CEO Newsletter, Nov. 12, 2008

Children’s Event Organizer
Lakeshores Library System and
Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System
Youth Services Update
Issue 324, November 12, 2008
http://www.west-bendlibrary.org/mwflskids.htm
http://www.llsmwflschildrens.blogspot.com/

In this issue:
· Ruhama’s Reviews
· Be Creative @ Your Library/Express Yourself @ Your Library
· Family Volunteer Day November 22
· Adventures in Reading - Family Literacy Bags
· 7th Annual International Children’s & Young Adult Literature Celebration
· Events This Week
· Dates to Remember
· Website Faves
· And Finally…….


RUHAMA’S REVIEWS

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
http://tinyurl.com/5l5kmk

A delightful take on what goes on when a bear hibernates. Henkes takes us into the bear's mind, where he dreams (in vivid colors) of each season, ending with winter. By this time, it's spring outside and Old Bear is thrilled to find it's not just a dream anymore. I really enjoyed the silliness of the dreams, as well as the use of color in each season. The illustrations are done in the style of A Good Day and Kitten's First Full Moon, which fits the style (bears should be fat, right?). The endpapers are notable, too, with leaves in the front and flowers in the back (befitting the start and end of the story). Henkes has a good sense of timing with story progression, as well as layouts (including colors and fonts). This makes a great addition for bear storytimes, as well as seasons and dreams.


The City Kid by Deb Pilutti
http://tinyurl.com/5rc746

A new take on the city mouse and country mouse: each boy shares his story of visiting the other--the words are the same, but the illustrations tell the full tale of what it means when they "ride through the neighborhood". Halfway through the stay, each boy gets homesick and longs for his family. This is an intriguing rewrite of the classic, though I felt some of it was forced--perhaps too short to develop that homesickness. I liked how the pictures completed the story; they were bright and colorful, with plenty to look at on the lap, but big enough for storytime. This book employs flipping it over for the other boy's story.


BE CREATIVE @ YOUR LIBRARY/EXPRESS YOURSELF @ YOUR LIBRARY

I’ve come across a lot of arts-related sites, as you can see!

The Art of Teaching the Arts: A Workshop for High School Teachers
http://www.learner.org/workshops/hsarts/

Teaching the arts is, as one might expect, an art in itself, and teachers young and old alike will find much to engage their attention on this delightful website. Created as part of the Annenberg Media's educational resource website, this site offers an eight-part professional development workshop for use by music, theater, dance, and visual art teachers. The site includes all eight of the one hour programs, and visitors just need to complete a free registration form to view them in their entirety. The programs all include demonstrations, sample activities, and other pedagogical elements. Visitors should note that the programs include titles like "Developing Students as Artists", "Creating Rich Learning Environments", and "Fostering Genuine Communication". The site also includes support materials and "Channel talk", which is the email discussion list for this set of workshops. (From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008. http://scout.wisc.edu/, 10/17/08)


Bedecked, Bedazzled & Bejeweled: Costume Ornamentation at New York City Ballet
http://www.nycballet.com/researchers/archive/bedecked.html

Online exhibit and accompanying article about New York City Ballet costumes. "In photographs, the costumes bloom with a fierce poetry, products of wild imagination and painstaking industry. The tutus and tiaras, the grand gowns and flirty skirts, the formal men's jackets and dapper vests worn by generations of New York City Ballet dancers can now be viewed here." View images highlighting details of ballet costumes. From the New York City Ballet. (Copyright 2008 by Librarians' Internet Index, 10/30/08)


Universal Leonardo
http://www.universalleonardo.org/

Universal Leonardo covers a massive amount of information about the man and his extraordinary skills. First time visitors may want to begin with the Explore section where they will find interactive exhibits that look at Leonardo da Vinci’s work on the forces of nature, the human body, light and vision, and the natural world and learn how these things are all interconnected according to da Vinci. Alternatively, the interactive timeline at the top of the page provides a visual representation of the interconnectedness by linking related images. The Play section is delightful for all ages and includes online games and activities such as making a monster and making Mona Lisa smile as well as a few activities that can be downloaded and used in the classroom. The Discover section gives users the opportunity to learn about the scientific techniques used to analyze the “Madonna of the Yarnwinder”. Additionally, users can also browse through collections of paintings, manuscripts, inventions, and drawings and learn about the life and times of this celebrated artist. ( Education World Site Reviews, 10/14/08)


Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2008/vangoghnight/

Companion to a 2008/2009 exhibit exploring painter Vincent Van Gogh's "nocturnal interiors and landscapes, which often combine with other longstanding themes of his art -- peasant life, sowers, wheatfields, and the encroachment of modernity on the rural scene." View "paintings, drawings, and letters from all periods of his career, as well as examples of the rich literary sources that influenced his work." Also includes audio commentary. From the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). (Copyright 2008 by Librarians' Internet Index, LII this Week, 11/13/08)


Artopia
http://www.knowitall.org/artopia/

A website for middle school students about the visual and performing arts. "Students can closely examine important works of art and take part in activities that teach about styles, principles and processes of each art form." Topics include dance, theater, media arts, music, painting, and sculpture. Provides lesson plans and classroom materials. From the South Carolina Educational Television Commission (ETV). (Copyright 2008 by Librarians’ Internet Index)


Musicals 101: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film
http://www.musicals101.com/

This site's purpose is to be "a reliable educational resource celebrating the history of musical theater, film, and television." Offers detailed histories, bibliographies, chronologies, a show rights index, reviews, photo galleries, biographical sketches, script samples, and a calendar of memorable events. Specific musicals, people, and other topics are highlighted in special features. Searchable, with a site map. Maintained by John Kenrick, a musical theater history expert. (Copyright 2008 by Librarians’ Internet Index)


FAMILY VOLUNTEER DAY NOVEMBER 22

The HandsOn Network proudly presents Family Volunteer Day, which wlll be held on November 22. This annual day of service, held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, is designed to demonstrate the power of families who choose to volunteer together to support the communities in which they live and serve. Volunteering as a family provides quality time for busy families, strengthens communication and bonds and positively impacts local communities across the nation.

Family volunteering encourages the members of a family to volunteer together. A "family" is "any group of two or more people who consider themselves a family." Family volunteering can be done by the whole family together, by one parent and one child or teen, by siblings together or by extended family such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It can be as simple as drawing cards for children in the hospital or as complex as bonding hundreds of families together in a day of volunteer work at a community park. However families choose to do it, family volunteering can help mobilize thousands of new volunteers to meet community needs and instill a lifelong commitment to volunteering.

Family volunteering is a hands-on way to teach children the values of kindness, compassion, tolerance, community responsibility and good citizenship. Other benefits include can include:
· Strengthens family communication and bonds
· Allows family members to be role models
· Increases commitment to volunteering and community
· Provides quality family time

For more information, project ideas, volunteer opportunities, and other resources, visit: http://disney.go.com/disneyhand/familyvolunteers/


ADVENTURES IN READING: FAMILY LITERACY BAGS

Reading Rockets, an educational initiative of WETA public television in Washington, DC, has developed a set of six family literacy bags appropriate for a kindergarten or first grade listening level to encourage some hands-on fun and learning. Just assemble everything into a two-gallon zip top bag, and send home with your young patrons.

What goes into each literacy bag?
· Parent information sheet with an introductory note that you can personalize,
· instructions about how to use the packet, and tips for sharing fiction and nonfiction books with children
· Two books: one fiction and one nonfiction, selected by Reading Rockets for high quality and wide availability in libraries
· Creativity Activity: a hands-on craft project
· Imagination Activity: encourages imaginative play, writing, or drawing
· Get Real Activity: focuses on real-world experiences for parent and child
· Bookmark: lists the featured titles and alternative titles

More information and the pdf files for each family literacy bag can be found at http://www.readingrockets.org/article/27935.
(Reading Rockets News, November 2008)


7th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S &YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE CELEBRATION

“Open a Door... Open a Book... Open your Mind... to the World”
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Tripp Commons, Memorial Union
University of Wisconsin-Madison
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Featuring: Meshack Asare, Brodil Bredsorff, Margarita Engle, Cynthia Kadohata

This celebration is an annual interactive workshop for educators, librarians, students and children’s literature enthusiasts, with an aim to internationalize statewide reading curriculum. Each author will discuss the stories that they have written and highlight the work they feel is most suitable for classroom discussion. Two authors will speak in the morning and two following lunch. In conclusion, we will have a reception and book signing.

This event is sponsored by the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium (WIOC) in observance of International Education Week 2008. International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

For more information and to register, please go to: http://www.wioc.wisc.edu/childlit/
Please register and pay by Monday, November 17, 2008. We are not able to accept payments on location at the Memorial Union. For more information call (608) 262-9224, or e-mail: rweiss@wisc.edu


EVENTS THIS WEEK

Thursday, November 13
World Kindness Day
National Mom's and Dad's Day
National Community Education Day
Actor's Day
Robert Louis Stevenson’s birthday

Friday, November 14
National Educational Support Personnel Day
National Young Reader's Day
Operation Room Nurse Day
Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day
Prince Charles' birthday, b. 1948
Spicy Guacamole Day
National American Teddy Bear Day

Saturday, November 15
National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
America Recycles Day
Little Red Wagon Day
American Enterprise Day
Pack Your Mom's Lunch Day
George Spelvin Day
I Love to Write Day
National Bundt Day

Sunday, November 16
Touch-Tone Telephone Day
Button Day
National Fast Food Day

Monday, November 17
Homemade Bread Day
Take a Hike Day

Tuesday, November 18
Mother Goose Parade
William Tell Day
Mickey Mouse's birthday, b. 1928

Wednesday, November 19
National Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day
Play Monopoly Day
Pop Tarts introduced in 1965
Gettysburg Address delivered in 1863
Have a Bad Day, Day


DATES TO REMEMBER

November 17-23 National Children’s Book Week
November 21 Riverport Chorus cabaret, Parkway Chateau, Kenosha
November 22 International Children’s and Young Adult Literature Celebration, Madison
November 27-28 Lakeshores offices closed
December 15 Lakeshores moving day
January 23-27 ALA Midwinter, Denver


WEBSITE FAVES

Geology of National Parks
http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/

Take your students on a tour of more than sixty national parks without ever leaving your classroom. This site offers 3D and photographic tours of such parks as the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Hawaii Volcanoes, Dinosaur National Monument, Mammoth Cave, Natural Bridges, and many more. Each tour includes selected online USGS field guides and other Web resources as well as the 3D and standard photographs. Students will enjoy the Name that Park, an online quiz game where users explore and identify the landscape features in the national parks. Other park related resources include Native American Indians of the Southwest, 1971-1975, Where’s the San Andreas Fault, and several others. Also included is a section for teachers and students that will help them get the most from the site with suggestions for elementary and middle school and a description of the kind of 3D glasses needed as well as directions for creating your own 3D images (anaglyphs). (Education World Site Reviews, 10/29/08)


The Roald Dahl Funny Prize
http://www.booktrust.org.uk/show/feature/Home/Funny-Prize

Website for this competition inaugurated in 2008 that presents prizes for "The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under" and "The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen." Includes lists of nominated books, an article about the science of humor, and links to site about author Roald Dahl. From Booktrust, a British organization "that encourages people of all ages and cultures to discover and enjoy reading." (Copyright 2008 by Librarians' Internet Index, 10/30/08)


AND FINALLY………..
Any suggestions for keeping cats off of a laptop bag?