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.

Pedal Your Way Through the Month of May

Growing up, bicycling was a taste of freedom and preferred way to explore my neighborhood and community. Now, as a mom, I enjoy this healthy and eco-friendly method of transportation. No matter what the reason it's easy to celebrate National Bike Month! The City of Des Plaines and Mayor Marty Moylan, an avid bicyclist, have paved the way for our residents to consider cycling throughout the city by implementing policies and systems for safety and convenience.  You might have read how city engineer, Derek Peebles, has been passionately leading the way for the cyclist cause as well as Des Plaines receiving a Cook County Model Communities grant for more than 120 new bike racks in this article by Active Transportation Alliance.

What can you do this month?

- Clean off the dust and debris of your bike and enjoy being active and healthy in the streets of Des Plaines.

-May 14-18th: Participate in Bike to Work week. Events and more can be found on the League of American Bicyclists website, national sponsor of Bike Month.

-May 19th: Visit the library table at the upcoming Spring Fun Fair at Mountain View Adventure Center from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. The fair has free activities for the entire family including a Pooch, Pet and Pedal Parade, free bike helmets to the first 50 children who need one, bicycle maintenance by REI and plenty of other fun. Visit www.DPparks.org for more information.

-Learn about bike safety, maintenance, types of bikes and even stunt and extreme cycling by utilizing library resources.

Make sure to visit the city's website for the many bike events this summer and throughout the year.

A Little Holiday Cheer

Looking for a little holiday cheer?  The Des Plaines Park District and the City of Des Plaines are providing... in a big way.

The weekend of December 2, 3, and 4, the downtown area of Des Plaines will be brightened with the annual lighting of the holiday tree.  Beginning at 4pm on Friday, December 2nd, students from area schools will decorate trees.  From 4 - 6pm join in on the festivities including the arrival of Santa.  Immediately following the lighting, the Des Plaines Theater will be showing a family friendly holiday flick.  For more information on this event, check here.

If your family hasn't gotten enough holiday cheer, join the Des Plaines Park District is having their annual Winter Wonderland celebration on Saturday and Sunday, December 3rd and 4th.   In addition to taking a picture with Ronald McDonald, munching on roasted nuts, and watching Irish step dancers perform, you will catch a member of the Des Plaines Public Library staff reading books every 20 minutes throughout the day.  For more information on this event, check here.

If you have time in your busy weekend schedule, we also have programs running in the library.  On Sunday at 2pm, stop in to catch Sideswipe, an America's Got Talent finalist and exciting performance group.  They will keep your blood pumping as they use Martial Arts moves correographed to contemporary music to amaze you.

Halloween

Looking for information on what is going on this Halloween?  Look here for information from the City of Des Plaines, their rules and regulations for trick-or-treating, and safety tips.  Don't forget to head to downtown Des Plaines this Saturday to check out the annual Halloween Hooplah celebration.  Not only will there be festivities and trick-or-treating with the businesses, the Des Plaines Park District is hosting a craft on the 2nd floor of the library from 1-3pm, and the library will finish off the entire celebration with Wild and Wacky Magic by Randy at 3pm in our first floor meeting rooms.

Don't miss out on all of the fun!

Looking for a little Summer Fling?

If the absence of the Taste of Des Plaines from the Library Plaza at the beginning of June left you feeling disappointed, then get yourself ready for the Des Plaines Summer Fling.  Beginning yesterday, June 21, and running through Sunday you can join in the fun in Downtown Des Plaines.  Bring your entire family for fun, food, and entertainment. 

For more information on the Summer Fling, look no further than the Special Events site for the City of Des Plaines here.

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.

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.

Got Holiday Junk?

Most people remember to recycle some of the more obvious holiday trash items... the gift boxes, wrapping paper rolls, tissue paper, and toy boxes... but there are few of us who remember that there are other items from the holidays that can be recycled as well; items such as stringed lights and evergreen trees.  To help in the reduction of our city's carbon footprint, the city has put together tree pick-up and light drop-offs to recycle the decorations.

You should have already had your tree picked up if you left it at the curb this week, and now you can do more by recycling your lights... you can look HERE for more information on the recycling program.  Make sure to take part in this recycling exercise, and don't miss out on this teaching moment and share it with your kids.   Need help explaining why recycling is important?  Stop by the library where we have plenty of materials on recycling!

Holiday Lighting Street Festival

It is the week after Thanksgiving, the plates have been cleaned, the holiday decorations have been changed over, and your children are starting to dream of 'sugar plums'.....  If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, at 5:30pm on Friday December 3rd the holiday lighting ceremony and street festival will be taking place. 

This annual 'flipping of the switch' marks the beginning of the holiday season in Des Plaines.  You and your family can enjoy hot chestnuts and fresh kettle corn as they listen to the Maine West marching band perform and look at the neat decorations that school groups from around the area have used to decorate the various evergreen trees.  For more information, look here.

If that doesn't fill your holiday cup, there is more fun to be had on Saturday and Sunday at Lake Opeka.  The annual Lake Wonderland Winter Festival will be running from 11am to 5pm on both days.  For those interested, there will be free pictures with Santa and horse drawn sleigh rides.  You can find more information about the winter festival here.  When you are there, don't forget to find the Des Plaines Public Library's tree.  See if you can spot your favorite childhood book among the 'ornaments'.

Leaf Fun

As the weather has turned cooler, your kids have probably been having tons of fun  watching the leaves change colors, fall, and then raking those leaves into big piles and jumping in them.  Just as they have had fun helping to take care of the leaves, you can have them help them dispose of them too.  You will find more information about how to dispose of your leaves here at the City of Des Plaines website.

Don't forget to rake the leaves into the street (where applicable) for village leaf pick-up so that we can keep the streets from flooding later in the winter and the spring due to leaves clogging the sewer system.

If your kids want to know more about what happens to the leaves and why they change color, bring them into the library.  We have plenty of books with information about what is happening outside  during the fall and we would LOVE to share them with your family.

Remember to make taking care of the environment (and your house) a fun and enjoyable activity, and have some hot apple cider or hot chocolate waiting for them when they finish helping out with the lawn.

Halloween Hoopla

Every year, the city of Des Plaines hosts a Halloween Hoopla, a safe Saturday of fun activities and 'Trick or Treating' around the downtown area of the city.  This year's festivities are being held on Saturday, October 23rd.

It all kicks off with the annual costume parade around Metropolitan Square, with each costumed participant receiving a trick-or-treat back and a special prize.  Every year is more magical than the next, and this year, the library is presenting our Glow-in-the-Dark Juggler at 1pm followed by a Spooktacular Craft sponsored by the Des Plaines Park District.

This year, treat your family to a fun Saturday event and test out their costumes!

Happy 4th!

It's hard to believe that the 4th of July is only a few days away! In my family, the 4th was always a big deal. Not because family gathers together or because of BBQs. Nope it was all about the fireworks. Sparklers, smoke bombs, those little snakes-classic moments of my childhood.

The library is a great place to learn about fireworks. You can check out Fourth of July Fireworks or Fireworks to learn about why fireworks are set off on the 4th and what the science is behind fireworks. I've always been interested in how they make the different colors and fireworks that explode in a different shape.

Aspiring artists can check out How to Draw Independence Day Things and learn how to draw a sky rocket, sparklers, and fireworks as well as other Independence Day related icons like Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty.

Want to learn about the disasters fireworks have caused? Look into Fireworks! Pyrotechnics on Display. This book will also talk about the different kinds and uses of fireworks as well as how they were invented.

After reading all about fireworks, do your children long to see them in person? Come out to Oakton Community College on July 4th at about 9pm! There will be a gorgeous show put on. The grounds will open at 4pm so come early and picnic or get your child's face painted. In the evening food will be available for sale. For more information about Des Plaines' 4th of July celebration plans, click here to visit the City of Des Plaines website.

Ka-BOOM! Happy 4th!

Tour de Villas

Have you ever tried to take a shortcut from Thacker Street to Algonquin Road? When I first moved to Des Plaines, I recall trying to save some time by cutting through on neighborhood streets. Instead of saving time, I spent what seemed like hours trapped in the Villas.

While this neighborhood makes a horrible shortcut, it makes a great race track for the first Tour of "De Villas" bicycle race. The races will begin at 8:30 am on July 3. The course will follow a 1-mile oblong on Grant Drive.

Neighborhood races begin at 11:15. Kids under 10 can race for free in the neighborhood races beginning at 11:15. Be sure to bring a non-perishable food item for the Food Pantry.

To get ready for the big race, check out these books about bikes and bike riding.

Kids' Easy Bike Care: Tune-ups, Tools & Quick Fixes

Tour de France

BMX Greats

Bicycle Race

The Bicycle

The 10th Annual Taste of Des Plaines

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Celebrate the City of Des Plaines' 175th birthday with the Taste of Des Plaines. Beginning Friday, June 4, at 6pm, you can participate in all that the city has to offer. For more information on the taste, look here.

While you are out in front of the library on Saturday or Sunday, stop in at the Youth Services area to sign up for Summer Reading Club. This year's theme is 'The Green Days of Summer'. Your child can either read 32 books with you or 16 hours by him or herself to get prizes.

Just for signing up, your child will receive a bookmark that contains seeds and can be planted in the ground. At the halfway mark, children 3 and up will receive a 100% biodegradable plastic frisbee and children younger than 3 will receive a recycling rubber duckie. At the finish, all children will receive coupons for food and fun throughout the area. Children under 3 will receive a board book for finishing and children older than 3 will receive a crankable flashlight that doesn't need batteries.

We have plenty of programs going on throughout the summer as well, so stop by the desk to get information on the programs we have when your children up for SRC!

The Time Has Come

With all of the talk around town on 'greening' up our area, take time this weekend to visit the many garage sales in the Community Wide Garage Sale. This weekend, Friday - Sunday (May 14 - 16), many homes in zip code 60016 will be participating in the garage sale, and for those in zip code 60018, it will be next weekend (May 21 - 23).

This weekend's weather looks to be mild, so 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 the Thursday before the weekend of the sale.

You Have 6 Weeks....

With the growing interest in recycling, reusing, and disciplined family spending, many residents are seeking events and opportunities that are good for the environment and affordable. The Des Plaines Annual Community Garage Sale falls under all of those categories.

Get all of your gently used items together and have a garage sale. The $6 fee for the permit is being waived for that weekend only, so you have nothing to lose (except your junk)! Look here for more information on this great event.

Don't have enough items to have a full sale? Gather a few friends or family members from other communities together and do a joint sale. Or, have a sale to benefit a local charity or organization. Do you know a Girl Scout Troop in the area? Suggest they have a garage sale to supplement their 'Cookie Money'.

To help you in your endeavor, we have a few book suggestions from the Adult Services collection to help:

Garage Sale Magic, by Michael Williams
Once Upon a Garage Sale - from fairy tale to reality, by Lisa Rogovin

Any way you look at it, this will be a great set of weekends, and definitely be sure to drive around looking for bargains!

Halloween Helpers

Trick or Treat!
The annual countdown to "Candy Day" has begun. Officially, Halloween happens on October 31, but prior to that day, preparations and activities will be taking place non-stop!

Feeling SCARED? Do Not Fear!
If you are looking for scary or not so scary stories, spooky sounding recipes, movies, crafts, party games or costume ideas, the Des Plaines Public Library can help. Stop by to preview the books and materials on display on the 2nd floor that are available for you to check out.

With fun and safety in mind, Halloween Fun and Activities for Kids is a resource with some good ideas to view online.

Awesome!
Once you have finished the costumes for your family's Halloween events, the annual Des Plaines Costume Parade starts at 10:00 a.m. in the Metropolitan Square, downtown Des Plaines, on Saturday, October 24. Children who participate in the parade with Jewels the Clown and Kiwi the Clown will be given a Trick or Treat bag filled with a special prize.

Later on a 1 pm Magic Show by the great Dennis DeBondt and Spooktacular Craft making from 2 to 4 pm at the library are two events you won't want to miss!

Remember to have a safe and happy Halloween!

The Taste of Des Plaines

Looking for fun this weekend? Come to the Taste of Des Plaines Friday, June 5^th through Sunday, June 7^th. Enjoy great food, musical performances, live entertainment and more activities for the whole family.

We'll be there too! Visit us at the Library Tent near the History Center for a magic show, wild stories and songs and a chance to win a giant stuffed lion.

While at the Taste on Sunday, you can walk into the library and sign your child up for the Summer Reading Club, Read on the Wild Side! They will receive a reading log, a bookmark, and a library card holder for joining and more prizes along the way including a backpack when they finish their reading goal! And you will have peace of mind knowing that you've helped your child maintain and grow their reading skills over the summer!

See you at the Taste!