2013 Doodle 4 Google contest

What would you do on your best day ever? What would make it your best day ever? That's the question Google is asking all students in grades K-12 in its annual Doodle 4 Google contest.

Doodle 4 Google is a competition open to K-12 students of U.S. schools to create their own Google doodle. This year’s theme for the doodles is “My Best Day Ever…” There will be winners from each state and in five different grade groups. Students could win scholarships, tablets, a trip to NYC for the awards ceremony, and a chance to be featured on the Google homepage!

Last year's winning picture, which was featured on Google's homepage, is shown at the top of this post. You can either use the Google templates found on their entry form page or draw your own picture, as long as the Google logo is clearly visible.

All the details are listed on the entry form page. Deadline to submit doodles is Friday, March 22, 2013. Download an entry form and get drawing!

Parent Tip: Going on a Letter Hunt

While planning a bear-themed storytime this week, I was typing up a handout for parents to take home which included the rhyme "Going on a Bear Hunt." It's a fun rhyme to do with children anytime. You can even find the book in our catalog here: Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury or Going on a Lion Hunt. You can watch it here: Going a Bear Hunt video.

It starts off like this:

We’re going on a bear hunt!

We’re gonna catch a big one!

We’re not scared!

Are you?

Not me!

Look!

A hill!

We can’t get round it.

We can’t get through it.

Gonna climb over it.

(makes hill climbing actions) Huff, puff, huff, puff, huff (mimes reaching the top and looking around with eyes shaded and then running back down) Ooooh, what a loverly view! Weeeeeeeeee.

So I started thinking about an early literacy skills tip I read a while ago that suggested taking your children on a letter hunt. Let's call it a Letter Safari! Letter knowledge, learning to name letters and recognizing them everywhere, is one of the skills children will need to learn to read later.

If you're grocery shopping or waiting in a line, give your child a letter (you could start with the first letter in their name) and ask them to point everytime they spot it. For example, "Here's the letter D. Where else do you see the letter D?" Help them if needed and encourage them when they find that letter!

Using the tune for "Going on a Bear Hunt," here's a rhyme you can use on your Letter Safari:

We're going on a letter hunt.

We're looking all around.

There are so many A's

Waiting to be found.

You can change the letters or even hide some letters around your house and help your child to search for them. Have fun!

Winter Story Times!

 

Winter Story Time sessions are now underway!

 

Family Story Time, for all ages, is on Monday evenings from 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. Children may wear pajamas if they wish! Tots ‘N’ Toddlers Story Time, for children ages 2-3, is on Wednesdays from 10:15 – 10:45 a.m. or 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. Tyke Tales Story Time, for children ages 0-23 months, is on Thursdays from 10:15 – 10:35 a.m. Preschool Story Time, for children ages 4-5 who do not yet attend kindergarten, is offered on Thursday mornings from 11:15 – 11:45 a.m.

All the story times reflect the new early literacy initiative, Every Child Ready to Read, offering parents many fun and useful suggestions to help their children gain the early skills that lead to reading.

Children attending these free programs must be accompanied by an adult. One child per adult lap, please. Registration for this session is required and may be done by visiting or calling the Children’s Department at 330.832.5037.

The Massillon Public Library is located at 208 Lincoln Way East. The Street entrance is handicap accessible.

Happy New Year! Activities for Kids

Red Ted Art's Blog has a bunch of great, easy New Year's crafts for kids to work on today for New Year's parties.

You could blow up a bunch of balloons and hang them up in a stuffed toy netting and release them when the New Year's ball drops (which in our house was usually much earlier than midnight!). Or try this craft to make Christmas crackers, which releases confetti and small toys (just wrap some toys you have at home already): Christmas crackers

And finally, here's a fun song to sing to ring in the New Year with your kids:

Ring The Bells (Sung to Row Row Row Your Boat)(Give each child a set of bells)

Ring ring ring the bells

Ring them loud and clear

Let's tell everyone around

That the New Year is here!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013 FROM THE CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT AT MASSILLON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Merry Christmas from the Massillon Public Library!

This tree was spotted at the library at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN.

Need some Holiday reading?

Only one more week until Christmas! For parents that will seem like a short time to get everything done. But for children, it will seem like forever. If you have someone at home that is having trouble waiting for Santa to arrive, you might try reading Llama Llama, Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney to them. I'll bet you can relate!

"If there's one thing Llama Llama doesn't like, it's waiting. He and Mama Llama rush around, shopping for presents, baking cookies, decorating the tree....but how long is it until Christmas? Will it ever come?"

Wegivebooks.org is offering some Christmas book titles (and other snowy titles) to read online free right now. And if you're looking for another holiday classic, here's Frosty the Snowman. The website says for ages 0-3, but this classic is for all ages, really.

Fair warning though: You will need to have Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer or tablet to read these stories.

And if your children enjoy reading books online, don't forget---The Massillon Public Library website has plenty of books, videos, and puzzles/games on our Tumblebooks page. We received this Tumblebooks subscription thanks to a generous donation from the Mel Herncane family. We hope you'll take advantage of it!

It even lists the Accelerated Reader points that students can earn by reading these books.

Excited for Christmas yet? Here's a great story to get you in the mood: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Merry Reading!

Got Milk?

 

We are looking for CLEAN, empty gallon or half gallon milk jugs (clear or white only) to build our igloo for the Holiday Open House on November 17. If you have containers you could donate, please bring them to the Children's Department.

For more information, contact the Children's Department at 330.832.5037.

Thank you!