What's New for Parents
Current Size: 100%
text size
Subscribe to this blog: 
Children's Literary Theater
Come to the Edenvale Branch Library Community Room on Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 3:30 PM to see some creative teens acting out or interpreting various children's stories. These polished and animated teens have participated in local or national speech competitions. You are welcome to join us for a highly entertaining hour of stories which will be a treat for children and their families.
This event will be repeated at the following locations:
Almaden Branch Library Thursday, August 18, 2011 - 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Vineland Branch Library Monday, August 29, 2011 - 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Getting Ready for School? Check Us Out!
Are you getting your child ready for school? Or are you wondering what this school year will bring? Or are you already worried about the afterschool struggle with homework? Well, there's help for you! We have a collection especially geared for the needs of children and parents and school. The collection includes test prep guides, workbooks for math and English, and books on how to help your child succeed at school. The collection is called the Educational Resource Center.
Two series titles that introduce what content each grade is likely to cover are:
Making the Grade: Everything Your 1st Grader Needs to Know
and What Your First Grader Needs to Know.
In the collection, we also have some very popular workbooks on various subjects by the publisher Spectrum. Some examples are the Math and Test workbooks:
and Spectrum California Test Practice Grade 4
We also have the Scholastic Explains Homework Series which is excellent to use in helping your child with particular subjects. There is the Scholastic Explains Writing Homework and the Scholastic Explains Reading Homework which explains English homework so well.
For general guides on helping your child with homework, there are:
How to Help Your Child with Homework by Jeanne Schumm
and 20-minute Learning Connection by Douglas B. Reeves.
The last series that I would like to recommend to help children with reading is called Comprehension and Critical Thinking, a compendium of articles from Time for Kids. There are six titles in the series for grades 1-6.
Teaching Young Children About Friendship and Tolerance
Once again, world news has focused on a terrorist act, this time in Norway. The alleged shooter believes that his country should not tolerate anyone who comes to live there from mid-east countries. How do parents respond to such news?
One way is to be sure to teach young children about friendship and tolerance. Materials that can be checked out from the San José Public Library can aid in illustrating this lesson. I would like to highlight three books that can be used for this important task.
Margaret and Margarita, Margarita y Margaret is a picture book by Lynn Reiser that is in both English and Spanish. It is about two children that meet at a park. Although they do not speak each other's language, they have a great time and look forward to playing together in the park again.
Cat and Mouse, written by Tomek Bogacki, is the first in a series of picture books featuring the title characters. In this book, a kitten and a young mouse become friends, not knowing that they are supposed to be enemies. Their siblings also meet, and all play happily together.
And to Think That We Thought That We'd Never Be Friends was written by Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Starting with the children of one family and ending with the entire world, people discover how quickly they can end an argument and learn to be friends.
Come to your local public library and check out the resources available to parents and caregivers about teaching tolerance and friendship to young children!
Reading to Children and Reading Buddies at Almaden Library
We've got some good news and some better news!
First, the good news. Storytimes at Almaden Branch and other San José libraries will not occur during August. Why is this good news? The librarians will be taking a break from storytimes in order to re-charge themselves to offer even better storytimes in September and beyond.
Now, the better news! Almaden Library will offer these great storytime alternatives in August:
Reading to Children
Let your children listen to stories read by an experienced reader in the beautiful Children's Library at the branch. Your children can pick the books that they want to hear or can leave it up to the reader. This service is aimed at children up to age 12. No appointment is necessary — just drop in!
Our readers and the convenient times they read to children:
Stephanie — Wednesdays at 1:00-2:00 PM
Michele — Thursdays at 1:00-2:00 PM (Michele will be off on July 28)
Laura — Fridays at 1:30-2:15 PM
Christian — Saturdays at 12:00-1:00 PM (Christian will be off on July 30 and August 6)
Reading Buddies
What: Reading Buddies are trained teen volunteers that can either read to your child or help your child practice reading. Younger children can have 1-on-1 time with a caring, enthusiastic teen mentor who will help them practice their reading in a low-stress environment.
When: Every Wednesday at 5:30-6:30 PM in the Children's Library at the branch
Almaden Library storytimes will be back in September, and so will these great alternatives. Stay tuned to the Events Calendar, call the library for information at (408) 808-3040, or come in and pick up a print calendar.
For Goodness Snakes
Monday, July 18, 2011 - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm in the Edenvale Branch Library Community Room
This one-of-a-kind educational experience will introduce you and your family to the fascinating world of reptiles. You’ll also have the opportunity to hold and interact with these docile animals! This fun program is made possible through the generous contributions of the Friends of the Edenvale Branch Library.
Would you like to learn more about reptiles? Here are two suggestions:
Slither and Crawl: Eye to Eye with Reptiles written and illustrated by Jim Arnosky is a nice introduction to a variety of reptiles, including snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodiles and alligators. Fold-out pages show beautiful illustrations of life-size reptiles.
Do You Know About Reptiles? by Buffy Silverman contains colorful photographs of a variety of reptiles. There is a glossary in the back as well as suggestions for further reading.
Free Legal Clinics From Volunteer Attorneys
Starting Tuesday, July 19, volunteer attorneys from the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California (VABANC) and the Katherine & George Alexander Community Law Center (Santa Clara Law School) will be at Tully Community Branch Library to give free legal information from 6-8 PM. This service will be offered once a month on every 3rd Tuesday of the month at the same time.
Vietnamese speaking attorneys, law students, and translators will be available to give free general legal information in the following areas:
• Divorce/Family Law • Domestic Violence/Restraining Orders
• Bankruptcy • Business Disputes • Consumer issues
• Employment Problems • Workers' Compensation
• Immigration • Public Benefits (SSI, SSDI, etc) • Criminal Law • Tenant/Landlord
You can drop in or make an appointment at (408) 512-3818.
Chắc có lẻ đây là lần đầu tiên chúng ta có một Chương Trình Tham Vấn Luật Pháp Miễn Phí như thế này cho cọng đồng Việt Nam tại San Jose. Khi cộng tác với những đoàn thể nói trên, chúng tôi mong rằng chương trình này sẽ giúp cho quý vị tìm hiểu thêm về luật pháp.
Quý vị có thể đến khi chúng tôi có chương trình hay gọi để lấy hẹn ở số (408) 512-3818.
Caught on Camera: A Writing Program for Kids and Teens
Do you know what your toothbrush really does when you’re at school?
This summer, challenge your imaginative skills with the Society of Young Inklings
writing challenge, presented in collaboration with San José Public Library.
Step One: Create Your Character
Transform an everyday object into a character. Anything is possible: Bananas
in Peril, Flashlights in Love, or a Hose on the Fritz.
Step Two: Take Your Character On The Town
Take your character on four outings. On each outing, snap your character‘s
photo and write an account of their extraordinary tale.
Step Three: Submit Your Writing
Submit your episodes to the Society of Young Inklings between June 1 and
August 15, 2011—We’ll post them on the Caught on Camera blog.
Step Four: Celebrate!
Participants who complete the challenge are invited to an exclusive celebration
on August 20, 2011 at the Willow Glen Branch Library; complete with a Skype visit from author, Lisa Yee,
games and, of course, delicious treats!
For more information, please visit caught-on-camera.younginklings.com
Celebrating Independence Day
Our Independence Day will be on Monday, July 4th. The library has several books and resources to help your child learn more about this special holiday and discover fun and memorable ways to celebrate it! Here are some recommended titles:
Books
Independence Day: Birthday of the United States by Elaine Landau
Learn about the meaning and history of Independence Day, the day when the United States declared its independence from England in 1776. This is a substantial book that contains historical facts about this holiday, information on how it is celebrated and two fun projects that you and your child can work on to celebrate: "Glitter Sparklers" and "Celebration Ice Cream Sundae."
Fourth of July Fireworks by Patrick Merrick
Ever wonder how Fourth of July fireworks are used and made? This book contains intriguing information about the Independence Day holiday and the fireworks that are used to make this holiday exciting, festive and memorable.
Star Spangled Crafts by Kathy Ross
Have a fun Independence Day by creating something special! This book will teach you and your child how to make a variety of Independence Day themed crafts, such as a firecracker lapel pin, a flag mosaic, an American eagle magnet and much more!
Ways to Celebrate
Here are fun ways to celebrate Independence Day:
- Attend the Rose, White & Blue Parade! Enjoy live music, arts & crafts booth, antique & classic car show and picnic on the Alameda. The parade starts at 10am at W. San Carlos and Shasta Ave on Monday, July 4th.
- Attend one of several fireworks shows that will be happening throughout the Bay Area!
Please see a librarian at your library for more recommendations.
Meet Squish!
Squish is an amoeba who first appears in Babymouse: Mad Scientist, written by sister and brother team Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. Squish also appears in his own series, starting with volume one, Squish, Super Amoeba. These kid friendly graphic novels are great for readers of all ages, especially elementary school students.
Do you want to learn more? Please visit the following websites:
In addition to reading graphic novels, do you like to create your own graphic novels? If so, please check out our Graphic Novel Making Contest. Happy reading, writing and drawing!
Fun Things To Do in July
Like most parents, I have already signed up my children for the summer reading program. My soon to be second grader wants to know "what else is going on at the library where you work, Mom." While I jot down a list of fun things for her and her little sister to do at the Tully Library, I thought I'd share it with the rest of the parents in this community.
At the top of my list is the For Goodness Snakes program. I hosted this program last year and everyone was absolutely fascinated with these amazing creatures. It was wonderful to see both children and adults interacting with these fearsome looking, but quite gentle animals. This is one program that Natalie will not miss this year!
There are four more items on that list of mine. For my youngest daugher, I have the Music & Movement program to keep her entertained. I also include Monsters of the World just in case Natalie likes to be scared a little. For the family, the Kids in the Kitchen and the Spectacular Smoothie programs will be fun and educational at the same time. Hopefully, everyone will learn to make healthier snacks after these workshops.
If you haven't signed up for tons of activities for your children already this summer, please check out these fun and free programs at your local library.
Interests
Tags
1st Grade Booklist books business children eBooks fiction films kids King Library music reading teensBlog Archives
- May 2013 (51)
- April 2013 (52)
- March 2013 (67)
- February 2013 (62)
