lysol surface sanitizer. The toys are getting an additional cleaning on a weekly basis. We ask that if your child is ill that you do not bring them to childrens' room until they are at least 24 hours fever free.

Now on to the fun stuff.

The Boo Bazaar was a hoot. Everyone seemed to have a good time and the Friends of the Bellingham Library raised a little money. I have to give a special call out to Shirley Fadden for the wonderful job she did, not only as a face painter, put putting the program on.

The library and the Friends of the Bellingham Library are getting ready for their annual basket raffle. We will be putting the basket and book groups out the beginning of next week. There are some really cool things being raffled off with the best prize being "The Soloist" basket. We have several raffle items geared for all ages. Do come out and check it out!

We are drawing closer to the holidays and I can't hardly wait. Sign ups for candy making begins on November 16. The program will be held on November 30 and I have new recipes to debut! We will also be having gingerbread stories and decorating, a holiday party and several other fun and exciting programs through the month. I hope to see you there!

Winter approaches

2009-10-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

It's been four months since my last blog. In that time, summer has come and gone along with along with alot of fun and exciting events. Last weekend we held the Boo bazaar at the library and it was challenging. We had to change our plans to accomidate for the weather, but it all worked out and the Friends of the Bellingham Library earned some money that will be used to benefit the library. It really was a great kickoff for the holiday season....which we are all looking forward to!

I have been busy planning for the coming season. We will be bringing back the ever popular candy making class with some new recipes. I can't hardly wait to try them. The gingerbread house decorating with stories will be held on two days: a Thursday evening so that the whole family can attend if they want and a Friday afternoon on one of the regular craft days. These are just a few of the great programs (well, I think anything with chocolate is great) we will be holding this fall.

Our movie maker group is really moving along with the commercial for teen zone. They are so full of ideas. They are already planning a movie to be told in serial form along with cliff hangers. With each of our teens adding their special talent, it is sure to be an exciting event. We will keep you posted as we move along on the movie makers blog. Be sure and check it out.

Summer is Here

2009-05-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

The school year is coming to a close which means it time for me to visit the schools. I will be visiting Stallbrook first, Macy second and South last with a quick visit to the middle school. I am really looking forward to it.

The summer reading program is now online. Everyone can register for it, but you can't start logging your hours until June 1st. Just think, this year you can even count the last month of school reading. Isn't that awesome.

We will be reading for raffle tickets this year. We have put together bags of goodies (books, puzzles, stuffed animals and other cool things). For every hour you read, you will receive 5 raffle tickets (1 for every 10 minutes). Plus there will be prizes for reading the most books, for reading the most hours, etc. We will also be creating a milky way in the children's room of every book that we read. How exciting is that! We hope everyone will participate.

Summer is fast approaching

2009-04-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that summer is almost here. MCAS's have been roaring through. The weather is finally turning nice. The birds are returning to my husbands bird feeders.

Programming at the library is slowing down as I get ready to make my yearly visits to all the grade schools. I can't wait to see everyone.

Summer programming is really kicking into gears with lots of cool performers coming including Keith Michael Johnson, bubble artist and Dan Bowen, magician. It's going to be really fun. You can keep track of everything we are doing by going to the website and clicking on the 2009 Summer Reading Program on the kids page. Sign-ups for the program begin now but the logging doesn't begin until June 1st. We will be having a raffle at the end of the summer and you can earn the tickets to be in it just by reading, reading, reading. We also have some other plans that we are working on and will tell you more in the near future.

March Madness and Leprachans

2009-03-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Erin go braugh! to all my friends. I saw my first robin yesterday looking for bugs in the snow. Yep, it really is spring!

We are starting to redo our long range plan for the library. We have to do this every five years for Massachusetts Board of Library Commissionaires. This plan includes every element of library from collection development (what materials we buy), programming (we all know what that is) and our goals for the future. This is your chance to talk about what you like, what you don't like and where you would like to see the library go in the future. Keep a weathered eye out for ways you can help with the library planning for the next five years.

Children's programming is a bit scarce right now, but don't worry it will improve nearer the summer. We have some great plans for May and June. Due to budgetary cuts, we will be asking for more donations, but don't worry. We don't plan on excluding anyone just because they can't donate anything. Summer vacation is taking some interesting twists and turns. It is challenging my creativity, but in a good way.

So catch a leprechan, find a crocus and enjoy the change to spring.

Depression, recession, and comprehension

2009-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

It is time to plan not only the summer and fall programming, but the library budget for the new year. As we all know the outlook is grim for everyone and my heart goes out to all who have lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. The library is also working to make ends meet. I will be adjusting all my programming to better fit into the needs of the library. I would love to hear from you what programming you think is the most important to continue in the fall.

Also, to my homeschool families, I would love to hear more from you about how the library can better serve your schooling needs.

The groundhog was wrong. Spring is in the air. While I have yet to see a crocus, the teens are falling in love. (That is the first sign of spring for me!) Now the clouds I see no longer seem threatening. They are now filled with rain to grow the flowers that spread the pollen that make me sneeze and wheeze and talk like a frog. I can hardly wait. (Where's my Zrteck?)

Happy springtime everyone!

2009-01-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The new year came in with a storm. Does that mean that it will go out with sunshine next year? (In like a lion, out like a lamb) Hmmm, something to keep in mind.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, no matter what holiday you celebrate. I certainly did. While I missed seeing my friends at Ring-A-Ding, I got to enjoy some wonderful warm weather in California.

With the holidays over, it is time to get back to our regular schedule. There are a few changes. We have added a new program called Book IT! for Kindergarten through Second grade children. Rhythm and Rhyme has returned on Tuesdays along with Artsy Kids. I will be stopping Ring-A-Ding on Thursday due to scheduling conflicts, but, over all, things look pretty good.

We are going to start filming with the teens to add tours and other information onto the website hopefully in the next month. It is just getting it setup. So there is alot going on.

I hope to see everyone at the library this winter. Happy sledding!

December

2008-12-11T12:20:00.000-08:00

It's December with no snow sticking to the ground. It reminds me of growing up (although we NEVER had snow sticking to the ground...goes with growing up in the desert.) It's two weeks until Christmas, a week and half until Hannukah and the winter soltice and two and a half weeks until First of Muharram and Kwanzaa. I hope everyone is enjoying the season and not doing too much. I am working on the winter programming. There is so much I want to do and just not enough days, energy (and me) to do it all. So, some of our programming will be running on alternate weeks. We will see how that goes towards meeting all the needs of our community.

Next week is Gingerbread Houses. I love doing this program. The kids are so creative. It is fun to see what they are going to do.

The kids made the most beautiful topiaries this week. I was so proud of their accomplishment. I am sure they will be displayed with honor in their homes.

Tomorrow is the last day of Make-A-Gift. The kitchen is filled with all the makings. It looks like a craft room rather than a kitchen at this point.

So Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukak, Blessed Solstice and blessings on everyone this holiday season!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Next week we will be sitting down with family and friends and reflecting on Thanksgiving and what it means. (along with the turkey, pumpkin pie, some football and other cool things.) One of the things I am thankful for are the wonderful patrons and friends that I work with (in some cases, they are one and the same thing). Thanks for letting me be part of your community.

Just a heads up. There are new pictures posted on the website although I am still editing some of our pictures.

Octobers passing

2008-11-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

November is here and all our holiday programming is beginning. I hope to see many of my friends here over the next month.

I was listening to christmas carols on the radio (101.5) (no groaning) and thought what a great way to introduce new words to our children. I mean "Deck the Halls with boughs of holly". For a child, that's a pretty confusing song. Are they talking about the wood thing outside the back door? Are they going to bow with their friend Holly? And by the way, who are they? The next line isn't any better. What's a tis?

Statistically, the more words a child knows before they enter kindergarten, the better they will do when it is time for them to read. So singing songs with your child is a great way to intoduce new words to them. You and your child will have fun and you will be helping them to succeed.

October

2008-10-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day of October. We are in mid-fall and I am wondering where the time went. Holiday planning is in full gear and tomorrow is the Harvest Festival. I want to encourage everyone to pick a calendar for upcoming events or check the website calendar. There are so many things coming up: Candy making; Make-a-gift; Gingerbread houses to name a few.

AS the fall winds down, I want to encourage everyone to play rhyming games with their children. It seems like such a simple thing, but it encourages the imagination, builds literacy skills and is silly fun.

I want to also encourage everyone to vote. This is one priviledge that not every country has or shares with their people. While we might not agree on who to vote for or if we like a proposition (or not), voting is the only way to make our wishes known and is what makes a Democracy work.

So I wish everyone a Happy Halloween, All Saints Day and A Happy Day of the Dead. (Kind of a weird grouping of holidays!) Come see us at the library soon.

Storytimes have started

2008-09-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

School is in session and leaves are already starting to turn. The entire Youth Staff is planning great things for the coming fall and hope you can join us.

New pictures have been uploaded from the summer classes. Take a peek to see how much fun we have had. Opps! The new pictures will be going up on Monday. We had a little difficulty. I did get some of the pictures edited, so go back and look at the summer programs.

The Last Week of Summer Reading

2008-08-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

I watch the rain falling outside the window and reflect. The end of summer fast approaches. The reading program has raced ahead. We will be adopting at least two of our endangered animals and, no, I'm not telling until August 19th. The children's department is full of children looking for books and playing, teachers planning the beginning of their school year and parents interacting with their children. All in all, a very pleasant morning here at the Bellingham Library.

So I wanted to talk about how important Mother goose nursery rhymes are for early literacy. "What?" you might say. "Mother Goose!" Yep. They are important for developing rhythm and rhyming (although Dr. Foster from Glouster really only works if you use the BAH-stin accent)
These skills are part of the Phonological awarness skills. A Big word for hearing sound changes, rhythm patterns and word syllables. They also use "rare" words, words that are not use alot in regular language. I mean how many times do you use the word fleece or parlor in day to day conversation with your child? Knowing these "unusual" words actually helps children when it is time for children to read. The more words the child knows going into school, the easier it will be for them to learn to read.

Summer Reading continues

2008-07-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Summer reading continues. Last week, we focused on polar bears and this week it is dolphins. Next week we are on to Penguins. If you are looking for pictures taken at the July events, they will be posted August 2 or there abouts.

I want to encourage everyone to keep reading, singing and enjoying the summer.

New Pictures

2008-07-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

I have added LOTS of new pictures to the flicker account so click on the pictures to the right and they will take you to flickr to see them. I finally emptied out the camera and we had a lot of pictures on the camera. Who knows, you might even see yourself!

Print Awareness

2008-06-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

What is Print Awareness? Print awareness is knowing that the squiggly lines on the pages of a book or a sign by the road mean something. Adults know what print is but for our very early readers this is a foreign land and indisipherable. Learning to read is one of the hardest things we are going to ask our young children to do. So the first thing we want to do is to begin making them print aware. Pointing out the word "Stop" on a stop sign, running our finger underneath the title as we read it, or pointing out our child's name or first initial all fosters print awareness.

Summer is here

2008-06-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

It is the time of flip-flops and sandles, and I will be wearing a mid-calf boot. Something is so wrong with this picture. For those that don't know, I fell and injured my left foot and ankle. That means, for this summer, I'm going punk.

Anyway, sign-ups are happening for the Summer Reading program. Here is an opportunity to help the world we live in and it's inhabitants. For every hour of reading, each child will receive a ticket(s). This tickets will be used as votes for which endangered animal the Friends of The Bellingham Library are going to adopted to honor the reading done. Pretty cool! For more information, talk to us at the library.

Back to Early Literacy: Print Awareness

2008-05-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

What is print awareness? It's seeing words. It doesn't mean that that we "know" what the word is, but that we are aware that the squiggles on signs or in the books stand for something. Pointing to the words on a page that correlate to the picture on the page begins the process of print awareness. By pointing to the words, you are showing your child what you are reading. They then begin the process of connecting the words and the pictures together. In the "We both Read" series (Pre-K), children can figure out the written word by the picture thus strengthening their understanding of reading. Are they reading yet? No, but we are developing the skills needed for them to succeed when it is time for them to learn to read.

It's a Library Thing

2008-05-13T07:40:00.001-07:00

Check out book reviews of some of my favorite books!
http://www.librarything.com/profile_reviews.php?view=anfirind

Library Thing is as great new website where you can post your book collections online and write reviews about them. Find out more about this website at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibraryThing

As time goes by I will be continually updating my favorite books. This is only the beginning. Bwhahahahahahahahah!

Early Literacy

2008-04-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

We all want to do what's best for our kids. We buy them the best clothes, the newest toys (or as new as we can afford!;-)) When our kids go to school, we want to prepare them the best that we can. Unforturnately, when our children come into our lives, we discover that there isn't guide book or the perfect right or wrong way to raise our children. So I am going to talk about things I have learned and share them with you. So my first topic is Reading for the very young or early literacy. Keep in mind, I am not an expert.

Early literacy is made of six parts. (Early Literacy Storytime, Saroj Ghoting, PLA conferance, May 2005) They are:

Print Motivation: the willingness and motivation to read
Phonological Awareness: Hearing sounds, breaking words apart, rhyming
Print Awareness: the ability to "see" words in books and in the environment
Vocabulary: learning new words and what they mean.
Narrative skills: knowing how to tell a story, retell events or adding descriptions
Letter Knowledge: knowing your abc's.

Over the next few weeks, I will talk about each of these different skills and how to impliment them with your child. At first it seems like a lot, but as we work our way through we will learn that getting your child ready to read isn't that difficult.

The last day of Spring break

2008-04-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

It is the last day of the spring break and it has been really fun. With the lovely weather, we were able to garden outside. We sang and danced to High School Musical, had a tea party with our American Girls and made Cuppies for the Parent Trap Movie. All in all, a wonderful week.

Now it is time to look ahead at the upcoming summer. We are going to be having a Create a wild animal contest using a small plastic chair. We will have prizes for the most imaginative, most realistic, best use of recycling and other catagories.

I will be visiting all the elementary schools over the next two months and look forward to seeing some of my friends along the way. Be sure and say hi if you see me.