Internet Safety Resource - Cyber Safety and Ethics Initiative

Staying safe while online is something everyone needs to be aware of -- kids, parents, teachers, librarians -- everyone! Here's a website that can help: The Cyber Safety and Ethics Initiative -- CSEI. You'll find age-appropriate activities for kids and solid information for adults to help teach good online safety skills.

Magic Tree House Fun!

Curriculum Connections for Tree House Travelers K to 4 written by Jane Berner, Sabrina Minser, and Helen Burkart Presser from Canterbury School, introduces four unit studies based on the Magic Tree House series.

This book is full of fun activities, booklists, craft projects and printable sheets. Explore dinosaurs, medieval times, ancient egypt and pirates with these well-developed unit studies.

Early Learning Center Mailbox

Please stop by the Early Learning Center with your preschooler today and drop us a line!

Barr Street Market: Frolicking Finger Puppets

Visit the Children's Services booth at the Barr Street Market in downtown Fort Wayne today between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to decorate your very own finger puppet. Today is the last day of the market, plan to visit next summer!

Inkless Tales

Inkless Tales is a GREAT website for kids and grown-ups. Find stories (to read and listen to), poems, games, book reviews, crafts, projects, music and more!

I like this site because it encourages kids to not only read and learn, but to create. Check it out.

Fancy Nancy Tea Party

Over 110 kids and grown ups attended the Fancy Nancy Party on Saturday, September 13th. They read Fancy Nancy stories, drank pink lemonade with their pinkies up and made many fancy accessories. Check out more photos of the tea party here.

Jim Gill Family Room Concert

Almost 300 people attended the Jim Gill concert on Monday night! It was a jumping, dancing, clapping, singing good time! If you missed it, you can still enjoy Jim's music - check out a CD today. Or dance along with this great video.

Autumn Equinox

Yesterday was the autumn equinox! Did you notice that the day & the night were exactly the same length? Now the days will start getting shorter until the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice.

In celebration, check out our autumn booklist for some cool autumn reads. One of my favorite autumn books is Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert, check it out!

It's Johnny Appleseed Time!

Did you make it to the Johnny Appleseed Festival in Fort Wayne this weekend? If you'd like to learn about Johnny Appleseed, check out the materials -- books, videos, DVDS, and more -- on our Johnny Appleseed Booklist!

Welcome CYPD!

If you visit the Main Library today or tomorrow, you will see LOTS of children's librarians. That's because the CYPD (Children's and Young People's Division of the Indiana Library Federation) Conference is being held at the Allen County Public Library on September 21 & 22. Librarians are visiting from around the state; they all share the commons interests of Libraries and services for kids. The conference schedule includes presentations about children and books, children and technology, children and music, and much, much, more.

Welcome CYPD!

Barr Street Market: Lovely Leaf Collages

Leaves are falling from the trees! Visit us at the Barr Street Market today between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to use some of those lovely autumn leaves to make a collage. Next Saturday is the last day of the market - be sure to stop by before its gone!

Early Learning Center Mailbox

How colorful, Alissa! Thank you for sharing.

Parenting Read: Last Child in the Woods

I just finished reading Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv and I would recommend that every parent and educator take the time for this enlightening read.

Louv's compelling title showcases nature and the numerous positive benefits that children (and adults) can gain from spending time outdoors - including increased attention span, physical fitness and stress relief.

The 2008 edition includes "100 actions we can take" which range from simple activities for kids and families to suggestions for transforming communities.

Let's Make Music

Let's Make Music this morning at 10:30 a.m. during Smart Start Preschool Storytime. We'll read and sing our way through some great picture books like Punk Farm by Jarrett Krosoczka, Do Your Ears Hang Low? by Caroline Church, and There Was a Bold Lady Who Wanted a Star by Charise Harper.

We'll sing and dance with musicians like Jim Gill, Hap Palmer and Raffi.

Music is a fun and entertaining way to teach kids important skills and information. During storytime today, we'll talk about the early literacy skill phonological awareness, which is the ability to hear the smaller sounds in words. Singing songs is an awesome way to practice phonological awareness with preschoolers.

If you are a teacher looking for ways to bring music into the classroom, check out our music across the curriculum booklist. Music is not just for preschoolers!

Eco-Kids Club: Recycle Right

On Monday afternoon, 33 kids and their grown-ups attended the first meeting of the Eco-Kids Club. We learned about reducing, reusing and recycling from Kira Blacketor of Allen County Solid Waste Management District.

We brainstormed ideas that we can use to make a difference and then the kids decorated their Eco-Kids Club folders with markers and stamps.

This is Ava's folder.

It is not too late to join the Eco-Kids Club. Plan to come to our next meeting on Monday, October 13th @ 2 p.m. We'll learn about the water cycle.

A Child's Book Review: Uh-oh!

Uh-oh! by Rachel Isadora was reviewed by 16-month-old David:

Uh-oh!

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

You're never too young to love books!

Art Out of the Box: Art Cars

The first meeting of Art Out of the Box was a car painting success! Around 60 kids and their grown ups came to learn about art cars and paint a car to take home. Unfortunately, the weather was too drippy to paint the real car on the plaza, but we'll just postpone that project until next month's meeting (pending weather).

So, join us next month on Friday, October 10th @ 2pm to learn about printmaking, interact with works of art, try out some printmaking techniques AND paint an art car or two.

To see more photos of kids and their cars, click here.

Barr Street Market: ACPL Paper Hat Emporium

Stop by the ACPL Children's Services booth at Barr Street Market on the corner of Wayne St. and Barr St. in downtown Fort Wayne today between 9am and 1pm to learn how to fold a newspaper hat. We'll be at the market every Saturday through September - see you there!

Fancy Nancy Tea Party

Tomorrow:
Saturday September 13th, 2:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Arrive in your dress-ups and get ready for a Fancy Nancy Tea Party!

Enjoy some fancy stories, treats and crafts with your fancy friends at the library.

Pre-K-5th Grade

Remembering September 11th

We have many books about the events of September 11, 2001 in the Children's Services department, including this lovely title by Maira Kalman. Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey shares the true story of a retired fireboat launched into emergency service.

Exciting FREE opportunity

We don't usually promote information for older kids, but here's some information we just received which talks about a program which could be great fun for classes and homeschooling families with older kids (middle school) to think about 'attending':

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt invites teachers, librarians, booksellers, and reading groups to participate in a special live webcast with David Macaulay on October 7 at 10:00AM EST.

MacArthur genius and Caldecott Medalist David Macaulay is beloved by teachers, librarians, and readers around the world for his ability to explain just about anything. Now he has turned his attention to the most complicated structure of all: the human body.

Register today to watch David talk with middle-school students about his new book, The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body (available 10/07/2008). Participants viewing the webcast online can email questions for him to answer in real time. Macaulay will also discuss how he creates his books, his career, and other popular titles including The New Way Things Work, Mosque, Cathedral, and Black and White.

Webcast details:
Tuesday, October 7
10:00AM EST
Free

To register, and for more information on David Macaulay and his books, visit www.thewayweworkbook.com

After registration, you will receive guidelines for hosting and viewing the webcast.

If your class or homeschool family participates, we'd love to hear about it!

Fly Into the World of Claire Ewart!

Come to the Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery in the Main Library to view original art from Claire Ewart; one of Fort Wayne's finest illustrators of children's books.

The show includes actual illustrations from her books including:

• The Legend of the Persian Carpet
• Sister Yessa's Story
• The Dwarf, the Giant, and the Unicorn
• Fossil
• The Giant
• Time Train
• One Cold Night

The art exhibit will be up through September 29th. Come enjoy the paintings, and then check out some of her books to enjoy at home!

A Child's Book Review: Moo, Baa, La La La!

Moo, Baa, La La La! was reviewed by 15-month-old Ada:


La la!

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown!

Today from 12 to 5pm you and your family have the opportunity to Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown! This is a wonderful afternoon of fun and adventure right here in Fort Wayne - and it is FREE!

My favorite part of Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown is climbing up to the observation deck at the top of the Lincoln tower. It is well worth the short wait in line at the elevators. Maybe I'll see you there today!

Barr Street Market: Design an ACPL Bookmark

Visit the ACPL Children's Services booth at the Barr Street Market today between 9am and 1pm to design an ACPL bookmark. Visit us at the Market every Saturday through September for more crafts!

ACPL Mock Geisel

Parents, teachers and interested adults - do you enjoy reading children's literature? Sign up now for the ACPL Mock Geisel program or visit the blog to read and comment on this year's best early readers. The second reading list is now available. The actual discussion and election will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2009 from 2 to 6pm.

Fun Nature Website!

Check out eNature.com for lots of information about wildlife.

Tonight I read about

• what happens to birds in a hurricane
• how to identify what animals are in the area by their scat
• how much scientists don't know about dragonfly migration

and

• what plants, animals, and birds might be living in my backyard

Check it out! (And then come to the Library for more books on these subjects!)

Early Learning Center Mailbox

I wish that I could share all of the wonderful mail that we find in the Early Learning Center mailbox!

Doesn't this drawing remind you of a perfect summer day?

Happy Labor Day!

The Library is closed today for the Labor Day holiday. Wondering what Labor Day is all about? Check out one of our books on the topic.

Don't think of Labor Day as the end of summer, there are still three weeks left of the season. Fall doesn't truly begin until the Autumn Equinox on September 22nd. So there are still a few weekends left for picnics, bbqs and trips to the lake!

See you at the ACPL when we re-open tomorrow at 9am!