Tools at the Library for your family's new school year!

A new school year is here and it's time to shift our thinking gears. Homework, science projects, after school activities, making sure your child finds an interest in reading and learning, keeping your child gain tools to succeed in all areas of life are the concerns of the day. Phew! No worries though because...

the library is the place (and website) to help you with your concerns.

So what to do when it's after dinner and your child mentions he needs help in (insert subject here)? Come to the library to utilize HelpNow, an online resource providing live tutoring and homework help between the hours of 3 - 11:55 pm. If you have a Des Plaines Library card, you can access HelpNow from home (in the comfort of pj's).

Have a report due on an lesser known explorer? Need an outline map of the United States? Who invented gum? Which Native American tribes reside in Illinois? Let us help you at the library or access one of the many children's online resources to help with attaining accurate information and photos for projects and homework assignments.

What about fun activities for the kids and family? We are your place for free (and learning) fun. Look at our online event calendar for the Sounds of Brazil program, the Chess Workshop series, the 2nd Annual Family Science Expo, Family Game Nights, Glow in the Dark juggling, crafts, storytimes and more!

How can your reader at home practice reading and have fun at the same time? Looking for another way to engage your child during your reading together time? Try our online literacy resources. Listen and read along with our animated storybooks, beginner reader books, chapter and nonfiction books on Tumblebook. You will also find a puzzle and games section as well as a section on language learning.

For children grades K - 3, try BookFlix, where classic video storybooks from Weston Woods and related nonfiction books from Scholastic are paired together, reinforcing early literacy skills and a love of knowledge.

What about Lexile scores and finding books within a score range. Visit NovelList to find book lists, award winner recommendations, a convenient feature to find similar books, book reviews, Lexile scores whenever possible, and a link to our catalog to check if the item is at the library.

As always, call or visit Youth Services and we can help you navigate all of these tools!

Keep checking back for more spotlights on tools for your family at the library.