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CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT NEWS 

July 2014
 
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Frederick County Public Libraries
Greetings!  

A trip to the library this summer is a workout for your imagination! No matter what your interests are, you'll find free family-friendly activities and events that are sure to enlighten and entertain.

We are especially excited for the June 20th reveal and opening of Farm City and the STEM Lab at the C. Burr Artz Public Library in downtown Frederick. In addition to these special spaces dedicated to literacy and learning in the library, we are also thrilled with all of the wonderful Summer Reading events happening at all eight library branches across the county. With visits from Keyote and Frederick Keys' players, as well as visits from favorite and beloved children's book characters, it really is a summer of fun this year at FCPL.
 
In the event that this newsletter was forwarded to you by a friend and you would like to continue to receive information about library programs, services, and events, we invite you to sign up here for our email newsletter. 
 
We look forward to seeing you soon!

Darrell Batson, Director
Frederick County Public Libraries
In This Issue
Greeting
Farm City
STEM Lab
Book Review
OverDrive for Kids
Panda Stories
Homeschool Connections
Passport to Reading
Keep in Touch
FARM CITY
Crossroads of Knowledge & Discovery
Join us for the opening of Farm City at the C. Burr Artz Public Library. When you're done visiting Farm City, head upstairs to the 2nd floor of the C. Burr Artz Library for tours of the new STEM Lab, also opening at 12pm on June 20th.
 Farm City
Open for Play & Learning
Friday, June 20th, at 12pm

For details, visit fcpl.org
FARM CITY
Crossroads of Knowledge and Discovery

Farmland and cityscape will converge at the C. Burr Artz Public Library thanks to a new educational, interactive installation for children.

 

Interactive tractor kiosk by The Burgeon Group Created exclusively for FCPL by The Burgeon Group and modeled after the rolling farm country and cityscapes of the county, Farm City combines the resources of the library and the knowledge of librarians with a 400-square-foot space that sparks imagination and inspires interactive, self-paced learning. Multi-layered modular panels teach basic skills and concepts through creative play and adult-child interaction. The space also includes an interactive tractor, barn, and house kiosk with panels highlighting nursery rhymes, STEM themes, and aspects of Frederick County culture.

 

Research confirms that the first years of life are essential to learning, and Farm City will foster such learning. "At FCPL, we truly feel it is our job to encourage all types of learning, whether it is through books, interactive play, or other means," said Janet Vogel, Children's Services Supervisor of the C. Burr Artz Public Library. "This space has been designed specifically to meet the needs of our community and encourage such learning."Interactive play piece by The Burgeon Group

 

The space, one of the first of its kind on the East Coast, will also foster all seven domains of school readiness required in Maryland: language, math, science, technology, social studies, art, and social and physical development.

 

Farm City Reveal: Friday, June 20th, 12:00pm

Farm City will be open for children and families to explore at 12:00pm following the conclusion of the ribbon cutting ceremonies for both Farm City and the STEM Lab.

 

Farm City Grand Opening: Monday, July 7th, 11:00 am

Funding for Farm City is provided by: the Louise Lippy McMahan Trust, the C. Burr Artz Trust, the G. Frank Thomas Foundation, the Mark and Susan Butt Saturday Mornings Fund at the Frederick Community Foundation, and Delaplaine Foundation, Inc.

STEM LAB
AT C. BURR ARTZ PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Children's Department at the C. Burr Artz Public Library is pleased to announce the opening of the STEM Lab on the 2nd floor of the library in downtown Frederick. The STEM Lab will open its doors to the public at 12:00pm on Friday, June 20, with tours available from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. The STEM Lab is home to a variety of equipment that children and teens can use to explore the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

During Friday afternoon's tours visitors to the STEM Lab will be able to get a sneak peek of the equipment that will be used in future STEM programs including a 3D printer, Snap Circuits, iPad Minis, GoldieBlox, plasma ball, 3Doodler 3D Pen, robotic dinosaur, LEGO� Mindstorms and more! Friday's visitors will also get to experience a hands-on STEM activity. 

 

The STEM Lab will be open for children's programs at designated times throughout the summer. The STEM Lab schedule, including activities, programs, and times the lab will be available for drop-in play and exploration will be posted on our website at www.fcpl.org in the coming weeks. We'll be sure to keep you updated on all of the exciting innovations happening in FCPL's premiere STEM Lab.

 

STEM Lab Tours: Friday, June 20th, 12:00pm to 4:00pm 
Funding for the STEM Lab is provided by: National Center for Families Learning, AAA, KinderCare, and Frederick County Public Libraries.
BOOK REVIEW
THE HYPNOTISTS BY GORDON KORMAN

The Hypnotists by Gordon Korman book cover. Have you ever been told you have beautiful eyes? Jax Opus has heard that all his life, and often, too. His unusual eyes change color from turquoise to green, and even to purple, and he's never known anyone else with eyes like his. But, now that he's 12, he makes a fascinating and yet terrifying discovery. His eyes aren't just extraordinary in color, but they are also powerful. While he's just trying to do his best to get through middle school, it turns out that Jax is a natural born hypnotist and a superstar in the world of hypnotists.

 

What could possibly be better? Just think of all the advantages a kid could have being able to hypnotize anyone, anywhere, to get anything he wants! It's enough to make a kid's head spin. And spin Jax's head does. Except, as it turns out with most things that seem to be too good to be true, Jax soon discovers his powers will bring him far more adventure and danger than anyone his age should have to expect. Luckily for him, his best friend, Tommy, happens to be colorblind, and so he's immune from Jax's powerful spell.

 

Together Jax and Tommy must decide when and how to use this power while they avoid falling into the hands of the power hungry Dr. Elias Mako. Dr. Mako has plans of his own for Jax that include harming anyone who stands in the way of his quest for world domination. If your summer vacation has seemed a little tame so far, join in with Jax as his life grows increasingly exciting, dangerous, and even deadly! As he has done before, Gordon Korman has created yet another page-turning adventure story. Since this is the first of his latest series, you can gobble this one up and be ready for the next exciting helping of Korman's The Hypnotists series.

 
Submitted by Deb Schepp
C. Burr Artz Public Library 
OVERDRIVE FOR KIDS
EBOOKS AND AUDIOBOOKS FOR CHILDREN 
You might already be aware of the Maryland Digital eLibrary Consortium and the OverDrive apps for downloading eBooks and audiobooks for free with your library card. If you've visited our eLibrary recently you may have noticed that the Maryland Digital eLibrary Consortium website and OverDrive apps now feature an online children's reading room to help provide a "safe and vetted location for young patrons to enjoy all of the same features and benefits that other patrons can have through the main OverDrive portal."

 

The children's landing page is colorful, friendly, and features both fiction and non-fiction children's titles. Books can be sorted by subject, reading level, ATOS scores, and age groups. As with the full OverDrive app and Maryland Digital eLibrary Consortium page, you need to sign in with your library name (Frederick County Public Library) and your library card number. Be sure to take a look at the For Kids page, as well as our other eBook resources for kids, at http://fcpl.org/research/resource-guides/ebooks-kids. It could be just the thing you're looking for to make those long vacation trips go a little bit smoother.

 

Submitted by Jeanne Read

Thurmont Regional Library  

PANDA STORIES
NEW BILINGUAL CHINESE STORYTIME AT URBANA LIBRARY 

Nǐ Hǎo! Or, "Hello" in Mandarin Chinese! This is one of the many words that I've seen children learn in Urbana Regional Library's "Panda Stories" program, a monthly bilingual storytime in Chinese and English for all ages. Meeting the 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm, "Panda Stories" is taught by Li Zhou and Xin Zhang, both mothers and residents of the Villages of Urbana who grew up in China.  

 
Miss Li teaches Chinese names for animals.
 
Miss Xin reads The Very Hungry Caterpiller in Chinese.

I've known Li and Xin for nearly 2 years now as their families regularly attend my storytimes. Last summer Li made a proposal to teach a Chinese bilingual storytime at the library - and Panda Stories was born!

 

So, what might you and your child learn at our new Chinese Storytime? Well, great storytelling is at the heart of the program! Li and Xin have told classic folktales such as how the animals were selected for the Chinese Zodiac following a great race across the river, how the proud Rooster lost his antlers to the magnificent Dragon, and how the great mythological archer Houyi shot down ten suns. For the latter tale, Li created bows and arrows for each child out of Popsicle sticks and Q-tips which they used during storytime to help Houyi shoot down the ten suns!

 

Chinese culture and traditions are also shared. Last fall, Li shared stories about the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, which is still celebrated in China today. Children learned about the Moon Goddess, Chang E, and her companion the Jade Rabbit. Li also shared moon cakes, a treat enjoyed by families during the holiday. Moon cakes are beautifully molded cakes that may be salty, with a meat or vegetable filling, or sweet and loaded with dried and candied fruits, nuts, and red bean, date, or lotus pastes. H�agen-Dazs even makes an ice cream moon cake!

 

And while Americans have traditional nursery rhymes that we regularly sing to our little ones, Chinese families have their own, too. Li has taught everyone the fingerplay "Two Tigers," which is sung to the tune "Are You Sleeping, Brother John." Led by Li, the children love acting out the silly rhyme while singing the words first in English, then Chinese: Two Tigers, Two Tigers/Run so fast, Run so fast/ One has no eyes, One has no tail/So strange, So strange!

 

Panda Stories is for all ages and no registration is required! Our next session is Thursday, July 17 at 6:30 pm. We'll be learning about the Dragon Boat Festival, so come join us! Z�iji�n! (Good bye!)

 

Submitted by Robyn Monaco 

Urbana Regional Library 

HOMESCHOOL CONNECTIONS
ENRICHING YOUR HOMESCHOOL EXPERIENCE 
Summer is here and it's often a challenge to keep young minds engaged when they want to spend their time enjoying the outdoors. With this in mind, here is a small collection of books filled with outdoor activities that incorporate science, history and art. Best of all, they are educational and fun!

Preschool - Grade 5 

Summer Fun! 60 Activities for a Kid-Perfect Summer Book Cover. Let's Go Outside! Outdoor Activities and Projects to Get Your Kids Closer to Nature
by Jennifer Ward - 796.083 WARD

Summer Fun! 60 Activities for a Kid-Perfect Summer
by Susan Williamson - J 790.1 WIL

Backyard Science
by Christopher Maynard - J 507 MAY
Archaeology for Kids: Uncovering the Mysteries of Our Past: 25 Activities book cover.
Archaeology for Kids: Uncovering the Mysteries of Our Past: 25 Activities
by Richard Panchyk - J 930.1 PAN

Leonardo da Vinci for Kids
by Janis Herbe4t - J B LEONARDO

Galileo for Kids: His Life and Ideas
by Richard Panchyk - J B GALILEO
The American Revolution for Kids by Janis Herbert book cover.
The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities
by Janis Herbert - J 973.7 HER

The Civil War for Kids: A History with 21 Activities
by Janis Herbert - J 973.7 HER

Lewis and Clark for Kids: Their Journey of Discovery with 21 Activities
by Janis Herbert - J 916.804 HERB 

 

Submitted by Penny Stockton 

Thurmont Regional Library 

PASSPORT TO READING
There's still plenty of time left in the summer for you to enjoy the Summer Reading Program! Summer Reading activities keep younger readers and students engaged in reading throughout the summer. The Summer Reading Program also brings a lot of special, exciting activities to the FCPL branches. Passport to Reading is a fun way to participate in the Summer Reading Program and enjoy many of the special activities offered all all eight FCPL locations.

Passport to Reading is printed on the back of the Summer Reading Program gameboards for children and teens. Take your gameboard with you as you visit FCPL branches during the summer. Each branch will validate your gameboard during your visit. When you have validated your gameboard at all FCPL locations, get a special keychain prize and have your name entered into a branch prize drawing for a great set of prizes: a $20 PNC gift card, a signed Keys basbeall, a FCPL backpack, and 4 tickets to the Maryland Science Center. Each branch will award one set of prizes to one lucky reader who completes his or her passport.

Get extra fun out of your branch visits by picking different activities to attend at each branch. During July you could enjoy a concert by the band Milkshake in Brunswick, get some laughs at Fun with Flow Circus at the C. Burr Artz Public Library in Frederick, meet book character Biscuit at Point of Rocks, and stretch your imagination with Dinosaurs Meet Barbies in Middletown. Drop by Urbana to be amazed by STEMonstrations on Wednesday afternoons, head up to Emmitsburg to join in Ooey-Gooey Science, and play with bubbles in Thurmont! There's a lot of fun waiting for you as you complete your Passport to Reading!

Check out the FCPL website or the summer edition of Bookmarks for all of our program information so you can get the most out of your Summer Reading Program library travels. We hope to see you soon!

Submitted by Caroline O'Connell
Brunswick Branch Library

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Thanks, See you around the library!


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