Crafty Sites

Not being a crafty person, I found that these sites have a lot to offer. I was searching for the perfect dryer lint play dough. I found it, made it, and it was the most disgusting thing I have ever made! Luckily I tried it out at home before making at the library. It was cold, slimy and had pet hair in it. I couldn't in good conscience allow the the library kids to make it! My daughter said it looked like, "cat yaak." So we made colorful, smelly, sparkly, Kool-Aid dough! This site has it all. Including dryer lint dough ... if you are feeling daring!http://www.justkidsrecipes.com/inxkcl.html
Have fun!
Laureen

http://www.primarygames.com/
This site was created by Susan Shuey who originally designed the educational games in this site for her own students. However, she saw their growing popularity among children around the world. She decided to expand this site and create games for students everywhere. An eye appealing, easy to navigate and varied site. Contains seasonal games and activities.

http://www.familyeducation.com/home/
At FamilyEducation.com, you can play games with your kids in the Family Entertainment Center, find arts and crafts projects and after-school activities, and explore ideas, decorations, and homemade gifts for the holidays. Don't miss the game and toy recommendations, and movies database!

http://www.first-school.ws/
First-School features free fun preschool lesson plans, educational early childhood activities, printable crafts, worksheets, calendar of events and other resources for children of preschool age. The preschool crafts, lesson plans and activities are appropriate and adaptable for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarten level (ages 2 to 6).
First-School's content is ideal for home schooling, preschool and kindergarten teachers, daycare, child care providers, after-school and babysitters.

http://alphabet-soup.net/index.html
Alphabet Soup--for the young and the "young at heart"! Alphabet Soup contains thematic units, holiday units, games and activities for kids; teacher and parent resources; and crafts, humor and recipes for all! Be sure to check out the Kindergarten Kafe, recipes dictated by 5-year-olds! Includes plenty of free printables!

http://familyfun.com/
This website includes all the great things FamilyFun, the country's number one family magazine, publishes ... only more. This site is about all the great things families can do together; travel, food, crafts, parties, holidays, games, activities, and products--all the essentials that enrich the important time parents and children share.

Carolyn W. Field Award Criteria

The Carolyn W. Field Award 2010 committee has chosen the nominees listed below for this year's award. The award will be presented at the Pennsylvania Library Association Annual Conference in Lancaster, October 24-27. The books have met the following eligibility requirements: the author or illustrator was a Pennsylvania resident at the time of publication, the book carries a 2009 copyright date, and the book has as its potential audience children from preschool through sixteen years of age.

Bagram Ibatoulline, PA Illustrator. Crow Call, Scholastic Press.
Beth Fantaskey, PA Author. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Harcourt
Matt Phelan, PA Illustrator. The Storm in the Barn, Candlewick Press
Melissa Wyatt, PA Author. Funny How Things Change, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, PA Authors. My Name is Sangoel, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers


In order to cast your ballot, please read the nominated books with the following criteria in mind:

The value of the book as literature
The uniqueness of the text and/or illustrations
The clarity and style of the text
The purpose and aesthetic value of the illustrations
The contribution of the design and format
The value to the intended audience
The potential acceptance by the intended audience


Please use the link below to cast your vote for the Carolyn W. Field Award book for 2010. The nominated books are included in the ballot.
Here is a link to the ballot:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2bIdQBY2033kaAKnokgx0Aw_3d_3d

Please respond by Friday, June 4, after which the ballot will be closed.

This link is uniquely tied to this ballot and your email address, please do not forward this message. Once your vote is cast, you will not be able to return to the ballot. Your vote is anonymous and emails will not be tied to responses.


Thanks for your participation!

Bianca Roberts
Carolyn W. Field Award Chair

YALSA programs at ALA Conference in DC

Hi Everyone!

Here is some information I have been asked to share with you from YALSA. If you can't make the conference, check out their website for some great ideas on teen programming. www.ala.org/yalsa.

Laureen

YALSA is coming to DC! In addition to our special events at ALA's Annual Conference (see them all at http://www.tinyurl.com/yalsaac10), we have two pre-Annual workshops on Friday, June 25 that you can attend without registering for Annual.

It's Perfectly Normal: Dealing with "Sensitive" Topics in Teen Services (Ticketed Event-- YALSA Member: $195; ALA Member: $235; Non-Member: $285; Student/Retired Member: $195.) Friday, 9-5. Have you ever found yourself worrying about how best to address critical but sensitive adolescent topics through your teen services and collection? Topics like sexuality, abuse, privacy and others can be difficult for librarians to address with teens &/or their parents and caregivers. Hear from experts in the field of adolescent development, along with authors and librarians, about how they have managed to successfully maneuver this difficult landscape. Explore strategies for collection development, services and programming relating to these sensitive issues. Authors participating: Ben Saenz, Laurie Halse Anderson, Nina LaCour, David Levithan, and Ellen Hopkins.

Promoting Teen Reading with Web 2.0 Tools (Ticketed Event-$99) Friday, 12:30-4:30. The participatory web has transformed adolescent literacy, as young people create and consume a new range of online content. Are you ready for it? Learn how libraries can use free web 2.0 tools to connect teens with reading and writing opportunities within and beyond your library collection. Librarians, reporters, and academics will explore teens' daily use of technology and the interaction of digital and print reading channels, including fan fiction and gaming. YA authors will discuss leveraging readership through social networking channels. Authors participating: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Malinda Lo, John Green, David Levithan.

If you are planning to attend ALA Annual Conference, you can add either event to your registration at www.ala.org/annual.

If you have already registered and would like to add this special event to your registration, you have two options: (1) By phone: Call ALA Registration at 1-800-974-3084 and ask to add a workshop to your existing registration; (2) Online: Add an event to your existing registration by clicking on - http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=Events&Template=/CFApps/Experient/Redirect.cfm&Meeting=A10. Use your log in and password to access your existing Annual registration and add events in the “Your Events” section (screen 6). Then simply check out and pay for the events you have added.

To register only for either of the pre-Annual workshops, please fill out the form at http://yalsa.ala.org/annual/event.pdf (skip Section I) and either mail or fax it to 800-521-6017 or mail it to: ALA Registration and Housing Headquarters
568 Atrium Dr.
Vernon Hills, IL 60061

Questions? Contact us at yalsa@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4390. Hope to see you in DC!

-Stevie

Stephanie (Stevie) Kuenn
Communications Specialist
Young Adult Library Services Association
skuenn@ala.org
v: 312.280.2128
f: 312.280-5276

Carolyn Field Nominees Selected

Hi Everyone,
Now that the snows of winter have ended, the roads are clear and the smell of spring is in the air , we are ready for new challenges ... Fun ones like reading the Carolyn Field nominees. "There were many excellent books this year and the committee members engaged in a long deliberation to compile this list. We are sure that you will find at least one book that "calls" to you - your difficulty may arise, as ours did, when trying to choose just one favorite! Enjoy!" I quote the indefatigable Anita Ditz !
The committee worked long and hard to choose these books. Please read them and then vote when the ballot comes out. I would like to see a record number of librarians voting! Please feel free to add your comments about the books to this post. It may encourage others to read them.

The Nominees Are:

Bagram Ibatoulline, PA Illustrator. Crow Call, Scholastic Press.
Beth Fantaskey, PA Author. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Harcourt
Matt Phelan, PA Illustrator. The Storm in the Barn, Candlewick Press
Melissa Wyatt, PA Author. Funny How Things Change, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, PA Authors. My Name is Sangoel, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

YSD members, check your e-mails for the link to vote.

Thank you ladies for doing such a great job!
Laureen

2010 Grammy for Best Children's Musical Album

The Grammy Award show was great this year with Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Lady Gaga but my favorite part is the part not ever shown, the Grammy Award for the best children's album. There were some really great performers up for a Grammy this year. Ziggy Marley, Cathy & Marcy and my personal favorites that I use all the time, Greg & Steve. It is always gratifying when the artists are actually children's performing artists, not cross-overs who are just trying to capitalize on the explosion of music for children.
Here is the list of the Nominees and the winner!

WINNER
Ziggy Marley. Family Time

Cathy & Marcy With Special Guest Christyle Bacon.

Banjo To Beatbox

Milkshake. Great Day



Buck Howdy. Pete Seeger Tribute - Ageless Kids' Songs

Greg & Steve. Jumpin' & Jammin'

Best Spoken Word Album for Children 2010

Buck Howdy

Aaaaah! Spooky, Scary Stories & Songs

So load up the I-POD's and try some new work out music! With the ear buds in, who is going to know. But really, who cares!

Carolyn W. Field Award

The Carolyn W. Field Award was established in 1983 by the Youth Services Division of the Pennsylvania Library Association. A Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania, Carolyn Wicker Field retired in 1983 from the Free Library of Philadelphia where she served as Coordinator of Work with Children for 30 years. Each year the Youth Services Division presents this award, which recognizes the best books for young people by a Pennsylvania author or illustrator.
The Carolyn Field committee solicits books from publishers, the committee reviews the books, and then makes a final selection of 5. Over the years there has been a wide variety of books selected, from picture books to young teen, fiction to non-fiction. A good book is a good book! The chosen selections are sent out to Youth Services Division members who then vote for their choice.

The 2009 winner was:Susan Campbell Bartoletti, for The Boy Who Dared .

In October, 1942, seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hubener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people.

The 2010 committee is currently working to select 5 books for nomination for the award. The committee will be announcing the nominated titles in February.

Bianca Roberts, Chair Carolyn Fields Award Committee
Becky Sheridan
Patte Kelley
Anita Ditz
Barbara McNutt

I thank this year's committee and we are looking for volunteers for the 2011 committee. Only requirement is that you like to read! Any takers? Let me know.

Laureen

New Year , New Challenges!

My name Laureen Maloney and want to introduce myself and two other members of the YS division, Mary Glendening , vice-chair, from Narbeth Community Library and Patte Kelley, secretary/treasurer from Carnegie Library. As the new board members, we have an awesome responsibility. This initial communication is the hardest to make. After this it will be easier. As I tell my staff, "baby steps". One of the reasons I haven't sent anything out until now is that I am going through "the binder". I need to understand how the division functions and it's role and responsibilities in PalA. I'm beginning to understand!

I recognize we are are all feeling overwhelmed at our libraries with staff and budget reductions, but I hope we can over come the challenges to do our best and continue providing quality services to our patrons. Together we can achieve great things and I ask your help in keeping the Youth Services Division a vital part of PaLA.

Stay tuned ... there's more to come!

Thank you

Laureen

Laureen M. Maloney
Head of Children's Services
Lackawanna County Children's Library
520 Vine Street
Scranton, PA. 18509
570-348-3000 ext. 3027
www.albright.org/childrens
lmaloney@albright.org

National Poetry Day!

Here is a great article - an interview with a children's librarian - on why it's important to share poetry with children: http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/poetry/librarian_interview.html

Best Practices

We need your Best Practices Award entries. Why? Because now more than ever it is so important to remind everyone how valuable libraries are to the communities they serve. So please share your best practices so that we can recognize public libraries from across the state that have innovative and successful programs in place for children, families and caregivers.

The deadline for applications is October 30. Remember, you can enter in more than one category. Mark your calendars now for the Best Practices Awards application deadline. *NEW FOR 2010 – BONUS POINTS WILL BE AWARDED TO FIRST TIME APPLICANTS*

Week of September 7, 2009 – PaLA Best Practices Award applications issued
October 30, 2009 – PaLA Best Practices Award entries due
April 14, 2010 – PaLA Early Learning Forum and Best Practices Awards luncheon,
Hilton Harrisburg

Again, PaLA will distribute the Best Practices in Early Learning booklets featuring the Best Practices award winners and their library programs at the PaLA Early Learning Forum and Best Practices Awards luncheon on April 14 in Harrisburg. In order to have those booklets ready for distribution at that event, the deadline for applications is October 30.

This year’s awards program again includes a category for innovative programs conducted in conjunction with the One Book, Every Young Child program utilizing the selected 2009 book, If You Were A Penguin.

Attendees at the Early Learning Forum and Best Practices Awards luncheon will have an opportunity to learn from and meet Jane and Will Hillenbrand, the author and illustrator of the 2010 One Book, Every Young Child selection, What a Treasure. Other leaders in the field of early learning also will be speaking. All Best Practices Award winners will receive their awards from the Hillenbrands, and their stories will be part of the Best Practices in Early Learning booklet distributed that day and shared with elected officials and policy-makers. You do not have to be an award winner to attend this FREE day of learning and fun and may bring an unlimited number of guests such as library staff, board members, major funders, etc.

Don’t forget to submit your application by Friday, October 30, 2009. Please email your completed application to Teri Hurst at thurst@pposinc.com or send to:

Teri Hurst
PPO&S
122 State Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101

We look forward to sharing your award-winning innovative programming across the state!

Another reason why library's should have toys

If you have toys in your library and people ask why, hand them a copy of this article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212125137.htm

Literacy at the Doctor's Office

http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/quicktips/doctors.html

A great article about how parents can share literacy activities while waiting at the doctor's office!

Building Math Skills

A great idea from PBS KIDS. Build math skills by graphing with those annoying stickers from fruit!

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=132573324787&h=N6oO8&u=9zHNW&ref=nf

Check Up for Young Readers

The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pennsylvania Association of Family Physicians and the Pennsylvania Library Association have formed a collaboration to promote the new statewide program, Checkup for Young Readers. In this program, pediatricians and other health care providers partner with local libraries to encourage parents to share books with their preschoolers.

We'd like to know what your library is doing with this great partnership opportunity. Please comment here to let us know what you and your health partners have been doing. If you have photos, send them to dpulginostout@mclinc.org and I will post them here too.

For more information on this great program, please go to Check Up for Young Readers.

We also invite any health care providers to join our blog and post comments about your relationship with your local library and how it benefits your young patients.

Hello out there!

I realise that I have been remiss about posting to this blog for quite some time. Hopefully, you are all out there too busy with Summer Reading Club to realize this, however. I hope that your summer is going well and you're having a great time being creative! I know we are at Montgomery County-Norristown. check out some of the fun and crafty programs we've been having.

I'd love to share what YOU are all doing too! So, send me those links and I'll post them here for everyone to see!

Call for Conference Programs!

Dear Gang,
The 2009 PaLA Conference Program Proposal form is now ready. We suggest that you submit a program proposal using this link:

Click Here to take survey

The Youth Services Division is eager to hear from you. Please help us provide you with the best lineup of programs ever at the annual conference.

We are requesting your responses by March 16. We are hoping this will give the committee enough time to review them, before we need to turn them in to the Program Committee on or before April 6.

From Green Sign to Green Sign, by Katherine Ayers

A particular logo pops up as you travel across Pennsylvania—a green sign with a stylized profile of a person reading along with the word LIBRARY. These green signs appear in large towns and small, in cities and rural counties, all pointing in the direction of books.
For nearly six weeks this spring I traveled Pennsylvania, visiting these public libraries. As the author of the 2008 Pennsylvania One Book (Every Young Child), I hit the road to promote early childhood literacy from Pittsburgh to Susquehanna, from Philadelphia to Greencastle, and numerous points in between.
Because I was working with young children (70+ events with children, 5 with teachers and librarians) I met many children’s librarians. These folks were kind, extremely cheerful, and possessed great senses of humor. As children entered, the librarians gave them a wide smile and said, “Hello friends.” That’s all you have to do to become a friend, just walk in the door. These days, there is no shushing. Children’s learning can be noisy and that’s just fine. Toddlers darted about. Infants bounced on laps. Sometimes they fussed but that was okay. Story hour is about the children, after all.
Or is it? In one library, while the children were having a snack after their story, the mothers were socializing intensively. But of course—it was the start of spring, and they’d been cooped up indoors with small children for months. Story hour provided intellectual stimulation for the children, but also a social support network for their mothers.
And across the state, libraries have been stretching their missions in an attempt to become centers of community. New library buildings crop up next to municipal buildings, in the midst of town playing fields, in the midst of the action. You want a tax form? No problem. Need to use a computer? Sign up here. Nationwide, libraries are developing Family Places, programs that reach out to parents with children three and under to provide information and support about all aspects of childhood from child health to typical patterns of growth and emotional development to early literacy activities.
On my own trip, I was greeted effusively in every town, every county. In one library, the community room was soon to undergo reconstruction. So on their own time, the librarians painted huge vegetables on all four walls. (My book, Up, Down, and Around is about how veggies grow.) Early in the tour, 160 children arrived for the story and songs dressed as veggies, wearing colorful tee shirts and amazing headgear—green beans dangling from vines or a green foam visor “planted” with three bright beets. Later, a librarian and teachers collaborated so that 300 kindergarteners sang my story as a song. (Twice! Once in the morning , and again in the afternoon.) Another librarian had four-year-olds decorate a tee shirt with veggies as a gift. Still another set up a farmers’ market outside the entrance. By noon, some of her display carrots had been nibbled. In seventy different events, there were seventy different stories to tell—all filled with a joyful spirit—the delight of words and stories and learning.
Children respond to this generosity—they bloom, share opinions, get excited about books and ideas. “I weally, weally wove wettuce,” one little boy confided after hearing my book. Another girl informed the room that “My sister lives with me!” I led a small group, spinning in and around the children’s room bookshelves, pretending to be pumpkin vines, tangling up the books. “This is so fun, I want to keep doing this,” said a kindergarten boy. I agree. I want him to keep tangling with books for the rest of his life. Another child, whose thoughts were stimulated by a story and discussion, asked hard, interesting questions: “Why do seeds grow?” (Not how, which I could answer.) And then, “Why don’t we grow like plants do?” Such a question had never occurred to me. I checked the bottoms of my feet for roots.
As I traveled the state, the children invigorated my spirits. Yes, I got tired of the turnpike, but I only got lost twice and ate in some fine and funky restaurants. And although I was away from home, away from my family and usual companions, I was rarely lonely. Several governors ago, the state had a promotional campaign. Its motto: You have a friend in Pennsylvania. After traveling for six weeks, from green sign to green sign, I can testify to the truth of that statement. We all have a friend in Pennsylvania—she is the librarian.


Katherine Ayres is the author of 10 books for children. She teaches writing in the MFA program at Chatham University and lives in Shadyside.

Family Place

If you've ever wondered what a Family Place Parent/Child Workshop is like,
as you can see it is a lot of fun!

Inpiration!

I have never been so filled with ideas! The meetings and workshops that I have had the privilege to go to over the past 2 weeks have been astounding and inspiring.

PaLA Leadership Orientation: Every year, incoming and outgoing chairs of PaLA's divisions, committees and round tables gather together to get inspired on the best way to lead others towards this fine organization. What are the missions of our prospective areas? What haven't we tried yet to get new members interested in PaLA? What do we need to do to keep members involved in PaLA? How can I get my division inspired to do new things and be more vital to the organization? I have some new ideas inspired by this gathering that I would love to discuss with all of you at our annual meeting during the PaLA Conference on Monday, November 10, at 8 am. I promise that, with enough coffee and attendees, I will try my best to inspire you to get involved along with me.

Family Place Retreat: This was awesome! On the first day, we learned about how Norfolk, Virginia libraries went above and beyond the Family Place Library concept to redesign their branches to have Kidzones - inviting and spacious areas for play and imagination to help kids grow and learn. Go to this website: http://www.npl.lib.va.us/press/press.html and scroll down to look for the Pennsylvania Family Place PowerPoint presentation on the right. You'll be amazed and inspired too.

The second speaker was from the Vermont Center for the Book and has designed programs and kits for us to use on Science and Math concepts. Each Family Place Library got a kit of 6 of these awesome kits to bring back and make use of in many fun and creative ways. We played with blocks to make a map of the room. How many meetings let you play with blocks?

Each District also received more materials to share to make the concepts more well rounded. I already have my entire next year planned out thanks to this inspiring talk and these kits. Check them out at http://bigidea.mothergooseprograms.org/. You might be inspired to do science and math based programs with your families. Make discovery centers for families to play with science and math based objects like tangram puzzles and other fun stuff.

Between the science and math kits and talking about the upcoming art and drama based summer reading club theme (Be Creative @ Your Library: http://www.cslpreads.org/2009/cp09.htm), I began to wonder just what was left of a school curriculum we were not covering at my own library. We use the word "Explorers" a lot in naming our programs. We have Sensory Explorers - using the five senses in new ways; Fitness Explorers: using our bodies and getting in shape. The new kits will help us develop Science Explorers and Math Explorers. Summer Reading Club will bring Art Explorers and Drama Explorers. We explored the world and cultures via Passports to the World this past year. What was left? HISTORY! We'll do a monthly program on varying kinds of history!

As you can see, the possibilities can be endless once the kernal of an idea gets me going. I hope that many of you will be able to join us at this fall's PaLA Conference to get inspired at the wonderful selection of workshops and sessions we are offering this year. Please check out the schedule at http://pala.affiniscape.com/displayconvention.cfm?conventionnbr=5545 and I hope to see you all at our annual meeting too.

Let the ideas begin!

Family Place Libraries Save the Date!

Please mark September 24 and 25 for the 2008 State-wide Family Place program. We will begin around 1 on Wednesday afternoon and finish with lunch on Thursday. The tentative agenda is

Wednesday afternoon join Norm Maas, Director of the Norfolk, VA Library and one of his children's librarians. They will be talking about the Kids Zones they have created in their library branches and how Family Place has helped them leverage money and clout in the early childhood arena. This would be a good program for directors to attend. The second half of the afternoon will be a make and take program for parent programs and a time for sharing.

Thursday morning join Sally Anderson, Executive Director of the Vermont Center for the Book. She will be doing a three hour training on What's the Big Idea? kits for libraries and for take home. Each Family Place Library will have access to at least one of the full librarian kits (probably going to be distributed on a county basis). Each FP library that attends the program will receive one of at least 6 of the take home kits. For more information on this program visit http://bigidea.mothergooseprograms.org/ .

I will reimburse mileage for one vehicle and provide one double room per per FP library. Breakfast and lunch on Thursday will be provided. Dinner Wednesday night will be on your own. The program will be held at the Grantville Holiday Inn.

I plan to send registration forms out in July.


Susan Pannebaker Youth Services Advisor
Office of Commonwealth Libraries
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market St. Harrisburg, PA 17126-1745
v: 717-214-4047 f: 717-787-2117
spannebake@state.pa.us

Fundraising idea

Dear Youth Services Division Members,

In the past, people have asked about how they can be more involved in Youth Services Division. I also remember that we as a division have a hard time raising money for things like training and workshops – which is at the core of our division mission. So, I contemplated what we can all do together to solve these two issues and I came up with what I think is a really fun idea: a silent auction.

How you can be involved: think up something to donate, such as a “program in a box;” “a mini vacation in a bag;” or something, anything, that you think that will be useful or fun for a fellow librarian (remember those non-youth services folks too!). Imagination and creativity are the only limits. Package it up in a creative way that will entice someone to bid on your donation, write up a brief description and bring it with you to the PaLA Convention in November.

We will set up all of the donated items in the PaLA bookstore with bidding sheets. As folks peruse the store, they can write their bids on the sheets. At the end of the allotted time, we shall announce the winners and collect the bids – all for the Youth Services Division.

If you cannot attend the convention, but still wish to contribute, that’s great! Send items to: Denise Pulgino Stout, Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library, 1001 Powell Street, Norristown PA 19401 and I will bring it to the convention for you.

Please email back to me if you are interested in participating in this fun project. We need your contact information and the approximate idea behind your donation. I know that many of you are incredibly creative and can come up with some cool ideas that others will be interested in bidding on. I also know that your generosity is endless and we youth services folks can gather together to help our organization do some great things if we come together – while having a little fun along the way!

If you are interested in helping to set up the auction, I can use your help. Just let me know via email and you’re volunteered.

Thanks a bunch for considering this idea and I look forward to hearing from folks and feedback it will garner.

Denise Pulgino Stout
Youth Services Division Chair 2008, PaLA