News From the Children's Room Summer 2016

Affordable Things to do on Long Island Summer 2016
The Children's Librarians Association of Suffolk County (CLASC) has put together a list of Affordable Things to do on Long Island this summer!  All admission fees are $8 and under.  The list is organized by location, including: Bay Shore, Calverton, Centereach, Cold Spring Harbor, East Islip, Flanders, Greenport, Holtsville, Huntington Station, Islandia, Islip, Mattituck, Northport, Port Jefferson, Quogue, Ridge, Riverhead, Sag Harbor, Sayville, Smithtown, Southhampton, Stony Brook and Yaphank. 
To access the list, simply click on the link above.  The link can also be found under Things to Do in Your Community on our Resources page.

Summer Reading Club Fitness Bingo
Have some fun and get fit this summer! Pick up your Fitness Bingo Board at the Children’s Reference desk or when you sign up for the Summer Reading Club. Each time you complete an activity mark off the box.  You must complete each activity 5 times in order to mark off one box. When you have a Bingo you can bring your sheet to the Children’s Department to pick up a prize.

Check out the list of activities here:
25 Jumping Jacks
20 High Knees
10 Push Ups
1 minute Skipping
1 minute Crab Walk
15 Giant Steps
15 Hops Right Foot
1 minute Jump Rope
20 Toe Touches
20 Sit Ups
1 minute Walk on Tip Toe
15 Frog Jumps
Walk up 50 Stairs
20 Wall Jumps
5 Tuck Jumps
15 second Wall Sit
1 minute Walk on Heels
5 Broad Jumps
15 Small Arm Circles
30 seconds Running In Place                                                      Check out the board here.
15 Large Arm Circles
15 Ski Jumps
15 Hops Left Foot

If you need help with any of the moves, simply ask a librarian!


Bookmark Contest
Get creative and design a bookmark that goes with our Summer Reading Club theme, On Your Mark, Get Set…READ! Children entering grades 1st-5th can pick up a bookmark template at the children’s reference desk. Entries are due by Friday, July 29th. Two winning bookmark designs will be copied and distributed in the library during the month of August.


Harbes Family Farm Library Pass 
The library now has a pass to Harbes Children’s Farm located at 715 Sound Avenue, Mattituck. The pass allows for 2 adults and 2 children under 16 years or age admission to the Barnyard Adventure. The Harbes Farm Barnyard Adventure is an interactive experience nestled in the heart of a 100 acre working farm. The farm is home to chickens, cows, ducks, sheep, goats, ponies, pigs, bunnies and more. Some fun activities include Pony rides, Bounce House, Chick Hatchery, Goat Mountain Slide, and Gem Mining. 
Reserve the pass online here or call 631-363-6133.

1KB4K Achievement

Congratulations to Phinnea P. for completing 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten!

She is the second child to complete the program since its launch in October 2014!

See how everyone stacks up so far:

6 children have reached 
50 Books

7 children have reached 
100 Books

4 children have reached 

150 Books
4 children have reached 
200 Books

2 children have reached 

300 Books

2 children have reached

350 Books

2 children have reached 

550 Books
1 child has reached
650 Books

1 child has reached

750 Books

1 child has reached

900 Books

and 2 children have completed 1,000 Books!

Keep up the good work!

Check out our 1KB4K Wall of Achievement to see pictures of all children who complete the program.

Stage 4: Butterfly

The fourth and final stage in the life cycle of a butterfly is the Adult Butterfly stage.  After the butterfly first emerges from its chrysalis, both of the wings will be soft and folded against its body.  After it has rested, it will pump blood in to the wings in order to get them working.  After about 3 or 4 hours this process will be complete, and the butterfly will be able to fly!

This butterfly has just hatched and it's wings are still soft...see how they droop a little bit at the tips?

Check out some of our other Butterfly posts:

Caterpillars!

Stage 2: Caterpillars

Stage 3: Chrysalis (Pupa)

Check out this video of one of the newly hatched butterflies flexing it's wings!

Great Picture Books to Read This Summer!

Heat Wave at Mud Flat by James Stevenson

Summersaults by Douglas Florian

Fireflies at Midnight by Marilyn Singer

Katie Catz Makes a Splash by Anne Rockwell

Lucille Camps In by Kathryn Lasky

Beach Day by Patricia Lakin

One Is a Snail, Ten Is a Crab by April and Jeff Sayre

Pick, Pull, Snap! Where Once A Flower Bloomed by Lola Schaefer and Lindsay Barrett George 

Zigby Camps Out by Brian Peterson

Building Our House by Jonathan Bean

If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano

Inside, Outside by Lizi Boyd

Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin

Ol' Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein

Rabbit and the Not-So-Big-Bad Wolf by Jill Esbaum

Dirt On My Shirt by Jeff Foxworthy

Exclamation Mark! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz

On A Beam of Light by Jennifer Berne

Stardines Swim High Across the Sky by Jack Prelutsky

The Granddaughter Necklace by Sharon Wyeth

To The Beach! by Linda Ashman

Duck and Goose Go To The Beach by Tad Hills

A Summery Saturday Morning by Margaret Mahy

Harry by the Sea by Gene Zion

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena

Marilyn's Monster by Michelle Knudsen

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Summer Reading Club 2016!

Click on the tab above to find out everything you need to know about our Summer Reading Club! 

Caterpillars!

We have caterpillars in the Children's Room again this year!  Stop by and check them out.  In the mean time, read up on the different stages of a butterfly's life with these posts:

Stage 2: Caterpillars

Stage 3: Pupa (Chrysalis)

Also, check out this video of one chrysalis exercising it's defense mechanism against what it thinks is a threat - but is really just another caterpillar.

Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Reading Lists

Please visit our Leveled Reading Lists tab (above) for an explanation of the Fountas and Pinnell Leveling system.  All of our leveled reading lists are available for you to browse.  Links are included to the record for the book in our catalog so you can see if it is currently available.

At this time there are partially completed lists for levels A-Y.  The lists will be updated regularly as we continue to level our collection.

If you would like to know what reading level a specific title is, please call or visit the Children's Reference Desk and a librarian will be happy to assist you.

Happy 100th Birthday Beverly Cleary!

Happy 100th Birthday, Beverly Cleary!

Thank you for Ramona, Mitch & Amy, Maggie, Ribsy, Henry, Ellen, Socks, Otis, Ralph, Emily, Beezus and Leigh!

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Over a year and a half ago we officially launched our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program.  We just want to remind you that this program is ongoing throughout the year and you may sign up for it at any time.  Additionally, if you have already signed up, don't forget to bring in your reading logs.  Every time you complete a reading log you get a prize!

Here are the numbers so far:

7 children have reached 
50 Books!

5 children have reached 
100 Books!
4 children have reached 
150 Books!
3 children have reached 200 Books!
1 child has reached 
250 Books!
4 children have reached 
300 Books!
3 children have completed 400 Books!
1 child has completed 750 Books!

and 1 child has completed 1000 Books!

Keep up the good work!

Recommended books are marked with a special sticker, but you can read any book you want!  Just be sure to mark it down and bring in your log so you can get your prize!  Check out the display in the front window of the Children's Department at the library to browse through our selection of books.

If you do not know what 1000 Books Before Kindergarten is, keep reading to find out how the program works!

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What is 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten?

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It is a free reading program that promotes early literacy.  The concept is simple. Read a book (any book) to your newborn, infant, or toddler and keep track of how many you read. The goal is simply to have read 1,000 books before your child starts kindergarten.

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Is it possible to read 1,000 books that quickly?

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Absolutely! If you read just 1 book a night, you will have read about 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have more time than you think!

The library will facilitate the program by helping you to keep track of how many books you have read and by handing out prizes as you reach different milestones in the program.

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Why should I participate?

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Good question!  Early literacy is an important part of your child’s early education.  Reading together each day will help them to prepare for kindergarten and the educational demands they must eventually meet.  

D.E.A.R.

Celebrate "Drop Everything and Read"

Join us for this national, month-long celebration by dropping everything (chores, errands, paperwork, staplers...ok, maybe not that last one) to read!

Ever since Beverly Cleary wrote about D.E.A.R. in Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (pages 40-41), D.E.A.R. programs have been held nationwide.

Find the book here.

Simply read at home, or anywhere really, to celebrate!  Remember to make reading a priority not only this month, but every month!

See you in the library!