Summer Reading Challenge

 

Welcome to ONE WORLD, MANY STORIES!

To participate in the challenge, you must register at the library beginning June 1st.

Readers are challenged to read (or be read to) 90 minutes per week for six weeks. That sounds like a huge number until you break it down into about 15 minutes per day!

Once you have read your daily 15 minutes, write the title of the story and the date on your record sheet. Don’t worry if you keep writing the same title---longer books will take longer to complete. Just be sure that you are reading for 15 minutes per day!

When you come to the library, bring your record sheet. Each time you reach the 90 minute goal, you will get a colored strip of paper to glue onto your hot air balloon. When you have filled in all six sections on your balloon, you have met your goal…but please feel free to keep reading! Each additional 90 minutes will earn stars for your balloon.

Each reader to complete the program will get a small treat bag full of essential reader supplies and be invited to a closing celebration on August 3^rd.

There will be an opening celebration on June 9 from 6:45-7:30PM. Steve Haberman will present a magical family program for readers of all ages. Space is limited so you must register!

In addition, there will be programs each week at the library beginning June 13^th and ending July 28th.

The summer reading programs are divided into three age groups:

Busy Bees (ages birth to 5) Programs: Mon.10-10:30 OR Thurs 1-1:30

Terrific Tigers (ages 6 to 8) Programs: Mon. 10:45- 11:30 OR Thurs. 1:45-2:30

World Travelers (ages 9 to 12) Programs: Mon. 1-2 OR Thursday 3-4

We will learn about various countries, wild animals, languages, foods, transportation, and much more. There will be songs, fingerplays, stories…even some crafts, snacks, and games.

You are NOT REQUIRED to attend a program in order to participate in the summer reading challenge. If you would like to attend, you must register in the Junior Room. This ensures that there will be enough materials. Again, space is limited so be sure to sign up early!

The scheduled programs times are tentative until everyone is registered. If we need to, we many cancel a time or add additional ones. The final schedule should be ready by June 10^th. It will be posted at the library, on the library website, and on the blog readingisthebeesknees.blogspot.com

I am so looking forward to spending the summer on a reading adventure with you!

This Week’s Programming

 

 

I am planning to finish our regular programming this week. The break doesn’t hurt a lot but it does make things awkward. With your patience, we will muddle through together!

See you Monday at 1:00 and 3:30; Tuesday at 11:00!

Busy Bees Cancelled

 

I regret having to do this, but Busy Bees is cancelled for tomorrow. I fell today and broke my elbow. I will update you on next week’s programs later this week.

 

Go out and enjoy this beautiful weather!

Summer Around the World

I am finishing plans for the Summer Reading Program. All the information will be available in two weeks. Sign ups begin after Memorial Day.

I am looking forward to an adventurous summer with stories, games, crafts, and foods from around the world!

A Buggy Situation

The After School Club has studied dinosaurs and Christmas stories and Dr. Seuss. I started wondering what exciting topic we could cover for spring. Planting? Flowers? Animals? And then it hit me. Bugs. Who doesn’t love bugs? But what stories would we read? Non-fiction? Picture books? After much searching in the stacks, I found the perfect set of books…about a cockroach and a flea!

The first book we started was Maybelle in the Soup by Katie Speck. Maybelle, a cockroach, decides that for once she wants to eat food from a plate and not off the floor. Her friend,Henry, a flea, tries to convince her that venturing out in the daylight is a very bad idea. Maybelle doesn’t listen and the adventure that ensues was full of moans and groans and giggles from the audience. We only got halfway through the book and can hardly wait to finish it next week!

 

We ended the program by watching the first 30 minutes of A Bug's Life…also filled with giggles.

Want to find out additional activities you can do with this story? Check out:  http://katiespeck.com/katiespeck/For_Teachers_&_Librarians_files/Curriculum%20guide%20Maybelle%20in%20the%20Soup%20Speck_pdf.pdf 

http://yucky.discovery.com/noflash/roaches/

So Many Shoes!

We celebrated PA One Book during story times this week. (For more information about PA One Book, go to www.paonebook.org)

We started by reading the story Whose Shoes?by Stephen R. Swinburne, this year’s PA One Book selection. The children did a great job matching the people to their jobs by looking at the shoes they were wearing.  We also read Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley. What a story!

 

I went to a workshop in Erie in March and was fortunate to come back with several free books. Dog in Boots was the one I picked first, hoping no one would get to it before I could.

A sweet puppy reads Puss in Boots and decides he needs his own pair of splendid boots. The adventure then begins as his splendid boots look lovely but aren’t good for digging. He returns them for rain boots, great for digging but awful for swimming…and so the story continues. The puppy learns a very important lesson, just before reading a wonderful story about a girl with a beautiful red hood! I hope there is a sequel…

 

Then the real fun began! The children and parents moved around the room playing with all the activities from the traveling trunk. There were memory games where children flipped over cards trying to match the different shoes. They could dress Bob with magnetic cowboy, fireman, policeman, and other outfits. A large alphabet puzzle that also showed people in their occupations took up space on the floor. There were also books to read and shoes to lace …even flippers to try on.

Each child took home a book and stickers and a bookmark. It was a delightful time!

Books:

Whose Shoes? by Stephen R. Swinburne

Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley