Family Science Expo 2013

Science fun for all ages will fill the library on Saturday, September 28 from noon until 4 p.m. Visitors of all ages will be able to explore science in many different forms. This hands-on expo features interactive exhibits from many Chicago-area science organizations. Here are links to our exhibitors:

American Chemical Society Chicago Section

American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Chicago Section

Braino Institute of Brainology

Civil Air Patrol, Illinois Wing

Des Plaines Science Prodigies

Gateway Traveler Information System

IEEE Women In Engineering, Chicago Chapter

Illinois Section American Society of Civil Engineers

Optical Society of Chicago

Society of Women Engineers

Structural Engineers Association of Illinois

Working Bikes

Special thanks to Village Bank & Trust, our partner in the 5th Annual Family Science Expo.

How do I get them to read?

Need help motivating your child to read? Bring them into the library and sign them up for the Reading Patch Club! Kids will earn colorful patches for reading the kind of books they like best (e.g. adventure stories, animal stories, sports stories, etc.)

Kids get to pick their own books in the genre, as well as check out some of our favorite titles on an accompanying book list. It’s a reading incentive and a book recommendation all in one!

Is your child just learning to read? You are in luck! This fall we unveiled seven new patches for children in preschool through second grade. Check them out! Click on an image to see a preview of the reading list for that patch.

Early Reader Adventure Patch

Early Reader Fantasy Patch

Early Reader Graphic Format Patch

Early Reader Historical Fiction Patch

Early Reader Rebus Patch

Read to Me Award Patch

Read to Me Fairy Tale Patch

Give your budding bibliophile another reason to read. Sign up for the Patch Club today!

Hispanic Heritage is Des Plaines’ Heritage, So Let’s Party!

17% of Des Plainesians described themselves as Hispanic or Latino in the 2010 US Census*, and in 2012 over 30% of the children enrolled in District 62 schools spoke Spanish at home. With such a strong Latino presence in our community, Hispanic heritage is our heritage. So why not celebrate it?

Hispanic American Heritage Month runs from September 15th through October 15th. Here are some great ways to share the riches of Latino culture with your kids:

Love guacamole? Why not branch out with other scrumptious Mexican or Latin American dishes? Our Latin American cookbooks make it easy to try new recipes with your kids. Bring the party to your kitchen; check one out today!

Papel picado, piñatas, Guatemalan weaving – Latin American handicrafts may serve as the inspiration for tons of fun craft projects for you and your kids! Check out one of our Latin American craft books, and get out the glue sticks! You don’t have to tell them it’s educational.

Take your child to Latin America without leaving your armchair. Read a book! Stop by our Hispanic American Heritage Month display for great stories set in Latin America, or featuring Latino characters in the U.S. Our display also includes non-fiction titles like the craft and cookbooks mentioned above.

Party at the library! We will be celebrating with these fun events. Bring the whole family!

Dual Language Storytime - September 23, 6:30pm
Enjoy stories and songs in two languages.

Hispanic Heritage Music Night T - October 7, 6:30pm
Sing and dance to music from across Latin America.

Hispanic Heritage Drop in Craft - October 14, 5:30-7:30pm Stop by and create something beautiful from Latin America

Family Loteria (Mexican Bingo) - October 19, 2:00 – 3:00pm
Learn to play Loteria, a traditional Mexican bingo game. You could win a prize!

Cultural understanding is one of the most beautiful gifts you can give to your child, and it’s fun! Come celebrate the gifts Des Plaines has received from Latino culture.

P.S. Coming soon to your library! Stay tuned for more opportunities to celebrate the diverse cultures in our community. Polish American Heritage Month is in October.

*Sources: U.S. Census Data http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_5YR_DP05)

**District 62 Home Language Survey 3011/2012 school year.

Photo Credit: Andy Castro, Flickr.

Leaves on Your Medical Family Tree

When I was young, I often had a school assignment to create a family tree. It was a good excuse for my grandparents to help me with my homework.

Creating a medical family tree, or a family health history, for your child could be an even more important project for grandparents to help with. It could mean a longer and healthier life for your children (or yourself). Collecting medical information about your family can help identify whether you have higher risk for some diseases. That knowledge can help in looking for early warning signs of disease, and allow for steps to reduce the risk of disease.

As you consider your approach to this research, remember that some people are reluctant to share health information, even with their own family. You may want to thoughtfully plan who you want to include, what you want to ask, and when would be the best time to ask.

Here are some websites with reliable health information that might help you through the process.

 

Compiling Your Medical Family Tree, from the Mayo Clinic, provides information on gathering information.

My Family Health Portrait  is a tool from the Surgeon General that will allow you to enter and save information that you can update over time.

 

Family History Fact Sheet describes drawing a family tree called a "pedigree". The information is  provided by National Society of Genetic Counselors.

 

So the next time you invite relatives to a family event, you will be ready to start your medical family tree. The information you gather could benefit your family through the generations.

Train's Coming! All Aboard!

What can a family do for weekend fun now that the pools are closed and the kids are boarding the school bus? Why not take a train ride to a destination-- real or imaginary!

Although Des Plaines is known for its many freight trains, we are fortunate to live in a town with a Metra Train Station for commuters. Special  $7 fares are available for the entire Saturday-Sunday weekend! You can travel downtown and back again, or head out to explore a different northwestern suburb.

Better yet, the library offers a Museum Pass discounted admission to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, a truly amazing place with huge barns of locomotives and  passenger cars and a real two mile train ride.

If you cannot make the trip right now on either one, just get "on track" with some amazing train books and DVDs.

Radio Disney at Des Plaines Library

Congratulations to all of our Summer Reading Club participants! Over 2,000 children from birth - 6th grade (some 7-8th graders are also included in this count) registered for the club with over 16,896 hours read!

Have a 7th- 12th grader working on summer reading assignments? Have the reading count by joining the Teen Summer Reading Club (continues until Saturday August 31st). Read 4 books or 20 hours and earn a $5.00 gift card and a chance to win an iPad mini. The Adult Summer Reading club also continues until Saturday August 31st. Every time you read a book, you can enter for a chance to win an iPad mini!

In celebration of all the summer reading in our community, join us for our end of Summer Celebration event- a dance party with Radio Disney! Kick back and relax with ice cream and lemonade while the kids dance, play games and more!

Radio Disney End of Summer Celebration
Friday,  August 23
6:30 - 8 pm
on Library Plaza
Limited seating, bring your own chairs if you like

Generously funded by NorthShore University HealthSystem, Friends of the Library and Sam's Club

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.