Getting Your Child Ready to Read

Are you overwhelmed by the thought of teaching your child to read?  Find out how to make the transition to reading easier for your child in this workshop especially for parents and teachers.  In the workshop we will go over the Association of Library Services to Children (ALSC) guide, Every Child Ready to Read, and the five skills children need in order to become readers.  We will provide examples and guidance on how to best implement these skills in everyday life.  If you think that there is no possible way to add another thing to your busy schedule, we'll show you how you can implement these skills on-the-go.  In fact, you're probably helping your child prepare for reading already using one of the 5 skills and you just don't realize it!  Register here and join us on April 10 at 7 p.m. for this worthwhile workshop.

Calling All Future Babysitters!

Did you babysit when you were a teenager? For many of us it was our first job. I remember being so excited when my next door neighbor trusted me to take care of her toddler. Before I could start sitting for him by myself, she had me take a babysitting class.

Has your teen in grades 6-12 talked about wanting to babysit? Encourage them to register for the library's Want to Babysit? class on Wednesday, March 27th, from 1-5. We'll go over so many different things: how to look for babysitting jobs and how to act once you get them, basic child care, and how to stay safe and keep the kids safe while you're babysitting.

After they take the class, talk to them about furthering their babysitting skills by taking a CPR and first aid class. Before you know it, they'll have the skills and confidence to go out and have their first babysitting jobs. Then, one day far in the future, they'll look back fondly on those days of their first job--and realize that those babies that sat for then are teenagers today!

Have them sign up by visiting our registration page by clicking here or calling the library at 847.376.2839.

We are so grateful to be partnering with Madeline May, the City of Des Plaines Community Health Nurse, and the Des Plaines Police Department. Special thanks to the Friends of the Library for funding this program.

Calling all Gleeks! (And All Music Lovers)

Does your family love TV shows like Glee or all things singing related? The library has a treat for you! Sunday, March 17 at 2pm, AC·Rock will be performing a capella rock 'n roll, from the classic hits of the fifties to more current songs. I saw this group back in September and was blown away by their performance!  I knew that we had to have them here at the library for our patrons to enjoy.

If you can't make it to the performance or if you just want to enjoy a capella music at home with your family, check out these items at the library.

'One Book, One Library' @ DPPL

You may have seen these type of events before; there was 'One Book, One City' in Chicago last year, and 'One Book, One State' a few years back in Illinois, but the library staff participated in a 'One Book, One Library' event this past week at our all staff meeting.  As part of our mission to serve you better, we have spent the last year discussing how to help patrons throughout the library who may or may not have special needs.

On Wednesday, we had a book discussion focused on the children's book Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper.  This book has been nominated for several awards this year and we thought it was important enough to have every employee in the library read it.  

I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the book, and this is my opinion:

I come from a family that includes children with special needs. I have a severely autistic cousin who, although he can communicate through the very few words he uses, barely speaks at all. At family parties, I sometimes look over at him and wonder what he is thinking. I realize that this particular communication issue is probably more emotional for me because of my familiar connection, but I think anyone who has ever interacted with a special needs child would find the book Out of My Mind interesting.

Melody, a wheel-chair bound child diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, can't speak. It isn't that she doesn't have the brain function to speak, it is that her muscles can't move her lips, mouth, and jaw enough to form sounds and words. That doesn't stop her synesthetic and photographic brain from absorbing everything she encounters.

With the help of a computer into which she types she finally can speak for herself and people begin to realize just how smart she is. The trouble is convincing people to take her seriously and include her, especially for the things that make her 'special'.

I am not sure if it is the fact that I wonder what my cousin would say if he could or the fact that the book is written from Melody's point of view, giving us the insight to understand her frustration, but the book is so well written that I couldn't put it down. Even now, months after I first read the book, I sit and wonder how much of what Melody was thinking is what my cousin thinks. Each time I consider this, I tear up.

This is a wonderful book, one which I encourage all people to read. Much like how The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime allowed people to understand the world through the mind of someone who has Autism, this book allows people to experience the life of someone trapped by the limitations of their body. I think it could go a long way to bringing understanding to those who encounter people of all ages with special needs in their daily lives.

I encourage you to read through this fascinating book with your family, hold a book discussion, or give it as a gift.  This really is a wonderful book and not one to be missed.  We want you to be a part of our DPPL family.  Stop by and talk with any staff member about the book if you have read it!

¿Cría un niño bilingüe? ¡La biblioteca le apoya! Raising a blingual child? The library supports you!

¿Quiere usted transmitir el español a sus hijos? Des Plaines Public Library tiene recursos para apoyar a usted y sus hijos.

Forme un plan de acción

Como muchas familias hispanohablantes descubren, el bilingüismo no es automático aún en casas donde están presentes dos idiomas. Es necesario un esfuerzo deliberado para que los niños lleguen a funcionar bien en los dos idiomas. Des Plaines Public Library tiene dos libros excelentes en el tema, escritos por expertos lingüísticos que también son padres que crían hijos bilingües.

Crecer con dos idiomas

Guía para padres y maestros de niños bilingües

Haga un clic en un imagen para entrar en el catálogo. Allí se puede ver más información sobre cada libro, y hacer una reservación.

Estos libros contestan preguntas como:

• ¿Qué sistema debo usar para que mis hijos sean bilingües? ¿Español solo? ¿Español en la casa e inglés afuera? ¿Un idioma, una persona?
• ¿Y si mi esposo/a no habla bien el español?
• Quiero que mis hijos tengan éxito. ¿Debo concéntrame en ayudarles a desarrollar su primer idioma, o el idioma dominante en el país?
• ¿Qué debo considerar al elegir una escuela para mis hijos bilingües?
• ¿Deben mis hijos aprender a leer primero en un idioma?
• Mi hijo mezcla los dos idiomas. ¿Qué debo hacer?
• Mi hija se niega a hablar en uno de sus dos idiomas. ¿Qué debo hacer?

Lea a los hijos

Los expertos dicen que niños que solo conocen un idioma por conversación no desarrollan un vocabulario amplio, ni aprenden las estructuras gramaticales complejas que necesitan para comunicar como adultos. Leer y escuchar a la palabra escrita es fundamental para dominar un idioma. Lea a los hijos cada día en voz alta. Así aprenden palabras que no encuentran en vida cotidiana. Leer a los hijos también puede crear una experiencia positiva para los hijos relacionada con la lectura y el idioma.

Anime a los hijos a leer por sí mismos, pero no deje de leer a los hijos cuando ya pueden leer independientemente. Al principio, leer aun un poco le cuesta a un niño mucho. Leer a los hijos en voz alta asegura que sus vocabularios continúen ampliando y que la lectura siga siendo algo positivo.

Des Plaines Public Library tiene una colección de libros infantil y juvenil en español, y crezca continuamente. ¡Visítenos hoy!

Busque apoyo

El internet ofrece una oportunidad de conectarse con padres en situaciones similares. Roxana A. Soto, periodista bilingüe y autor del blog Spanglishbaby.com, ha colocado una lista de blogs en inglés para padres de hijos bilingües. La lista aparece en español en el blog Granimals. Haga un clic aquí para visitarlo.

La biblioteca es un lugar excelente donde se puede encontrar con otras familias bilingües. Si le gustaría mejorar el inglés, Oakton Community College ofrece clases de inglés como lengua extranjera (ESL por sus siglas en inglés) que reúnen en la biblioteca. Haga un clic aquí para más información en la página de Oakton Community College.

Para apoyo en transmitir el español, ¡Venga con la familia a nuestra hora de cuentos bilingüe! Conocemos cada lunes a las 6:30pm, con la excepción de la última semana del mes. Leamos, cantamos, y jugamos en español. ¡Júntenos!