Movin' On...

to a turtle!  We have filled up four fish and are now working on Rainbow Fish's turtle friend.

Oh, How We Love Good Yarn!

Today, the tweens made yarn creatures.  We ended up with mermaids, a gladiator, octopusses, a jellyfish, and one rock monster!  A definite splash!

Flashy Fish

We've been getting a lot of questions about these fish hanging on our indoor front porch!  They are pretty cool looking and a good way to recycle scratched up CDs or DVDs to boot!  If you want to know how to make one of your own, visit:
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/fishcrafts/a/CDFishCraft.htm

As for our especially awesome paper, Miss Val picked that up at Michael's arts and crafts store.  It came from a Martha Stewart Create scrapbooking paper pad.

What's Happening at Our Satellite

Children at our satellite branch in Maxville can also participate in the summer reading program.  Here @ the WRL, we have fish who need scales, and at the Maxville Branch, we have a fish tank (or is it fishtank?) that needs fish!  We need your help again!  Be sure to bring your reading log in if you are in the Maxville area; those fish look lonely!

Rainbow Fish...and Friends!

 

It's only the second week of summer, and we have already rescued two scaleless fish and are working on our third!  Rainbow Fish and his friends are so very, very glad you guys like to read so much....and so are we!

It's a Tween Thing...

In case you don't know, we are having a special series of programs just for tweens this summer...so all you kids out there ages 10-14, be sure to stop by on Tuesdays @ 2:30 to check out what's happening.  Today, we made edible life preservers, aka decorated donuts. Dee-lish!  (And you thought the library was boring!)  Check out a few samples below. 

Summer Programming Starts Tomorrow

On Wednesday mornings for the next few weeks, we will be having lots of special guests visiting our school age crowd (ages 5-12) here at the WRL.  We have a variety of programs aimed specifically at this age group that we're sure you'll enjoy! 

First up is a puppet show presented by Curious Moon Puppets.  Since the programs are for school age children, entrance priority will be given to kids aged 5-12, but we may have room for more folks. Be sure to arrive early!

Stay tuned for more updates on our goings on in the coming weeks!

We Want Your Opinion!

We would really like to know what you think of our blog!  Please take a minute to complete our survey to the right.  You may have to scroll down or up a little to see it.

Rainbow Fish Needs You!

Rainbow Fish and his friends can’t make a splash without their scales!  Sign up for our summer reading program to help our fish get back their colors.  For each half hour you read, you will earn one scale.  Hurry!  Rainbow Fish needs you!

Make a Splash! Read!

Summer is quickly approaching, and here @ the WRL, that means it's time for summer reading signup!  Children ages 5-12* can participate by keeping track of how much time they spend reading on a special form.  Once they read 15 hours, they will earn a free book plus be entered into drawings for other awesome giveaways, including a really spectacular grand prize (more on that later)!  For more info, feel free to stop by or give us a call at 693-1448.  If you're  ready to make a splash, click here to sign up!


*Children under the age of 5 can participate by keeping track of the time their parent or guardian spends reading to them. 

When the Library Lights Go Out....

Earlier this week, we had our first stuffed animal sleepover here @ the WRL. On Monday evening, children brought their stuffed animals, action figures, and other toys to a special session of bedtime stories and then tucked them in for the night. We weren't sure what kind of antics the toys would get into once their mommies and daddies left, but our hidden cameras caught some of the action.  Here are a few highlights.

The toys started out sleeping soundly, as you can see from this picture of our resident library hen, Miss Henrietta. 

It wasn't long before they got restless though.  Pinkie the bear woke up and looked out of the storytime room window.

Soon, all the toys were awake and Henrietta was taking them for a spin on a book truck.  [Yikes!  It looks like Kitty isn't too happy with Power Ranger.  We think he pulled her tail!]

Henrietta also showed her new friends how the library checks in books.  Some of the toys wanted to use the library phone to order a pizza, but they couldn't figure out how to dial out.

The toys really liked the issue of National Geographic Kids that David the Tiger found for them.  It had lots of funny animal pictures. 

Henrietta wanted to share one of her favorite books with the toys.  It's called Life as a Chicken.

The toys fought to stay awake while they watched the train.

Whew!  They finally decided it was time to get ready for bed.  Slither the Snake helped open the bathroom door while everyone waited patiently to take their turn.

To see more photos from the stuffed animal sleepover, visit our flickr page!

Do You Know About Our Regular Preschool Programming?

At the WRL, we have several regular storytime programs for the preschool crowd.

Every Tuesday, children ages 18 months to 3 years can join Miss Val for toddler time.  There are two sessions, one beginning at 10:30 AM and one at 11:00 AM.

We also have a weekly preschool storytime every Thursday at 11 AM led my Miss Chris.  This program is aimed towards children ages 3 to 5.

At our satellite location, the Maxville Branch Library, Miss Sara conducts a weekly family preschool storytime for children ages 3 to 5 and their families.  Older and younger siblings are welcome to attend.

We hope you'll join us for one of these programs.  We have tons of fun and learn a lot too!

What Else is Coming Up?

We have lots of fun stuff in store for you in the coming weeks, from Easter egg hunts to wonderful programs about wizardy. We'll keep you posted about these and other events, so be sure to check back.

Calling All Stuffed Animals, Dolls, and Action Figures!

You are cordially invited to a very special event just for you!

Where: West Regional Library
When: Monday, April 5th, 7:00 pm

The children's department is hosting a sleepover for toys!

Children can bring a stuffed animal, doll, or action figure--along with a blanket and pillow--to a special session of bedtime stories.

Then we will tuck the toys in for the night for their very own slumber party!  What will the toys do when the library lights go out? We will have hidden cameras set up to capture all of the action.  Children can find out what happened when they return the next morning to pick them up and enjoy a special breakfast. 

**Note: Children themselves will NOT be spending the night in the libary.

Having Some Fun @ the WRL

One of our favorite dolls turned 51 on March 9th and we had a blast honoring her with a birthday celebration.  We made birthday crowns, listened to her favorite birthday story--Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow, played a dancing game, and decorated high fashion paper dolls.  We thought we'd share some photos with you.

 Can you guess who the birthday girl was? (Hint: Her name starts with B.)

Hello!

Greetings from the staff @ the WRL (West Regional Library) children's department!  This is our first post to our new blog.  Stay tuned for all kinds of awesome and interactive information on this site.