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Did you know you can access your local library, or search any library in the area via the Mid-Hudson Library System web site? Check holdings, reserve a book, renew a book, even request an inter-library loan without leaving home! http://www.midhudson.org/ is the address. Click the link on the upper left that says Public Library Catalog. You will need your library card (for your ID number, the 14-digit number under your bar code), and your password should be the first four letters of your last name. Easy! [Note: your book-loving webmaster is addicted to this!!] |
Summer Fun Field Trips!
There's so much to do during the summer in the Hudson Valley. It's great for kids to read wonderful books, but don't forget to play outside, too. Kids need to exercise their brains, their bodies and their imaginations! Here are a few suggestions:
Pleasant Valley Free Library Summer Programs. Stop in and check out the great activities the P.V. Library offers for kids. They also run a fun reading program. You must register to participate. Storm King Art Center, just south of Newburgh on Route 9W, is one of the world's best sculpture museums, with HUGE outdoor installations. Kids can see great art and run around. Picnic area, too. Admission is usually $10, $7 for students, but check out Storm King's Special Days and current visitor information at the site.
http://www.stormkingartcenter.org/ Locust Grove--Samuel F.B. Morse Historic Site, on Route 9, just north of T. J. Maxx, is a recently renovated museum with excellent displays, inside and out. A terrific hiking trail takes you right down to the river. Mills Mansion State Historic Park, Staatsburg and Montgomery Place, Annandale-on-Hudson. These mansions give a glimpse of what life was like for the very rich in the early 20th century. Walking paths: Innisfree Garden, Tyrell Road, off of Route 44, Millbrook, based on the ancient design of Chinese cup gardens, Norrie Point State Park and Poets' Walk Romantic Landscape Park, River Road, Red Hook - 120 acre, 2-mile walk through glorious landscape. Beautiful and gentle. There's a small charge for admission at Innisfree. Biking trails--The Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a paved route between Amenia and Millerton. Flat, smooth, and no cars. The rail trail in New Paltz starts at the Gilded Otter. It is not paved. The Bookworm on Rte 376 Red Oaks Mill sells used books at half price. Family Fun magazine is absolutely jam-packed with activities, crafts and fun for kids. Websites for safe surfing: Yahooligans.com, ajkids.com, Scholastic.com, nationalgeographic.com/kids/, (National Geographic for Kids), TimeforKids.com, as well as the Arlington School District reference pages, www.arlingtonschools.org/referenceshelf.html and www.arlingtonschools.org/library.html
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What's your most important assignment this summer? It's to play outside! Playing exercises your mind and your body. Play a game, run around, climb a tree or sit under one, build a fort, plant a garden. Look up at the stars at night.
What better time to savor leisure than during the good old summertime? Cold lemonade, a few cookies, a spot in the shade or in front of the fan on a muggy day. . . Aahhh! The titles on these reading lists make great read-alouds. Parents and kids can share the magic of vacation and the wonders of these excellent books at the same time!
Creative play inside is important, too. Crafts, cooking, games, hobbies, puzzles, artwork are all fun, too. And they are even more fun if you can do them with a friend. There will be days when it will be too hot or too rainy or too muggy to do anything but read. Make a yummy snack, sit in front of a fan, and read, read, read!!! Don't forget to make the public library a regular stopping place this summer! Check below for a good craft recipe.
"The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children." Becoming a Nation of Readers
Many thanks to Margaret Hankamp, Kathy Adin, Ellen McLane, Julie Kessler, Pauline Herr and all of the Arlington Librarians for their hard work on this year's lists! They have given us a great collection of summer reading ideas!!
And one final note: reading is a wonderful summer activity, but so is playing outside. Don't forget to get outdoors every day!
Author & Character Sites
BERENSTAIN BEARS: http://www.berenstainbears.com
DR. SEUSS: http://www.randomhouse.com/seussville/
ERIC CARLE: http://eric-carle.com/
JAN BRETT: http://www.janbrett.com/
MARC BROWN:
http://pbskids.org/arthur/
PATRICIA POLACCO: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/
Looking for great authors? Look for anything by these great writers: Betsy Byars, Lois Lowry, Barbara Park, Gary Paulsen, Jerry Spinelli, Louis Sachar, Roald Dahl, Tamora Pierce, Sid Fleischman, Bruce Coville, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Joan Lowery Nixon, Avi, Paula Danziger, Robert Kimmel Smith, Bill Wallace.
Do you need suggestions for other great children's books? Small bookstores, such as Merritt Books in Millbrook, have knowledgeable people to recommend great reads. The Bookworm, Rte 376, 1 mile south of the Red Oaks Mill light, has a great selection of used kids books at terrific prices. Chinaberry Books Catalog is top-notch when it comes to reading guidance. Every book is a solid hit. You can find them on-line at www.chinaberry.com or request their print catalog at 1-800-776-2242. |
A RECIPE FOR SUMMER FUN!
Copy solution to make prints from comics.
(Courtesy of Concoctions by Lowi Price)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or other flavor
2 teaspoons liquid dish detergent
small dish
2 spoons
white paper
bright-colored comics
Measure the extract and detergent into a small dish. Stir. This is your copy solution.
Cut out comic. Lay it face up on some extra newspaper. Cut a piece of white paper a little larger than your comic. Paint copy solution of the comic with your fingers. Don't miss any spots.
Quickly lay the white paper on the wet comic. Hold it firmly in place. Rub the paper with the back of a dry spoon until the picture shows through.
Lift off your print. You'll have a color copy of the comic. The writing will be backwards.
WEB SITES FOR PARENTS AND KIDS
BOOK ADVENTURE:
(www.bookadventure.com)
This site is put up by Sylvan Learning Center. Kids can read and
win prizes. This is a new venture and growing.
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Parents' Page:
(www.ala.org/parentspage/)
Lots of helpful advice, links and booklists for parents and kids.
BEST BOOKS for CHILDREN:
(www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/)
One of the best sites for finding out the latest concerning
children's literature.
DISNEY:
(http://www.disney.go.com/)
"Like having an extra brain." Tons of fun sites for kids and their parents.
KIDSCONNECT:
(www.ala.org/ICONN/kidsconn.html)
A question and answer service from the American Library Association. Kids may e-mail a question to a librarian and receive an answer in 48 hours or less.
NANCY POLETTE ONLINE:
(http://www.nancypolette.com/bestbooks.asp)
Lists of the best in children's books.
PARENTS & CHILDREN TOGETHER ONLINE:
(www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/fl/pcto/menu.html)
This is magazine version of the magazine. The goal is to advance the cause of family literacy by bringing parents and children together through reading.
READING ZONE--BOOKS & AUTHORS:
(http://www.ipl.org/kidspace/browse/rzn0000)
Many links to sites about favorite children's authors.
SEA WORLD:
(www.seaworld.org/infobook.html)
A database of information about animals.
AMAZING TRAVEL BUREAU:
(www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/bureau/)
Great site sponsored by National Geographic.
THE SMITHSONIAN:
(http://2k.si.edu/)
A virtual tour of the Smithsonian Institution, including its museums, art galleries, research facilities and special performances.
WHITE HOUSE FOR KIDS:
(www.whitehouse.gov/kids/index.html)
Visit the White House and learn about our government, too. This
is a popular site.
Kid-Friendly Search Engines
The Internet offers many websites which are fun and safe for kids. Some suggestions are below. All of these have the following characteristics: They are fun, appropriate for kids, and are safe. Many, such as Yahooligans, have special sections which tell kids and parents how to be safe on the Web. They also include instructions on how to make the most of a site. For a complete list of kid-friendly search engines and reference sites, visit Arlington's REFERENCE SHELF. Here are some of the best:
YAHOOLIGANS:
(www.yahooligans.com)
A search engine for kids that is fun to use, and full of exciting places to go and activities to do. Lots of games, lists, polls and tips for using the Internet.
KIDSCLICK:
(www.sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!)
This search site was put together by librarians! It's very
organized!
SURFMONKEY:
(www.surfmonkey.com)
"Over a million kid-cool sites." A colorful, kid-oriented web browser that also has a section for parents.
ASK JEEVES FOR KIDS:
(www.ajkids.com)
Kids can search by asking actual questions, such as: Who is
President of the U.S.?
ARLINGTON SCHOOLS: Visit us at www.ArlingtonSchools.org/
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