LEGO Club “Monsters”

This quote from a favorite blog, No Time For Flashcards, sums it up in an article titled “19 Monster Books for Kids”: “Books about monsters can be useful tools for parents while delighting children. These aren’t just books about silly and sometimes scary monsters they are about fear and conquering it.”

Please join us October 22nd at 4:30 for LEGO Club “Monsters”. Participants will take a few moments before the build begins to select and read monster books and then use the books as a reference while building. Younger kids may choose from a variety of picture books. For older kids this will be an in road to learn about mythological creatures, as well as explore popular fantasy fiction.

Bring your creativity, we provide the LEGO!

            

More Ghost Stories

Speaking of Ghost Stories, I forgot to mention our Ghostly Reads display. Silly to scary; there’s a book for everyone. If your child enjoys mysteries we have lots to choose. There are classics from Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, Caldecott and other award winners, nonfiction, poetry and easy chapter books. We also have audiobooks and audio storytelling that bring the suspense to life for young readers.

Ghost Stories

Children can sharpen their storytelling skills at “Campfire Stories” on Tuesday, October 15th at 4:30PM. Participants will gather around a pretend campfire and take turns picking objects out of a story grab bag to add to a silly, spooky story. There will be a drawing activity and special snack afterward.

If you’d like to try this at home, here is the inspiration from Six Sisters Stuff:

Simple S’mores Recipe with an Indoor Campout (fire included)

Ghost stories and campfire stories capture the imagination of kids and offer a unique opportunity to shy students and reluctant speakers to relax and enjoy adding to a story. There really is no wrong way to tell a silly, scary story!

Here are some great websites to get your kids started…

The Ghostly Shed features suspenseful creative short animations with writing prompts.

Halloween Writing Prompts and Story Starters for All Ages by Nannette Richford offers lesson plans and a great list of web resources and children’s books.

“Houston, this is Miller”, Flat Miller that is!

Flat Miller has been on another exciting trip with Mamata. This time to Houston’s Space and Rocket Center located next door to the Johnson Space Center where astronauts train.

With an adult’s help you can read about some of these astronauts’ amazing adventures in space in Astronaut Journals on the NASA website.

And a fun website just for kids is NASA Kids’ Club.

Flat Miller in a rocket tube. Ready for blast off?

Zero gravity, how cool!

Suit simulation in action.

 

 

Lunch Box Display

School is rapidly approaching and we’ve been racking our brains coming up with ideas for a children’s display. What better way to celebrate the beginning of school than with that timeless icon: The Lunch Box. We are looking for loans of character boxes of all types from past decades. So if you have something up in the attic collecting dust, we’d love to put it on display! And if you have an old-fashioned pencil box those will work too. Please drop them by the front desk with your name and contact information attached. Attn: Tami/Carolyn. These will be securely displayed in the glass case throughout August. Thanks!

Drive-In Movie

Wow, what a turnout! I am so proud of the fifty-two kids(and their parents) who came! With a shortage of boxes and supplies, and a crowded room, they were so polite and patient! What I perceived as a problem, they turned into an opportunity to make new friends. The highlight of my day was to watch two dear, and very precocious, young patrons put their heads together to make a creative spy car with just a bit of a feminine touch!

If you missed it, I encourage you to try this project at home. It was a great family activity. We provided a few basics for decoration; paper plates for tires/steering wheels, duck tape strips for racing stripes and paper/stickers for license plate and details. The creativity and variety were amazing! We got boxes from our friendly Jefferson Kroger. Thank you, Kroger, for all those boxes! If you call the day before, their morning crew will hold a few for you. The Viva paper towel boxes seem to be the “Cadillac” of boxes, but any paper towel or toilet tissue box works great. You can spray paint the box with cheap spray paint, or cover it with scrap wall paper.

Next time you check out a movie from the Library, make it a special family night to remember!

Fuzzy Furry Felt Fun!

We’d like to thank Toni Carlucci and the folks at the Georgia Museum of Art for a fun fascinating program! The kids created some incredible creatures!

In addition to their “Just My Imagination” outreach program, the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia offers family programs.

If you missed the program, here’s a beginners project you can do on your own with your kids: felt snakes. Its easy, fun and you can find all the materials at craft stores.

Safari at the Library

Magician and naturalist, Chad Crews, delighted a packed crowd with his Dig Into Reading Safari. Kids got to see and learn about all kinds of critters including snakes, tarantulas and scorpions. There was even a meet and greet afterward for a closer look.  With plenty of magic tricks mixed in, the crowd numbering over 300, was transfixed. To all that attended: Thank you for your patience and consideration “scootching” in so every child could see.

Next up on the calendar: A Week of Puppets!

Lillie and Roxie’s Puppetry Workshop – Monday, June 3rd at 10:30AM

Four in a Row Puppet Show – Tuesday, June 4th at 3PM

“Dig Into Reading” Nooks

Come in and try out our new reading nooks. Curl up in the Rabbit Reading Hole or the Fiction Frog Flop with a good book while you are visiting the library.

Flat Miller Goes to Chicago

Flat Miller accompanied wonderful library supporter and patron, Mamata Shetty, recently on her trip to Pittsburg and Chicago. They visited Fallingwater, a Frank Lloyd Wright home built on top of a waterfall! Here are some websites Mrs. Shetty shared with us: Fallingwater, Pittsburg, Chicago and Lake Geneva. We can’t wait to see where Flat Miller and Mamata go next!