Free day for Corvallis residents at A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village, the children's museum in downtown Salem's Riverfront Park, invites Corvallis residents to enjoy a free day at the museum on Saturday, October 4. To receive free admission, visitors must show proof of Corvallis residency (this could be a piece of mail or ID). Members of the Museum voted for Corvallis to be the next city to receive a free day as part of their "community day" series.

For more information about A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village, click here.

View and print the flyer.

Toddling Toward Reading: Reading Rockets program airing on OPB

Toddling Toward Reading: Overview

"Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers" Explores Early Literacy in "Toddling Toward Reading"

"Toddling Toward Reading," the 10th episode of the award-winning "Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers" series, focuses on how to get children ready to start school.

Host Reba McEntire takes a look at outstanding programs across the country that are finding success in nurturing early literacy skills, including the national health project Reach Out and Read, Chicago's Parker Child-Parent Center, Georgia's Coralwood Diagnostic Center, and Dr. Rebecca Palacios' preschool program in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Reach Out and Read (ROR), a national organization that has folded literacy development into the practices of pediatricians across the country, encourages parents to read at least 30 minutes a day with their children. "Learning to read is much more than a set of skills you get in school. There is a whole foundation that gets built over the first years of life," says Dr. Robert Needlman with Reach Out and Read (Reading Rockets, 2008)

Oregon Public Broadcasting will be airing the program on KOPB on Saturday, October 4th, at 6:30 a.m.

Music Pick of the Week: Animal Songs by Raffi

Animal Songs by Raffi

Animal Songs, by Raffi, includes some of Raffi’s most beloved children’s songs including Six Little Ducks, Goin’ to the Zoo, Eensy Weensy Spider, Over in the Meadow, and Baby Beluga. This is a welcome addition for longtime Raffi fans, as well as new listeners.

"Building" a Reader

Construction is a perrenial favorite topic of preschoolers, especially boys. A new book by Maxwell Newhouse, The House That Max Built, is a lushly illustrated non-fiction book on the topic with just the right amount of information for young minds. This story depicts how a house is built, step-by-step with color saturated paintings and a glossary of construction terms for the very young. Pair this with Building a House by Byron Barton and A Day in the Life of a Builder by Linda Hayward for sharing with little builders.




Building a House by Byron Barton

One of Byron Barton's best books for little ones! Clear, colorful, bold illustrations and simple text depict the building of a house on a hill for a small family. A great beginning book on the subject.





A Day in the Life of a Builder (Dorling Kindersley Readers, Level 1) by Linda Hayward

Jack Dale is building five new houses. One is for the Wilson family. Will the Wilsons like their new house? This unique Level 1 series accurately portrays real-life situations that help young children identify with and learn from while helping them improve their reading skills. (summary from Syndetics Solutions, LLC)

Quote for the Day

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."
~Emilie Buchwald, publisher and founder of Milkweed Editions.

What's your favorite book to share with your child?
What was your favorite book when you were a child? We'd love to hear from you! Leave us a comment. We'll feature your recommendations on the Library's web site!

Take a Trip to Paris!

Just for fun, take an imaginary trip to France through storytime!

A trip to Paris would not be complete without a visit with Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans.

A mother visiting Paris brings back to her daughter all her best memories, of the beautiful fountains, the sparkling Seine, parks like paintings, and paintings like parks in
The Moon Was the Best by Charlotte Zolotow.

When Adele walks her little brother Simon home from school he loses one more thing at every stop: his drawing of a cat at the grocer's shop, his books at the park, his crayons at the art museum, and more. Find out what happens to little Simon and his possessions in
Adele & Simon by Barbara McClintock

Suzette sells a variety of her crepes, or French pancakes, from the street cart she takes all over Paris. Includes a recipe, a short glossary of French words used, brief notes on Paris sites,
and more.
Crepes by Suzette by Monica Wellington

Rhyming text depicts how everyone says "bonjour" when visiting Paris.
Everybody Bonjours! by Leslie Kimmelman

When elephant artist Hugo develops artist's block, his friend Miles convinces him to go along on a trip to Paris, where Hugo learns to see things in new ways.
Hugo & Miles in: I've Painted Everything! by Scott Magoon

La La Rose, a young girl's stuffed rabbit, gets lost in Luxembourg Gardens.
La La Rose by Satomi Ichikawa

Pick of the Week: Everywhere the Cow Says "Moo!"

Everywhere the Cow Says "Moo!" by Ellen Slusky Weinstein, illustrations by Kenneth Andersson (Boyds Mills Press, 2008)

If a dog barks in Japanese, does it say, "bow-wow" or "wan-wan"? This is a fun book with easy-to-read text that introduces children to the sounds that animals make in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. And a trip around the world with a variety of animals elicits an interesting surprise!

This is a book to share with toddlers and preschoolers, or anyone interested in learning some of the sounds animals make in other languages.

Rhymes to Share with Little Ones

Rhymes are a regular part of storytime for children. Children naturally play with language through rhyming and songs. This is an important part of language development and helps build their phonological awareness. Phonological awareness, or the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds of words, is a critical skill children need to get ready to read. To develop this skill, parents and caregivers can share music, poetry, and books with rhyming language in them. It also helps to learn a small assortment of rhymes to share with children throughout the day. Share a lively one during playtime, a soft quiet lap rhyme at bedtime, or a silly one during a car ride to pass the time. Some favorite rhymes include:

A B C
Big A, little a,
Bouncing B!
The cat’s in the cupboard,
And can’t see me.

BANBURY CROSS
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see an old lady upon a white horse.
Rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.

DANCE TO YOUR DADDY
Dance to your daddy,
My little laddy.
Dance to your daddy,
My little lamb.
You shall have a fishy,
In a little dishy.
You shall have a fishy
When the boat comes in.

HICKORY DICKORY DOCK
Hickory dickory dock
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down.
Hickory, dickory dock.

JACK BE NIMBLE
Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
Jack jump over the candlestick!

MISS MARY MACK
Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,
All dressed in black, black, black,
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons,
All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother,
For 50 cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high --
They reached the sky, sky, sky,
And didn't come back, back, back
'Til the 4th of July, -ly, -ly!

THE MOON
The Moon is round
As round as can be
With two eyes, a nose,
and a mouth, like me!

RIDE AWAY, RIDE AWAY
Ride away, ride away,
Johnny shall ride,
And he shall have pussy-cat
Tied to one side;
And he shall have little dog
Tied to the other,
And Johnny shall ride
To see his grandmother.

WEE WILLIE WINKIE
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs, in his nightgown;
Rapping at the window, crying through the lock,
“Are the children in their beds?
For now it’s eight o’clock.”

Looking for Child Care?

If you're searching for child care for your child, did you know that Linn-Benton Community College's Family Connections department provides free referrals tailored to your family's situation and needs? Family Connections also provides information on what to consider when searching for child care for your children. For more information, call Family Connections at (541)917-4899 to check out this community resource. Or visit them online.

Pick of the Week: Old Bear

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books, 2008)

What a splendid book! This is one of my absolute favorite books I've encountered so far this year. Kevin Henkes gorgeous full-bleed illustrations set the tone for a journey through the seasons. The old bear curls up for hibernation during the winter and takes the reader along with him through his dream of the changing seasons. As spring progresses to summer then fall, winter and back to spring again, the full-page illustrations are saturated in seasonal hues. Even the text shares in the colorful celebration of the season. As the old bear awakes from hibernation, he wonders, "Could it be true? Is it really spring?" The reader will share in the old bear's pure delight in finding that yes, spring has finally come!

School Days

September means the transition back to earlier bedtimes, stricter routines, the end of summer and the beginning of school for many children. A few new books that center on the subject of school are featured below:

Jake Starts School by Michael Wright (Feiwel and Friends, 2008)

No one can pry a frightened Jake away from his parents on the first day of school, and so the three must watch as his classmates have fun until, at the end of the day, his teacher finally gets him to let go.






The New Bear at School by Carrie Weston, illustrated by Tim Warnes (Scholastic, 2008)

When a new bear comes to school, all the other animals are afraid of him until he saves them from the Rat Pack bullies.







Panda Goes to School by Tara Jaye Morrow, illustrated by Aaron Boyd (Sterling, 2007)

Panda is nervous about his first day of school, but his mother and new teacher help him to adjust and enjoy the experience.

Pick of the Week: The House in the Night

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008)

I love this book! Beth Krommes' black and white scratchboard illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the simple text. The reader is taken on a nighttime journey from home up into the sky to the moon and back again. The text and illustrations work so well together it's hard to imagine one without the other. The illustrations bring a calm, gorgeous light into the nighttime scenes and bring the reader a visual bedtime lullaby. A real treat for bedtime storytime!

Strengthening Families: Youth 10 – 14

Parenting an older child as well?

The Strengthening Families program has an opportunity for families with children ages 10-14 coming up. Details are below:

Strengthening Families: Youth 10 – 14

Join other parents and their youth for this award winning program to promote your child’s positive peer relationships and develop a cooperative parent-child relationship. Dinner provided. On-site child care available for children under 10 years of age.

Cost: Free

Length: 7 weeks

Sweet Home

Begins 9/23, Tuesdays

Location: Sweet Home Junior High, 880 – 22^nd Ave.

5:30 dinner, 6:00 – 8:00 class

To register call the LBCC Sweet Home Center at 541-367-6901

Albany

Dates: TBA

Location: TBA

5:30 dinner, 6:00 – 8:00 class

To register call LBCC at 541-917-4897.

Corvallis

Begins 10/7, Tuesdays

Location: Lincoln School, 110 SE Alexander Ave.

5:15 dinner, 5:45 – 7:45 class

To register call Lincoln School at 541-757-5955.

Philomath

Begins 10/7, Tuesdays

Instructors: Phoenix Ries, Jodi Warne, Bob Boss

Location: Philomath Middle School, 2021 Chapel Dr.

5:30 dinner, 6:00 – 8:00 class

To register call the Rural Parenting Initiative at 929-2535

For more information about the Strengthening Families program contact Jerri Wolfe, jerri.wolfe@linnbenton.edu

Pick of the Week: My Baby & Me

My Baby & Me by Lynn Reiser and Penny Gentieu (Alfred A. Knopf, 2008)

What can a little baby do? Maybe not everything their older brother or sister can do, but they can do plenty! This is a great book for sharing with either babies or toddlers. They'll each get something different out of the book - whether they identify with the baby or the older sibling in each layout. Lynn Reiser's rhyming text and Penny Gentieu's fabulous photographs are the perfect match for a picture book to share with the very youngest of children. Great for one on one or even group storytime sharing!