The Children's Room is for the Birds!

If you approach the library from the back of the building, you can see a small birdhouse attached to a tree..

Shhhh.......there's somebody sleeping in there! There are 3 newly hatched house sparrows....

and now they hear someone approaching---Mom! Feed me! Feed me!

 

If you watch carefully, you may see Mom feeding her babies, and then sitting on them to keep them safe and warm

 Thanks to the Garden Club, we have a video camera and TV monitor installed in the Children's Room --Come on down, pull up a chair....and watch our babies grow!

.

LOOK AT OUR NEW SHELVES !!!

I arrived at work on Monday morning to be greeted by the beautiful display shelving I'd been dreaming about for months! Thanks to our talented carpenter, we now have a space to show off all of our new books. We have lots of new non-fiction, chapter books, picture books, and early readers---so come on down to the Children's Room and check some out!
In case you're wondering what happened to all of the VHS and DVD movies that used to be in this spot, the VHS collection has been discontinued, and the DVD collection is now housed next to the audiobooks.

We had a blast!!!

What a wonderful April vacation we've had! We started out on Tuesday afternoon with a visit from Keith Michael Johnson, otherwise known as THE AMAZING BUBBLEMAN---and he was--Amazing!!! Over 60 children gathered to "oooh" and "ahhh" at the bubbles, and laugh at loud at his antics. The 30+ adults that were here had just as much fun as the kids (maybe even more, if that's possible!).

On Wednesday, we hosted a TEDDY BEAR SLEEPOVER---and what a grand time they had! First, we enjoyed a teddy-bear storyhour, complete with teddy-snacks and a short movie. Next, we made pillows for each of our special stuffed lovies...And finally, each child tucked his or herstuffed animal into a special spot in the Children's Room, to sleep for the night. Miss Sarah and Miss Melody took pictures of all the mischief they got into while they were supposed to be asleep! By opening time on Thursday morning, all the animals were quietly sitting on a shelf, ready to be picked up by their loved ones....



And on Thursday morning, we were lucky enough to have a visit from a staff member and some animals from the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne State Park. Scott brought a selection of tidal pool creatures to show to the children. They learned a lot about these animals, and had a chance to gently handle them.

APRIL VACATION IS COMING!!

Next week is school vacation week, and we've got lots of things planned here in the Children's Room. On Tuesday afternoon, Keith Michael Thomas, otherwise known as THE AMAZING BUBBLE MAN will be visiting us to demonstrate the science and the magic of---BUBBLES!! We've heard from reliable sources that this show truly is "Amazing!!" We are asking people to register to help us estimate space needs, but there's room for everyone, so make sure you put this on your calendar.
On Wednesday evening, at 6:30, we'll be hosting a TEDDYBEAR SLEEPOVER party! Bring one of your special stuffed toys (but make sure it's someone you can sleep without!) and we'll gather in the story room for some Teddybear stories and songs and a little snack. Feel free to come in your 'jammies! Then we'll each make a special pillow for our stuffed friends, find the perfect spot in the Children's Room for them to spend the night, give them a kiss, and go on home. Beginning at noon the next day, your stuffed friends will be available for pickup, and we'll have photos of what they were actually doing during their library sleepover! It's lots of fun, and space is limited, so sign up now!



We'll have a "Rainbow Windsock" craft set up at the Make-it/Take-it table all week long. Make sure to stop by and get creative!

If you love trains, then the Children's Room is the place to be during vacation week. Miss Sarah will set up the train table for everyone to use. There are trains available, but if you want to bring some of your own to run on our tracks, feel free!---just make sure to label them with your name so we know they're yours.

I hope to see all of you next week!

PAWS-FOR-READING at the library

Belle, a beautiful mixed-breed dog, is going to be visiting the Children’s Room on several different dates this spring. Belle just loves to listen to stories, and is hoping that some of you will come and read to her!

Her person, Nancy, is a retired special-ed teacher and a grandmother, who adopted Belle 6 years ago, and has helped her to earn her Canine Good Citizen certification and R.E.A.D. training. She will be bringing Belle to visit on Wednesday, April 13 from 3:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon. They will return on Saturday, April 16, from10:30 to 11:30 in the morning. “Team Belle” will also visit in May and June.

To sign up to read to Belle, or for more information, please call us at 673-2288 or visit our website calendar at www.amherst.lib.nh.us.

Learning a Language at the Library

This just in---! We're updating our collection of children's language media. We will now be offering
Little Pim DVD's for very young children, and Muzzy programs for elementary-age children. These are both award-winning approaches to early foreign-language acquisition, so come on in, and give them a try! Programs in French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese are available.

SCHOOL VACATION WEEK FUN

Wow! Even though we were here in cold, snowy New Hampshire for our vacation week---we had a lot of fun! Several hardy souls made it out on a stormy Monday to watch "Lilo and Stitch" and munch on popcorn. On Tuesday, we got in touch with our 'inner dancers'---dressing up in grass skirts, and movin' to some tropical tunes! Wednesday's Indoor Beach Party was a big hit---we had fresh fruit smoothies and pretzels to snack on while listening to stories from the seaside---then Miss Sarah got everyone up and moving to the "Boogie Board Boogie" and other original songs. Thanks so much to Miss Sarah's helpers---Meghan (smoothie-maker extraoridinare!), Ben (headwaiter at the smoothie table), and Cassandra(expert facepainter!). Thursday's Craft Club got together and made some amazing Lion Pillows---it was hard work, but they were up to the challenge---the pillows came out great. Thanks to Kali and Shelley for helping out!
Check out the slideshow to the right to see more pictures!