Due to the threat of flooding, KDL’s Englehardt branch in Lowell will be CLOSED on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20. During this time, Englehardt’s book drop will not be accessible. Items may be returned to the Alto, Cascade Township or any other KDL branch.

Friday morning’s Rhyme Time Music and Movement program at 10:30 AM is CANCELED. However, the History of Barbie with Afternoon Tea program on Saturday, April 20 at 2:00 PM will PROCEED as it is to be held at the Lowell Township Hall (2910 Alden Nash SE).

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

UPDATE (Friday, April 19): The Englehardt branch is still dry thus far. All items on low shelves have been moved as a precaution. All current HOLDS for Englehardt patrons will be available for pickup at the Alto branch during the Emergency Closing period. (Alto is closed on Fridays, but will be open from 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM on Saturday.)

There are many book-a-day calendars that can be purchased, but few of these recommend youth books. The Children’s Book-A-Day Almanac website can help cover those books. The website features one youth book recommendation per day, with information about the book as well as “this day in history” information. It also has an archive with books searchable by age, subject and more.

The website doesn’t appear to be updated every day, but if you are just starting out on the site, there will be at least 350 new books for you to view! The most recent one I found was from April 1, 2013.  Since April is Poetry month, Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems was the featured title.

If you find a great book to share from the almanac, share that title (and day) below!

Recently Fund Developement Director Linda Krombeen joined Shelley Irwin on the WGVU Morning Show to talk about KDL’s upcoming Book Bash, taking place April 27 and 28 at the KDL Service Center in Comstock Park. This exciting event includes a giant warehouse book & media sale with over 100,000 items!

Enjoy!

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Download BookBash3-15-13.mp3

(photo courtesy of Shelley Irwin)

Grumpy Goat by Brett Helquist

How does it feel to be grumpy? The other animals at Sunny Acres Farm want to befriend Goat, but he does everything he can to push them away. Only a yellow dandelion in the field can turn Goat’s mood around, showing him that there is always something sunny blooming on the farm.

This book’s rich illustrations bring the farm to life and also depict the mood changes in Goat. Talk with your child about being grumpy. Acknowledge that everyone feels grumpy sometimes, and ask what Goat could do to let the animals know how he’s feeling. Look at pictures of faces in other books or magazines, and talk about ways faces can show feelings. Visit a flower shop or greenhouse together and pick some flowers for a neighbor or friend. Talking with your child helps build vocabulary skills and is a great way to get ready to read!

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.

Want to have even more fun while reading with your child?  Check out these great sing along books for Toddlers! 

Great Sing Along Books for Toddlers!

Reading to toddlers sets the foundation for later independent reading. But before they can read independently, they need emergent literacy skills. These include:

• having a large vocabulary of words and knowing how to use them
• understanding that words are made up of smaller sounds understanding that marks on a page represent letters and words
• knowing the letters of the alphabet

Gifts that Grow

Spring is in the air and it’s time to think about planning a summer garden. Here is a fun craft children can make as a gift for others or keep and plant in the family garden this summer. The tearing and squeezing can be done by small children and will help develop the muscles in the hand that they will need to hold a pencil and write when they begin school.

Materials

• Newspaper
• Seeds (wildflower seeds work well)
• Cookie cutters
• A blender
• Sieve

Directions

Have children tear the newspaper into small pieces. ADULT: Put the paper pieces in the blender a couple of handfuls at a time. Add some water. Blend the newspaper pieces and water until it becomes a mushy pulp. Work in batches, transferring the pulp you make into a sieve resting over a bowl. Have children squeeze out as much liquid as they can. Add the seeds to the squeezed pulp and mix. Fill cookie cutter shapes with the seed mixture. Stand the cutters on some paper towel to absorb any liquid that will be squeezed out. Push the pulp down very firmly. Carefully push the shaped pulp from the cutter and leave it on some wax paper to dry.

To Use

Store your “seed cookies” in a cool dry place until you are ready to give them away as gifts or plant them in your own garden.

Other Ideas

Talk about how plants grow from seeds and teach children the names of various plants. The garden is an excellent place for young children to learn about colors, numbers and shapes. Consider planting seeds in a letter pattern to spell out a child’s name, or planting edible herbs for young children to taste and smell.

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.

Like everyone who works at KDL, I find myself frequently talking about our services when I’m not at work.

I was recently talking with another parent who told me his family loves KDL’s free programs, especially those during the summer and other school breaks. He said he wished, though, that we had more in the way of educational resources to help his kids with school.

Like so many library users, his family was only dipping a toe into the Olympic-sized pool of what KDL offers. I took advantage of that opportunity to share with him the Parents & Kids page on our website, with its recommended reading lists, learning-focused games and online reference resources, where his kids can search thousands of college and graduate schools, identify scholarships, take online practice tests and use test prep eBooks.

Do you know about everything KDL can do for your children? Is there a service you need from your library? We’re always interested to hear your suggestions.

Lance Werner, KDL Director

Help address childhood hunger in Kent County by supporting Kids’ Food Basket! During the month of April, KDL Gives Back will sponsor juice box collection and bag decorating stations at all 18 branches.

Drop off juice boxes and bring the family in to decorate sacks:
Monday, April 1 – Tuesday, April 30

Kids’ Food Basket is a nonprofit West Michigan organization whose mission is to make sure children in our community do not go to bed hungry. The group began more than nine years ago by serving 125 kids every school day through its Sack Supper program, and now serves nearly 5,000 kids every day.

*photo: Kids’ Food Basket

This morning, KDL Director Lance Werner was interviewed on FOX 17.  Lance promoted all the great programs taking place at our branches over spring break. If you didn’t take a trip to the sunny south, make sure to pay us a visit and enjoy some free family fun!

Staying in town for spring break? We can help keep your kids happy, busy and entertained… and we may even sneak in a little education (but they will never know)! Between Family Building Brick Parties, Garden Fun Storytimes, Minecrafting, Chess, Bayblade Battles, Science in the Stacks and much more, there won’t be any time for boredom. Click here for a complete list of our programs taking place March 29 – April 7.

And if you are heading to the sunny south for break, make sure to stop in your local branch and stock up on some great vacation reads. Pick up some audiobooks to make a long car ride more bearable.

Wishing everyone a safe and fun spring vacation!