We're Back!

The Richmond Memorial Library building was officially reopened on June 1, 2021! While we enjoyed serving our community in other ways during the pandemic - Library2Go curbside service, Zoom classes and basically anything we could think of - it's nice to get back to some normalcy and see our patrons in person again.

So if you're just catching up, here's what's new for children and teens:

*More WonderBooks
Not only do they make the kids happy when the book reads to them, but the learning mode makes parents and teachers happy with follow-up questions to think about and discuss.

*Lawn Games to Borrow
Have you heard about our new collection of yard games that can be borrowed from the library? Some of the games that are available include: Bocce, Croquet, Giant Connect Four, Giant Jenga, Giant Checkers, Molkky, Ring Toss, Kan Jam, Giant Yardzee, and more. These items will have a check out loan period of one week. We've heard from those who have been checking the games out that they are a lot of fun! *We've just added Spike Ball and Bottle Bash too!

*Sprout Early Learning Backpacks

Through the generosity of several donations the library has received recently, the Richmond Memorial Library is pleased to share that we have been able to purchase twelve Sprout Early Learning Backpacks. These Early Learning Backpacks are a fun resource to help parents and caregivers prepare children for school. Filled with picture books, three or four educational games or toys, and an activity guide, these backpacks are organized by age and theme. Available for a three week loan period, the backpacks we have purchased are:

Little Sprouts:
For 1-Year-Olds:
1, 2, 3 Look at Me! (problem solving)
Shapes in My World (spatial relationships)
Barnyard Fun! (memory)
For 2-Year-Olds:
What's That Sound? (cause and effect)
Colors All Around (grouping/categories)
Going to the Market (imitation)

Sprout Learning:
For 3-8-Year-Olds:
Backyard Discovery (science)
Color Patterns (math)
Cookie Comprehension (language arts)
Fish Counting 1, 2, 3 (math)
I Am Special and Unique (social-emotional)
Snake Length (math)

*StoryWalk®

*Summer Reading 2021: Reading Colors Your World!

Teen Programs

Dinovember!

So apparently some really clever parents coined 'Dinovember' as they were setting up toy dinosaurs - ala Elf on the Shelf - to cause destruction in their house to the delight of their kids. Regardless, who doesn't love a month dedicated to those prehistoric pals? 

Here are some great recent titles we have at RML - books, 

e-books, DVDs and more!

Dinosaur Feathers by Dennis Nolan / JE Nolan

Gigantosaurus: the biggest, fiercest dinosaur of all! by NCircle Entertainment / JDVD

Here We Go Digging for Dinosaur Bones by Susan Lendroth / Hoopla E-Book

The History of Prehistory by Mick Manning / J 560 Manning

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen / JW (WonderBook)

How to Catch a Dinosaur by Adam Wallace / Hoopla E-Audiobook

How to Potty Train a Dinosaur by Alycia Pace / Hoopla E-Book

I Am Allosaurus by Timothy J. Bradley / JE 567.9 Bradley

Prehistoric (Smithsonian): Dinosaurs, Megalodons, and Other Fascinating Creatures of the Deep Past by Kathleen Zoehfeld / J 560 Zoehfeld

Roar! Roar! I'm a Dinosaur! by Jo Lodge / Baby Lodge

Sea Rex: journey to a prehistoric world by Dreamscape Media LLC / Hoopla E-Video

 

Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman / Hoopla E-Book

We Will Rock Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins / JE Higgins

The World of Dinosaurs series by Rebeca Sabelko

   Ankylosaurus J567.915

   Diplodocus J567.913

   Stegosaurus J 567.915

   Triceratops J567.913

   Tyrannosaurus Rex J567.912
   Velociraptor J567.912

Updated Parenting Collection

 We've recently updated our Parenting Collection with some great new titles and an easy way to find some picture books by subject that parents often ask for.

The subjects include the following, with an example for each:

Death & Dying

The Memory Box: A Book About Grief by Joanna Rowland

Differences (allergies, disabilities, autism, more)

My Friend Has ADHD by Amanda Doering Tourville

Emotions

A Little Spot of Anger by Diane Alber

Family (new baby, adoption, my body, more)

Why Do Families Change? Our First Talk About Separation and Divorce by Dr. Jillian Roberts

Illness

The Tide by Clare Helen Welsh

Potty Training

Potty Animals: What to Know When You've Gotta Go!

Fairy Houses - 2016 Throwback!

Social distancing seems like a good excuse to bring back one of our favorite programs we haven't had since 2016 -
FAIRY HOUSES!

Tracy Kane's FairyHouses Website

Greatly inspired by the Fairy Houses set of books by author Tracy Kane, fairy houses and villages have popped up all over the world in the last two decades.

In Maine, they've been a tradition for much longer, with places like Mackworth & Monhegan Islands complete with trails lined with houses.

Maine Fairy Villages

If you're participating in our Fairy Village on July 22 (weather permitting), check out some of these pictures from our 2016 event for inspiration. We like to follow the rules of only using found objects, flowers and leaves that have already fallen, etc. but some of our friends added a few decorative touches that we can't complain about. We also made 'fairy doors' from popsicle sticks as a craft that day.

TumbleBooks is offering their ebook databases TumbleBookLibrary, TumbleMath, and TeenBookCloud FREE to all public libraries for a limited time. Check out some great stories (and videos!) by using the links below!

Healing Library Kit

Our friends at the Stratford Public Library have created a great resource for families living during the pandemic. Follow the link to the Healing Library Kit for everything from how to talk to children, hand-washing songs, and lots of practical information.

Healing-Library-kit-Coping-with-Coronavirus-and-Covid-19.pdf

TumbleBooks! - eBooks for eKids!

TumbleBooks is offering their ebook databases TumbleBookLibrary, TumbleMath, and TeenBookCloud FREE to all public libraries for a limited time. Check out some great stories (and videos!) by using the links below!

TumbleBookLibrary

TumbleMath

TeenBookCloud

How Well Do You Know Your Library Director?

So, after decades, Library Director Nancy Wood is retiring this spring. Well, she's hoping for spring but with this virus thing, is anything certain anymore? Anyway, we thought it would be fun to have a little contest called, How Well Do You Know Your Library Director?

Find the 1-letter answer to the following 10 questions. Either comment on the Facebook post about this (only the How Well Do You Know Your Director? post) with your ten letters, like this:

Junie B. Jones
ABCDABCDAB

OR - email your answers in the same format - 10 letter answers - to richmondprograms@gmail.com

YOU MUST HAVE ONLY 10 LETTERS FOR YOUR ANSWERS TO COUNT SO DOUBLE-CHECK!

CONTEST ENDS SUNDAY 3/22/20 AT 8PM (THAT IS TOMORROW FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW OR CARE)

1. Nancy started working at RML in what year?

A. 1986

B. 1977

C. 1993

D. 1919

2. Nancy has how many children?

A. None

B. Two

C. Seven

D. 15 children and 14 dogs


3. When Nancy was hired she not only did she manage the library, but she also did story time.
A. True

B. False

C. Did they have storytime in the Dark Ages?

D. I don't know so I will choose D



4. After 27 years, what is she going to miss the most about RML?
A. The library staff

B. The customers & questions

C. Ordering Books

D. All of the above (+ her amazing Children's Librarian the most)


5. Nancy previously worked at which library?
A. Welles- Turner Memorial Library

B. New Britain Public Library

C. No experience, we hired her right out of high school

D. Both A&B


6. Nancy's Inner Sanctum, aka her office, has what stuffed animal on top of the cabinet?
A. Chicken

B. Dog

C. Leftover Santa from the Holiday Auction

D. The petrified body of the former Library Director


7. Nancy's favorite activity is:
A. Reading

B. Biking

C. Eating popcorn or chocolate (sometimes burning one in the microwave)

D. All of the above


8. Nancy's most exciting day at the library was:

A. The day Author Jim Trelease (The Read-Aloud Handbook) stopped by (we think he had to use the restroom, but it was still exciting)

B. The day the library flooded!

C. The day RML was named to the HAPLR list, as one of the top 100 libraries in the U.S. for under 10,000 population!

D. All of these, plus the day we dialed into the Internet. Ok, so it wasn't the Internet as we now know it, but hey, a 2400 baud modem, we were rockin'!!!


9. Nancy prides herself on doing any job that needs to be done.

What’s the one job she won’t do?

A. Planting the planters

B. Anything that has to do with the men’s room

C. Shoveling the walk

D. Cleaning the staff refrigerator!


10. What makes her laugh:
A. The time the squirrel came into the library

B. Mike imitating the Internet fishing guy who thought he had caught a whale

C. Any First Selectman, when talking about the library budget

D. All of these things

Storytime: Senses - 2s

Books:

Crash! Boom! A Math Tale by Robie H. Harris
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr.

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett

Too Pickley! by Jean Reidy

What the Ladybug Heard by Julia Donaldson

Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli

 
Songs/Fingerplays:

Touch Game
Five Little Monkeys
Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes
Splendid Senses (Bear Went Over the Mountain tune)

Activities: 
I set up 4 Sensory Stations around the room after stories. One represented 'hard', another 'soft' and another was a ball-rolling game. The last - and most popular - were the bins full of beads they could funnel, sort, dig and hunt for things in.

Flannelboard:

Guessing: pictures of things like food, flowers, and a dog. Which of our senses do we use for this?

Storytime: Bears & Berries

I'm currently doing a 2s Storytime at one library, and a 3-5 Storytime at another. So in order to maintain some sanity, I'm trying to pick one theme for both each week and adapt it for the different ages. Some of my 2s are REALLY little and some of my 5s are already in school.

Books:

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson
 
Songs/Fingerplays:

'A Little Brown Bear'
'Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear'

To the tune of 'Pop Goes the Weasel'

"All around the strawberry fields, we picked some juicy berries.
We brought them home and washed them off,
Pop! Go the berries!" (jump up)

(blueberry, blackberry, huckleberry, raspberry, make up a pretend berry)

Activities: 
With the 2s, I brought out colored pom-poms and handed out the ones that were red, blue or purple to keep with the 'berry' theme. We used them with a few songs on our 'Shakers' playlist.

Flannelboard:

Ten in a Bed
Find the Berries Hidden Under the Bears! (older kids)

Craft (3-5s):
I cut out some bears using the Cricut machine and had the older kids color them in and glue to paper. then they used sponges on sticks to add berry bushes.