The Blessing of a Skinned Knee

Every parent hopes their child will be self-reliant, optimistic, and well mannered: which can be a challenge in our current culture. Dr. Wendy Mogel's The Blessing of a Skinned Knee offers a commonsense and down-to-earth approach to child rearing. Mogel encourages parents to slow down and value each moment and to enjoy the uniqueness of each child. She warns against parental pressure and over protectiveness and champions time-tested values of moderation. Although she draws strongly from her own Jewish faith, her wisdom is applicable to families of all beliefs.

Father's Day Craft Tomorrow!

Children of all ages are invited to stop by the Children's Department at the Main Library to create a portrait of their special someone for Father's Day.

We will have several art stations set up between the hours of 9:00 am and 6:00 pm on Saturday, June 20th.

We will also have many books honoring fatherhood available for checkout.

Positive Discipline

Adults! Join is on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 6:00pm at the Main library in Meeting Room A for some positive parenting tips from S.C.A.N ( Stop Child Abuse and Neglect).

This presentation will include ways of managing stress in a busy household during tough economic times by incorporating positive discipline techniques and healthy forms of communication.

-Parents and other adults who work with children

Have Fun With Words

Take advantage of every opportunity to play with words!

Playing "I Spy" with your children is a great way to increase vocabulary in a fun and interactive way.
You can play it anywhere - the grocery store, the doctor's office or the carpool line. Not only will your children learn, but it will make waiting and shopping more fun for everyone!

Leading to Reading and Reading Planet

Here are two great websites offered by R.I.F. (Reading is Fundamental):

Leading to Reading is geared toward younger children who aren't yet reading, and their grown-ups, and has games, crafts, fingerplays, rhymes, book suggestions, and much more.

Reading Planet, for kids who are reading and writing on their own, offers a story maker, book reviews written by kids, project ideas, clip art for stories...the list goes on and on and on!

New Book: Advertising to Children

It is estimated that children between the ages of 2 and 11 see over 25,000 ads a year on TV alone! So what does it mean? It means that advertising to children is a big business and a hot topic. If you would like to learn more about this issue check out the new book: Advertising to Children by Marcia Amidon Lusted. After reading this title you will be able to weigh the pros and cons of advertising and better understand the impact that it has on your life.

Parents interested in learning more about this topic can check out Susan Linn's Consuming Kids.

Blog Event!


Click the above picture to attend a blogging event this week and tour several Children's Literature Blogs. Topics covered each day are Raising Readers, Selecting Reading Material, Reading Aloud--It's Fun, It's Easy, A Visit to the Library, and Technology and Reading--What the Future Holds.


New Booklist : Fear of Storms

Did you hear the storm last night? I sure did, I believe that it was centered directly over MY house!

Just in time for the thundery season, we have a new booklist about the fear of storms. The books on this list contain information and stories to help comfort children who are frightened by storms.

This list is part of our Parents' Primer booklist - a helpful list about books on sensitive and important topics.

Economy Sites for Kids

Are you looking for a way to explain all of the current economic news to your children? Check out Economy for Kids - A Scholastic News Special Report for articles, activities and games. It even includes a few lesson plans for teachers, check out How the Economy Works for Grades 3 to 5.

If you would like access to more lesson plans than you could ever use, check out the Council for Economic Education website.

These links were in the January 2009 issue of School Library Journal, check out the entire column by Gail Junion-Metz here.

Our Heroes' Tree

Honor a Hoosier Hero
Purdue University has partnered with Indiana libraries to recognize veterans.The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University (MFRI) has created the Our Heroes' Tree Project.

This tree is displayed in honor of those, and the families of those, who have served or are currently serving our country.
Be sure to stop in the Children's Services of the Allen County Public Library to add your ornament to our Heroes' Tree!

To participate in the Our Heroes’ Tree initiative:
-simply create a handmade ornament honoring the service member in your family or community from past and present wars, conflicts or peacetime operations,
-or stop in to Children's Services and write the name of your military hero on one of our yellow ribbons!
Please check out our Military booklist here.


This tree will be displayed in Children's Services until November 20th.

Don't Tell the Children: Homeschoolers' Best-Kept Secret

The article "Don't Tell the Children: Homeschoolers' Best-Kept Secret", which appears in the September/October 2008 issue of The Horn Book Magazine is a celebration of books and reading. The author, Sherry Early, shares how books are used (and loved) by her homeschooling family.

This issue is full of Stories Out of School including "Splinters" by Megan McDonald (the author of the Judy Moody books), "An Art School?" by David Wiesner (two time winner of the Caldecott Medal), and "Fortification" by Shannon Hale (winner of a Newbery Honor) to name just a few.

If you enjoy reading about books, visit our Parent Teacher collection where you will find a year's worth of The Horn Book Magazine to check out.

Student Success Magazines

This year the Indiana Department of Education has started a new publication for students. On Track: Your Guide to Success is a mini-magazine for students in grades K to 5. Check out the link to your grade here. The magazines include information on the ISTEP tests, "What You Need to Know in ___ Grade", ideas for planning for the future, a quiz, 10 tips for parents and more!

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.

OnTrack Mini-Magazines

Looking for grade-appropriate ways to help your child with his or her schoolwork, based on the Indiana Academic Standards? The Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education have teamed up to publish OnTrack Mini-Magazines for students and their parents/guardians, available online.

Click on the links below to access the booklets in English or Spanish.
Kindergarten: English | Spanish
First Grade: English | Spanish
Second Grade: English | Spanish
Third Grade: English | Spanish
Fourth Grade: English | Spanish
Fifth Grade: English | Spanish
(Booklets are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free).

You can also find these links, and many more helpful resources, on our website! Check out our Parenting Resources
and
Curriculum Resources
for more great information on child development, services for families, reading with children, and more!

Did you know?

Did you know that with one week's notice librarians in Children's Services at the Main Library can pull together a collection of books on the topic(s) of your choice? It is true! You can even submit a list of specific titles and we will pull all that we have available on our shelves for YOU! Just imagine the time that you can save.

You can fill out a custom collection form online here, or you can call us at 421-1220.

Family Night at the Library!

Come join the fun!

Stop in to Children's Services tomorrow, Wednesday, August 6th at 6:00 p.m. for an evening of family fun.

We'll have a scavenger hunt, crafts and a family movie.

David Macaulay LIVE online!

Caldecott Award medalist David Macaulay will be presenting the 2008 May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. in Madison, WI and YOU are invited to attend. Click here for the link to the live streaming video. If you can't make it at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow, the video will be available online for a year.

Children's Services Department Video!

Check out the new Children's Services department video!

Homeschool Sneak Preview

The 1st Homeschool Sneak Preview was a success! Over 300 kids and their families enjoyed information, activities, and hands-on fun with over 25 area organizations. The consensus of organizations and homeschooling families alike was "Great place to have this!" and "Let's do it again next year!"

My favorite comment received on one of the evaluations was "My 7 year old said Mom, this is better than an amusement Park!!" Can anyone ask for higher praise than that from a 7 year old?

Check out more pictures of the day's activities on Flickr.

Ancient Egypt Program

Join us as we learn more about the Ancient Egyptians. We will also be making Egyptian-inspired crafts. You can even learn how to write your own name in hieroglyphics! Saturday, March 1st at 2:30 p.m. Children ages 6-12.