Have Book Will Travel . . . Reading Patch Bingo

Completing activities to earn our Summer Reading Club patch allows every child to learn by doing.

Reading Patch Bingo cards are still available in the Youth Services Department. To play, complete two rows of activities. Turn your completed card in by August 30 to receive your patch.

 

Since each child is unique, we included a range of activities to appeal to a variety of learning styles.

 

For the singer in your family, check out a CD and sing along. Try Ozomatli Presents Ozokidz. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) named it to the Notable Children's Recordings list.

 

Dancers will love our last Reading Club event for the summer, the Radio Disney celebration August 23. The whole family can dance and sing along on the plaza.

 

The chef in your house can make an recipe from one of our international cookbooks. There are lots of pictures and easy recipes in the International Cookbook for Kids.

 

Making a paper airplane is fun, as our Teen Advisory Board learned at their recent lock-in at the library. If you want to work on your technique, check out The Kids' Guide to Paper Airplanes.

 

These are just a few of the 25 different squares that you can choose for your 10 activities as you enjoy the last few days of summer.



It's A Butterfly's Life

Summer is the time to appreciate…butterflies!  If you haven't seen many winged beauties yet, and want your kids to learn everything about them, take the family on a field trip to a butterfly garden!

Happily, there are four such special exhibits in the area this summer where, for a small admission fee, you can see hundreds of butterflies native to Illinois and the Midwest or even exotic ones from around the world. In Chicago, the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum  maintains 500 butterflies of a dozen different species. On the North Shore, in the Butterflies and Blooms tent at the Chicago Botanic Garden you can watch exotic butterflies from Asia, South America, and Africa emerge from chrysalises to feed on flower nectar. In the western suburbs, the Butterflies! is an annual exhibit at Brookfield Zoo, and Peck Farm in Geneva, Illinois hosts the Butterfly House.

  (Reminder: Chicago Botanic Garden and Brookfield Zoo also offer discounted admission to the main park through our Museum Pass Program.)

But,where are two of the best blooming places to see butterflies flying free? Your neighborhood parks and your own backyard! Why not make it a summer and fall family project to build a simple butterfly feeder or plant new flowers to attract more butterflies, and watch them come to you! Finally, on sizzling hot days, why not cool off at the library, enjoying the amazing color photographs in our exciting butterfly books (J 595. 789).

Summer Travels

This summer, many of our patrons are taking vacations to many different places.  Even staff members are headed off for vacations.  Yesterday, at our program,  we sent 18 Flat Stanleys off to places around the country. 

What is a Flat Stanley, you ask?  Flat Stanley is a book by Jeff Brown.  In it, a boy (Stanley) gets smushed by a bulletin board one day, and travels to California because he is flat and can fit in an envelope!  

In the same way, our Flat Stanleys will travel in an envelope to visit with various relatives across the country.  Those relatives will take a picture of Stanley doing something fun with them and send it back here to the library.  

The pictures and a description of what each Stanley did while he visited will go up on display in the library.  Look for our Stanleys' adventures here in the library later in the summer, but in the meantime, check out the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown to read with your family.  Have older kids?  There are Flat Stanley chapter books to read as well. You can even create your own Stanley and send him for a visit with someone else.  

Remember to have fun this summer, no matter what you do.  Even if you can't travel, your Stanley can!

Have Book Will Travel: DPPL is your Passport to Summer Fun!

Saturday, June 8 is the first day to register for Summer Reading Club! Can't make it on that day? No worries. You can stop by the 2nd floor information desk any time to sign up, get your registration materials, and get reading! You read here last week about the importance of keeping your child's brain exercising over the summer. Here's a great way to keep those reading muscles strong. Your kids may swim, or play soccer, or ride bikes to keep the legs and arms and heart fit...but don't forget about that precious noggin!

This summer we are taking you on a wild ride! To begin, Saturday, June 15 11 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. is our Around the World in 80 Minutes (or less) summer reading celebration. Visit stations to make crafts from around the world, get your passport stamped for every country you visit, and when you complete the goal of getting enough stamps in your passport, stop by the Youth Services information desk to receive a prize!

And now for the rest of the story. Kids of all ages will find something just for them on our schedule of activities this summer. Everything from shows to art to music to stories to crafts to movies to LEGOs to games...and even more, if you can believe it...influenced by world travel and transportation. Check out the entire list of Youth Services programs here.

Once again we will be welcoming our awesome team of Teen Volunteers! Look for them in their blue t-shirts helping you with your Summer Reading Club registration, assisting your children during our programs and activities, and getting us ready for crafts and other projects by preparing materials.

And if I haven't tired you out yet, mark this date on your calendar. A RADIO DISNEY dance party is coming to DPPL on Friday evening, August 23 6:30-8 p.m. This event will be fun for the whole family, with music, prizes, treats, and more! Tell your friends and neighbors. The whole library community will want to see your friendly DPPL Youth Services staff shaking a tail feather. Thanks to NorthShore University HealthSystem and Friends of the Library for their support of this event.

Many thanks to the Friends of Des Plaines Public Library for their generous support of the entire Have Book, Will Travel Summer Reading Club. So many of the shows you will see, and things you will do this summer could not happen without them.

We are SO excited! And we look forward to sharing and absolutely fabulous summer with you and your kids. See you!

The Importance of Summer Reading

You hear us say it all the time up here on the 2nd floor of the library, "You have to read over the summer, you might as well get prizes for it!" 

 

There is a certain level of enthusiasm that comes along with Summer Reading Club each year on the part of the staff here, but it isn't just because we love putting together the booklists, programs, and picking out prizes... it is because we know just how important reading over the summer is, and we know that our excitement rubs off on the children who come to the library.

 

As your child's school year winds down, take the time to read this article by Julie Wood, a literacy expert.  Studies show that children who read over the summer do better in school than those who don't, something most of use knew already.  But did you know that by middle school, children who don't read over the summer have already lost a total of two full years of reading?  That is a lot of time to be behind in a key skill of education. 

 

Julie gives some great tips on how to help your child be ready to read wherever he or she might be and how to get them excited for exercising their 'reading muscle' over the summer.  I especially love that she suggests joining a library's summer reading program to encourage your child to read. 

 

We here at DPPL hope that you bring your enthusiasm for summer and reading during it as well.  As the person that your child looks to for guidance, it is most important for you to set an example - let your children know how important it is to practice reading (and hey, YOU can get prizes too by joining the adult summer reading club).

 

We hope to see you in here over the summer, check back for more information on the upcoming Summer Reading Club, Have Book, Will Travel, next week!

(Summer) Reading is SO Delicious!

Thinking about how to guide your family's time this summer? Instead of lounging with a laptop or sprawling in front of a big screen, consider the wide variety of activities that are open to you at the Des Plaines Public Library this summer. Our annual Summer Reading Club "Reading is SO Delicious!" goes into full swing on Saturday, June 9 with a kickoff event that will surely tempt your taste buds for all the delectable things happening at the library this summer. The Fantastic Food Festival sponsored by the Friends of the Library includes scrumptious snacks, fabulous face painting, a creative craft, appetizing activities, and enticing entertainment for the entire family. June 9 is also your first opportunity to register to participate as a reader in the Reading is SO Delicious! Summer Reading Club. Stop in between 1:30-3:30 on June 9 to sample all the deliciousness of the day!

Don't think, though, that the savory summer ends there...no, no, no! Check out the Reading is SO Delicious! web site here, and our mouthwatering schedule of events here. Find something flavorful to fit any fancy. It's going to be a summer feast of fabulous-ness that's fit for a king!

Your Family's Sun Screen Adventure Begins!

A Cautionary Tale:

Two years ago, on a vacation to San Diego, I broke out in an incredibly itchy rash.  As someone who's skin sometimes reacts weirdly to different lotions, I thought perhaps I used the hotel shampoo or body wash and was having some sort of allergic reaction (although honestly... I was already taking two allergy medications a day!).  After several trips to the drug store, and several frantic calls to my family pharmacist, I took some Benedryl and it calmed down.  I was back home anyway, and the reaction stopped.

As it wasn't the first time I had reacted to various lotions/beauty products, I went to have my allergies re-tested and the results came back that I wasn't allergic to any chemicals.  So, I forgot about it.  I made it through a whole summer without a reaction.

One year ago, on a vacation to Ft. Myers, Florida, I broke out in the exact same rash.... still very itchy all over my body.  So bad that I actually broke the skin while scratching.  By this time my mother (a nurse) was fairly concerned.  I already had an appointment with a dermatologist and while there, I asked about my reaction.  I thought I had done the right thing in already talking to the allergist, but thought since they are experts in skin issues, I might as well ask.  I couldn't believe what she told me.

As it turns out - it was SUNSCREEN that was the culprit.  My reaction: 'I am the palest person I have ever met! I can't live without sunscreen, and I use it all summer long.  I was tested for chemical allergies and had none.  How is it possible that I could be allergic to sunscreen?' 

And that is when she explained about sunscreen allergies.  As it turns out, you can have two different types of allergies to sunscreen.  One is just a plain old reaction to the chemical you are allergic to.  No matter where or when you use it, you will react to it.  The other kind of allergy (the kind that I have) is a little more complicated.  It is an allergy that is 'photosensitive', and the reaction only occurs when activated by the sun.  This type of allergy normally shows up when you get closer to the equator (hence the reaction in San Diego and Flordia, but no reaction here at home).

Today, I read an article about protecting your family from some sunscreens that can contain harmful ingredients.  You can see the article for yourself here.  It also contains a link a website where you can research the sunscreen you are currently using and see how its active ingredients work. 

As Summer begins, don't neglect your family's skin.  Make sure to have plenty of sunscreen on hand.  Also, make sure to keep in mind that when you travel on whatever vacation plans you have this summer, your family's sun screen needs may change.  Keep your kids safe this summer, and have fun on your own adventures!  Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, and remember that the library is closed on Sunday and Monday, May 28th and 29th. 

It's Picnic Season!

Whether your destination will be the park, zoo, baseball games, or the soccer field, packing a meal that is healthy and enjoyable becomes a creative challenge.

To teach your children about healthy eating as you plan together, the following books and websites are some resources that will prove helpful!!

Get planning, get ready, and have some FUN!

Here are some of the books in our collection. Click on any of them to be linked to the library's catalog. You can put them on hold today!

The Fussy Eaters' Recipe Book : 135 quick, tasty, and healthy recipes that your kids will actually eat
Karmel, Annabel.
J PARENT COLL 641.555 KAR

Superfoods for Healthy Kids: more than 250 immune-boosting foods and great-tasting recipes for your children
Burney, Lucy.
J PARENT COLL 613.2083 BUR

Cool Sweets & Treats to Eat: easy recipes for kids to cook
Wagner, Lisa, 1958-
J 641.53 WAG

Cool Lunches to Make & Take: easy recipes for kids to cook
Wagner, Lisa, 1958-
J 641.53 WAG

Packing Up A Picnic: activities and recipes for kids
Walton, Rick.
J 641.5 WAL

Kids Cook 1-2-3: recipes for young chefs using only 3 ingredients
Gold, Rozanne, 1954
J 641.5 GOL

Kids' Baking: 60 delicious recipes for children to make
Lewis, Sara.
J 641.71 LEW

Boost Your Child's Immune System : a program and recipes for raising strong, healthy kids
Burney, Lucy.
J PARENT COLL 618.9239 BUR


Here are also some helpful websites:
Kids' Turn Central
Kids Cooking Activities
Picnic Recipes and Games
The Picnic Site

4th of July Fun!

If your family is bummed by the fact that the downtown fireworks are no longer going to happen in Chicago AND Des Plaines isn't going to have them either, don't fret.  There are still tons of fun things to do right in the Des Plaines community.  Not only is Arlington Park hosting the July 2nd fireworks so you can enjoy some 'night-before-night-before' excitement (closer to home), but there are other communities hosting fireworks as well including Park Ridge and Mount Prospect.  

Here in Des Plaines, we also have our very own festivities going on.  The 4th of July parade will begin at 10am at Oakton and Center streets and follow the red, white, and blue stars to the history center.  Your family can sit anywhere along the parade route to catch a glimpse of your library staff dressed in their Summer Reading Club best (there is also candy involved!).

Looking for more great stuff to do?  Check out Arlington Heights' Frontier Days, and Park Ridge's Annual Celebration (fireworks on 3rd) or Mount Prospect's Village Fair (fireworks on 4th).

For a list of all local celebrations, look here.

Getting Closer!

Yesterday started the first day that kids could start coming in for Summer Reading Club prizes! It's been wonderful watching them get so excited about reading.  In case you haven't signed up yet, stop in to register your child or children.  

As your child reads, they can get a medieval scroll filled with all kinds of coupons for: Mexico Restaurant, Auntie Annie's Pretzels, Game Works, Kane County Cougars, and many more (for kids over 3), or a rubber ducky dressed as a knight, princess, dragon, or king (for kids under 3).

Stop in and join in on the fun - and grab our program guide so you can plan out your summer filled with Medieval Fun!

Bees and Almonds

Summer is here and the bees are buzzing. I am glad to hear bees, because almonds are my favorite nut. What do bees and almonds have to do with each other? According to Beespotter, one hundred percent of the almond crop is pollinated by bees. That means if there are no bees, there will be no almonds. What would my Hershey's with Almonds be without the almonds? Not nearly as good, that's for sure.


Beespotter is a website created by University of Illinois researchers to encourage citizen-scientists (in other words, you and me) to collect information about the bee population. Taking pictures of bees, instead of using the pin and display board of my childhood, allows preservation of living bee diversity. Here is an example of a bee spotted on June 3, 2011 in Chicago.

The Great Sunflower Project is also gathering information for a bee census. This site includes a list of flowers, including sunflowers, zinnias and other easy to grow flowers that you can plant to attract bees to add the project's map of bee sightings.

The Feral Bee Project is collecting information as well. The project hopes to encourage beekeepers and citizens to enter the locations of wild honey bee hives. The site includes information on beelining, which is a way to find wild bee colonies.

The Hive Detectives by Loree Griffin Burns is an awarding winning book with lots of fascinating photos. The author writes about a real-life mystery, Colony Collapse Disorder, which threatens the honey bee population.

So the next time you hear an ominous buzz, run for your camera to help advance this scientific project. Let us know what you learn.

Summer Camp Survival Guide

Is your child headed to Summer Camp this summer?  For some kids, this will be their first year going away to camp, for some - they head to the camp they go to every summer.  Recently, a book came into the library for just those occasions, The Summer Camp Survival Guide.  This book addresses all of the major issues involved with summer camp.  From picking which camp to go to and figuring out what to pack, to how to say goodbye to your new friends and stay in touch, this book has it all.

Broken up into chapters, this book is easily accessible and contains loads of advice, gives suggestions of games and word puzzles, and even codes to write home in.  If your child is hesitant about heading to camp and you want to get him or her geared up for the adventure, be sure to take this book home.

A Midsummer Knight's Read: Summer Reading Club 2011

Lords! Ladies!

Welcome the dawn of a new Summer Reading Club!

Registration begins June 4, 2011.

What a great opportunity to exercise your brain. During a time of year when we take for granted the physical activity we give our bodies...biking, swimming, all kinds of outdoor play...sometimes we neglect to exercise the most important part of our body - our BRAIN! Bring your children to sign up beginning June 4th to participate.  They can read by themselves or be read to and earn great prizes along the way.

The Summer Reading Club comes in two parts. Reading is it's own reward, but there are also tons of fun programs happening at the library this summer. This year's theme, A Midsummer Knight's Read, will explore both the facts and the fantasy of the medieval world. We will learn about kings, queens, princes, and princesses. We will make catapults and fairy wings. We will talk and dress like they did in the days of Shakespeare. It's going to be a summer of Medieval Madness!

We will be kicking off the Summer Reading Club on June 4th with a Marvelous Medieval Faire. Join us for this open house between 1-4 p.m. where there will be crafts, entertainment, treats, music, and more. After the fun is done here at the library, head over to Potbelly in Metropolitan Square for dinner to take part in our fundraiser! The library will receive a portion of the proceeds from all purchases made between the hours of 4 and 7 p.m.

Deadline Extended!

The deadline for your teen to sign up to be a volunteer this summer with the library's Summer Reading Club has been extended!

If your child is entering grades 7-12 and you know they'll be needing community service credit hours for school, National Junior Honor Society, religious education classes, college applications, etc.--now is the time for them to fill out an application!

Being a volunteer during the summer is a lot of fun. Volunteers receive a t-shirt, get to hand out prizes to readers, and help out at fun programs like Pokemon League Games or Not Your Little Sister's Cinderella. They also get to enter a weekly raffle to win a delicious treat from Potbelly's and at the end of SRC there's a great party to thank our wonderful volunteers!

Stop by the Youth Services desk on the 2nd floor to fill out an application today. Volunteer positions are filling up fast!

Looking for Something? Try a Garage Sale

Between the dismal economy and the focus on being green, Garage Sales are the perfect solution to your summer fun.  Instead of spending countless weekends driving around aimlessly, take time to visit the many garage sales in the Community Wide Garage Sale. Next weekend, Friday - Sunday (May 13 - 15), many homes in zip code 60016 will be participating in the garage sale, and for those in zip code 60018, it will be the next weekend (May 20 - 22).

Don't have a garage?  On May 14, the Mountain View Adventure Center on Algonquin Road is opening up their parking lot for one huge garage sale; spaces are $25 to rent and are the size of an actual parking space.  From 8:30am - 2:00pm, hundreds of families and visitors will be able to shop at your tables (just make sure to bring a table to put your items on).

Hopefully the weather will hold so you can get out there and have some fun walking around. Take your kids to pick out their 'new' toys and games from someone's outgrown items. Is there a child soon to be arriving? Look for those expensive baby items that might be able to be reused from someone else.

Looking for a map of the garage sales? Look no further than the City of Des Plaines webpage. The map will be up on May 12.

Buzzing in My Ear

Recently I have been afraid to leave my house. I am worried about being attacked by one of the world's most deadly animals. In addition to being dangerous, they are extremely annoying. The horrible Aedes vexans may have vexed you and your loved ones too. The saliva she injects when she bites (and it is the female that sucks your blood) causes those miserable, red, itchy things we call mosquito bites.

Mosquitoes can be deadly because they can spread diseases such as West Nile Virus. Fortunately, the type that invaded our area recently, Aedes vexans, is a floodwater mosquito species. They are bothersome and prolific. They bite during the daytime and nighttime. Even though they are true nuisance mosquitoes, they do not seem to carry West Nile Virus.

All sorts of information about mosquitoes, including a fascinating (at least I thought so) video of the swimming behavior of larval mosquitoes can be found on the Northwest Mosquito Abatement District website. You can also find information about protecting yourself from mosquito bites.

My preferred method of protection is staying inside with a good book. One of my favorites is Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears. This West African tale won the Caldecott Award for illustration.

If you are interested in more factual information, check out


Mosquitoes: Hungry for Blood
(Bloodsuckers series)


Mosquitoes
(World of Insects series)

Summer Reading Club is almost over!

Summer Reading Club ends this Sunday, August 1st. If you haven't brought your kids into the library just yet, sign them up and get reading! If your child is reading on their own, they need to read 16 hours to complete the program, and if you are reading with your child, you can read 32 books together to complete. There is still time to get it all done, and there is a prize for making it half way (8 hours or 16 books), so you can always just sign them up!

As this year's summer craziness comes to a close, remember that your child's summers are a magical part of their growing up experience. Make sure to make the most of it by making lightning bug catchers, visiting the forest preserves, taking a hike, and going camping. All of these experiences will make for the best memories (and as an added benefit, they can all be used as learning experiences).

If your child is working on the Summer Reading patch, they have until August 31st to finish, so encourage them to continue to read their 10 books about 'being green'.

Enjoy the rest of the 'Green Days of Summer', and if you need any great summer activity ideas, don't hesitate to visit the library and we would be happy to help!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

Hopefully you don't know a child that is quite contrary (although I suspect on some days you might), but you probably do know one who would be interested in seeing how a garden grows. Many people have enjoyed looking at the snapdragon garden that children created here at the library this summer.

The Des Plaines Park District garden plots are a great place to see how a vegetable garden grows. There are dozens of small plots located north of Terrace School on Westgate Road. Each one is unique. I can't guarantee that you'll see plants

With silver bells and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row.

but you might see corn, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, onions, fava beans, and lots of other plants that you may not even be able to name. At this time of year some of the vegetables are ready to harvest, so it's a great time to visit.

Who knows? You might be so interested that you will want to sign up for your own garden plot next year. In that case, it's not too early to start reading up on vegetable gardening (or Mother Goose rhymes). Here are some of my favorites.

-->

-->