With snow on the ground and Wisconsin suffering from a cold snap, it was the perfect night to talk about how Inuit people build houses with nothing by the natural materials their environment gives them: snow and ice. And, what better way to learn about it than by experimenting with geometric shapes to build igloos of our own…in the comfort of the heated library with marshmallows and toothpicks as our building materials of choice!
The skinny: This was a wonderful winter themed STEM program, and it brought in working with 3-D geometric shapes, which is a program that I had not done before. We had many families attend, which was surprising since they it was January and many families were still out of their normal routine with December not so far in the past. But come they did!
I try to pick one folk tale each month to highlight in Storytime. I try to find 3-4 different books that tell the same tale and I use a new book each week in Storytime. There are some folk tales that are part of our cultural experience. I have even heard that some teachers as part of the 4 and 5 year old Kindergarten screening will be asked questions about folk tales that every child should know, such as “The Three Little Pigs”. So, why not tell these stories in Storytime? And, why not use Passive Programs to re-emphasize these stories once Storytime is over?
This was the first Kids’ STEM Workshop we offered. We had a great attendance, and it was a wonderful way to kick off our series and let parents and kids know we would be doing this twice a month by offering an incredibly low cost program. And, what kid does not want to build the tallest tower in the room?
Because of a busy college semester and a full time job it had been several months since I was able to read a book that was not a textbook. This title was recommended by a friend and it was the perfect title to break my drought. I finished it in two days. Having experience with cancer, I can say that this book was not unduly melodramatic, it showed a family with positive parental figures trying to cope and raise healthy children in the midst of a horrible health reality, and three children who really do love one another despite their fear and anger over what has happened. These are themes I wish were more often portrayed in books for children
Hello reader! My name is Emily! I serve as the school librarian for Ithaca School District. I also worked in public libraries as a Library Assistant and then as a Youth Services Librarian. I am passionate about creating moments through the library where young readers realize they love reading and learning.