Animal Antics is taking over the West Palm Beach Public Library’s KidSpace, yet again!  Animal Antics is a fun, interactive, natural history series provided in part by the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation and presented by their cool Education Director, Eric Gehring.  If you are in K-3, join us on for this FREE program on November 17 & 24 @3:45pm.  Get crazy again for Animal Antics! Check out last year’s Animal Antics here!

This year’s Animal Antics program is inspired by the book chosen for Families Reading Together Palm Beach County.  The title of this book is going to remain a secret, so shhhhhhh, until the November 7 “Kick-Off” of this county wide, month long, awesome literacy event!

For additional information, ask me or call the children’s library at 561-868-7703.  See you there!

Until we meet again,

Remember, Reading is Awesome!

Oh my! The Palm Beach Zoo will bring live animals…live animals for an interactive, educational program for families!  On November 8 at 2pm bring the whole bunch to be a part of this special event specialized just for you.  The program is FREE, parking is FREE, and there is no registration! What an awesome opportunity.

Be sure to check out some cool zoo books at the West Palm Beach Public Library’s KidSpace before you meet the animals:

Zoo animals by Philip Dowell

1, 2, 3 to the zoo by Eric Carle

The alphabet zoo: fun ways to learn letters and phonics (DVD)

Dear zoo by Rod Campbell

Madagascar

Another great educational opportunity is the  Zoo Adventure Stroller Safari.  This is an opportunity for you to bring your infant or toddler to the Zoo for an exciting stroller safari adventure!  Registration is required and fees include 1 adult and 1 child.  Members: $10.00 Non-members: $15.00.

Be sure to stay tuned here for more Sundays @ 2 for families.

Until we meet again,

~Remember, Reading is Awesome!

I am so excited that our November/December 2009 calendar of events is available.  Be sure to stop by the West Palm Beach Public  Library’s  webpage and take a peek.  We have some cool events that will surely get you up, out, and moving! One of the events that I am particularly fond of is Monday Night Movies.  It’s a great family fun event that can become a tradition.  All movies are not suitable for the young ones, but if you have a few children that are in different age groups, you can always  spend time alone with each seeing a great FREE movie suitable for them.  Here are the list of movies for November/December2009:

Transformers (PG-13)   Nov. 2

Ice Age 3 (PG)  Nov. 9

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (PG-13) Nov. 16

Polar Express (G)  Nov. 30

Star Trek (PG-13)  Dec. 7

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PG-13)  Dec. 14

My Sister’s Keeper (PG-13)  Dec. 21

G-Force (PG)  Dec. 28

It’s always better to read the book first, so be sure to check them out at the West Palm Beach Public Library or reserve them online through our Catalog.

Until we meet again,

~Remember, Reading is Awesome!

In 1999 NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) was founded by Chris Baty, who thought it would be awesome to use the Internet to make novel writing fun for everyone.  After a successful few years and teachers wanting their classrooms to be a part of this creativity, the Young Writers Program was founded and is booming.  In 2008, more than 22,000 young writers (17 years and younger) participated! 

NaNoWriMo for Young Writers takes place every November; from November 1-30 you will be challenged to write a novel in just 30 days.  Yes, I said 30 days!  So if you are 17-years-old or younger, take advantage of this great opportunity to share your creativity with others.  It’s not about quality, but quantity! There’s no limit so on November 1st begin to write, write, and write some more! 

Sign up and get started, the time is almost here for young writers to take over NaNoWriMo with their “great frantic novel!”

Don’t forget to visit the West Palm Beach Public Library’s KidSpace to tell me all about your experience and share it with your family.

Until we meet again,

~Remember, Reading is Awesome!

Picture on right from NaNoWriMo’s website.

Hope you’re visiting the West Palm Beach Public Library’s KidSpace this Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 11am!  Why? 

There will be a FREE pre-school “not-so-spooky” Halloween play brought to you by the Library Zoo!  Come meet Frog, Giraffe, Penguin, Panda, Kangaroo, and Cat and parade with them around the Library.  It’s going to be exciting and fun to sing and “trick-or-treat” with your favorite animal. Be sure to dress up too, the animals enjoy seeing your creative side in costume!  See you at the Library Zoo Preschool Halloween Play & Party.

Don’t forget to learn some great facts about your favorite animal:

Frogs by Time for Kids

Giraffes by Emelie Lepthien

Penguins by Seymour Simon

How Many Baby Pandas? by Sandra Markle

Kangaroos by William John Ripple

Big Cats by Sarah Walker

Until we meet again,

~Remember, Reading is Awesome!

As a child, my mother and I would spend our Sunday afternoons at our local bookstore’s book fair.  It was always a wonderful surprise to find books from and about all different places and an adventure to see what “new” books I might come across during my hunt. 

I was reminded of this moment when my sister librarian, Ms. Jenn, handed me a flyer about Family Central’s Resource Library’s annual Scholastic Community Book Fair.  You can visit the fair October 17-24, 2009; Monday – Thursday 9am-7pm and Saturday 10am-2pm (Closed Fridays).  

P.S. Book Fairs are awesome opportunities to pick up some great gifts for friends and family and to build your library collection at home.

Be sure to stop by and tell me about your favorite find.

Until we meet again,

~Remember, Reading is Awesome!

The City of West Palm Beach Department of Parks and Recreation: Howard Park Community Center wants to take you and your kids to another level with some awesome opportunities to get up and get out, while your kids are busy having a great time!  Here is how:

Date Night gives parents a chance to go out and drop their kids (3-10 years old) off at Howard Park for dinner and organized activities.  Dates: Friday, October 16, November 20, and December 18 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.  The cost for this is $12 Residents and $15 Non-residents

Mix It Up is a great time for your young one (5-12 years old) to enjoy cooking and crafting with others.  Dates: Saturday, October 3, November 7, and December 5.  The cost for this is $13 Residents and $16 Non-residents.  ($2 supply fee to be paid on day of the program).

Be sure to take advantage of an opportunity to get up!

Please pre-register one week in advance due to limited space.  For more information about these programs, please contact the Howard Park Community Center: 561-804-4950

Check out some great ideas for crafting with your young one at the West Palm Beach Public Library’s KidSpace:

All Girl Crafts by Kathy Ross

50 Greatest Kid Concoctions (DVD)

Art from Many Hands: Multicultural Art Projects by Jo Miles Schuman

Creative Crafts for Kids: Over 100 Fun Projects for Two to Ten Year Olds by Sterling Pub. Co. 

Until we meet again,

~Remember, Reading is Awesome!

Though the Visitor’s Center at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge has been closed for the installation of new exhibits, it has been worth the wait! 

On Saturday, October 17 you can be a part of the Visitor’s Center Exhibit Grand Opening and its new $1-million, state-of-the-art Everglades Exhibition.  The public opening ceremony will begin at 9am and will be followed by free interactive family-fun events until 3pm.  Don’t miss the Grand Opening of the season, bird walks, canoe trips, cypress boardwalk tours, and more! 

If you’ve yet to have a chance to visit the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Saturday, October 17, 2009 will be a great opportunity to do so.  Bring the family for some educational fun and be sure to stop by and tell me all about your experience.

Be sure to check out our Everglades Digital Library  for some additional information relating to the South Florida environment.

Until we meet again,

~Remember, Reading is Awesome!

Halloween parties are always fun and even more exciting when it’s for the entire family! The Girl Scouts Council of Southeast Florida is back with their most popular program of the year, Camp Creepy .  The theme this year is Twisted Circus.

Be sure to visit this fabulous family-friendly attraction on October 16 or 17  from 6pm-9pm.  With haunted houses, bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, a petting zoo, and so much more, everyone in the family will be exhausted from all the fun and excitement at Camp Creepy 2009. 

“Free parking will be provided with 3 air-conditioned buses traveling to/from Camp Creepy all night long.”  They’ll even have costumed characters on board to “twist you into a creepy Halloween mood.”

If you’re looking for something a little creepier, then join Camp Creepy after 9pm.  They will have Four Haunter Houses opening after 8pm, Creepiest Clown Costume Contest at 10pm, and the Haunted Hay Ride…definitely creepy!

Tickets are $12 (includes Camp Creepy Patch).  Click here for more information and registration.

Here are some great resources you can check out to add “creepy” to your own Halloween Bash:

Kids Halloween Party Music

The Halloween Book by Jane Bull

Scary Scenes for Halloween by Jill Williams Grover

Halloween Crafts by Fay Robinson

Until we meet again,

~Remember, Reading is Awesome!

It’s that special time of the year again, to celebrate the joy of reading with Jumpstart’s Read for the Record!  Jumpstart is an organization that understands the importanc e of volunteerism to change the lives of preschool children.  In 2006 Jumpstart created an international campaign to bring preschool children and their caregivers together to read the same book on the same day. 

At Jumpstart they “know that reading aloud with preschool children lays the groundwork for strong literacy skills and future success in school and in life.”  Read for the Record is one of the many initiatives they take to bring attention to the importance of early literacy.

The West Palm Beach Public Library is honored to take part in this international campaign; we invite you to join us on Thursday, October 8, 2009; come in any time that day to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by award -winning author and illustrator, Eric Carle , to children. 

Last year the record was broken as nearly 700,000 readers shared the story Corduroy by Don Freeman, so let’s break the record again for a goal of 1 million.  If you can’t join us on October 8, 2009, then just pledge to read with us on that day from your home/organization.

Until we meet again,

Remember, Reading is Awesome!