At the end of March Johnny Depp filmed parts of his new movie in my hometown! My friends and I were able to watch the filming and shake his hand, it was very exciting. To learn more about Johnny Depp, check out his biography by clicking on his picture!
Sophie's Dog Blog
Sophie's Winter Pics
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Sophie's Not-So-Scary Halloween Pics
Happy Birthday to Sophie!
Sophie's Guide to Swan
Fun Sites for Kids
- Between the Lions-Games, stories and more!
- The Yuckiest Site on the Internet-Did you know that humans pass a quart of gas a day? Or that a headless roach can live for a week? Find out more digustingly cool facts on this amazing website!
- Adler Planetarium-cool facts about the universe
- Discovery Kids-action packed science adventures
- Cheerios Book Donation Challenge-Play a game to see how much you know about your favorite books
- Hamster Tours-learn more about the secret lives of hamsters!
- International Children's Digital Library -Read stories from around the world, choose the way you want to see them, and write your own reviews!
- Seussville-Go Dr. Seuss CRAZY!
Cool Craft Projects
- Alphabet Steering Wheel: For this project you will need a paper plate, old magazines, scissors, and glue. First find a picture of a cool car and glue it to the middle of the paper plate. Then find each letter of the alphabet and glue them to the outside of the plate. You can take this craft with you in the car and find objects that start with each letter during your road trip!
Upcoming Events
- Patch Club has returned! Ask the Youth Services Department for more details.
Sites for Parents
- Cooperative Children's Book Center-many great lists of books to read with your child on a variety of topics
- The Los Angeles Public Library-Games, ideas for stories to read, and book searches by age/grade level
- Reading is Fundamental-RIF's new Learning to Read website is a fantastic way for your child to learn early literacy skills through play!
- Homewood School District 153-find out what's happening in your child's school!
- GuysRead.com-books for boys and information on the books for boys movement
- GreatSchools.Net-an invaluable tool for looking up information on local schools as wel as schools across the country
Reading Readiness Activities
- Letter awareness is an easy skills to practice when you're out and about. Pick a letter of the week, and then look for that letter on signs, in the grocery store, etc.
- An important part of reading readiness is being motivated to read. Combining literature with fun snacks, snuggly times, or field trips will help cultivate a love for reading in your child.
- Make a simple recipe. Following the directions in a simple recipe will help your child develop sequencing skills that are essential for reading comprehension. Check out Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up by Mollie Katzen for some great recipes.
- Make a letter collage. Look through old magazines and find pictures that start with the same letter. You could even make your own alphabet book if you want to!
Sites for Teachers
- Jamestown Virtual Colony-a variety of webquests about Jamestown history
- The American Library Association's Book and Media Awards Section-many lists of award winning books for children and young adults
- Kaye Vandergrift's Children's Literature Page-information on a variety of children's literature, including great multicultural titles
- The Best Kids Book Site-books, crafts and songs on a variety of topics
- The Library of Congress Guide for Teachers
Places to Visit
Bedtime Chapter Books
Books for Boys
- Richard Scarry books
- The U.S. Marine Corps by Matt Doeden
- I Stink by Kate McMullan
Books We Read in Preschool StoryHour
- 10 Trick or Treaters: a Halloween Counting Book by Janet Schulman
- My First Halloween by Tomie De Paola
- The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval
- When an Elephant Comes to School by Jan Ormerod
- Curious George's First Day of School by H.A. Rey
- Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School by Nathan Hale
- Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier
- Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell
- Ten Red Apples by Virginia Miller
- Ten Apples On Top! by Theo LeSieg
- May I Pet Your Dog? by Stephanie Calmenson
- Puppies!Puppies!Puppies! by Susan Meyers
- My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven
Books We Read in Tot Time
- Yes by Jez Alborough
- 10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann
- Time for Bed by Mem Fox
- The Napping House by Audrey Wood
- Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo
- Pepper Picks a Pumpkin by Linda Bleck
- It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall
- When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey
- Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall
- Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
- Black?White!Day?Night! by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
- My First Book of Opposites by Kim Deegan
- Opposites by Robert Crowther
- Zoo Animals 1, 2, 3 by Rebecca Fjelland Davis
- City 1 2 3 by Zoran Milich
- Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
- Fall is Here! Counting 1 to 10 by Pamela Jane
- Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
- Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash!: Counting Round and Round by Suse MacDonald
- Maisy Drives the Bus by Lucy Cousins
- Wheels on the Bus by Raffi
- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
Great Authors for Preschoolers
- Zoe Hall
- Ezra Jack Keats
- Pat Hutchins
- Ian Falconer
- Richard Scarry
- Eric Carle
Multicultural Resources
- The Brown Bookshelf-a group of authors and illustrators who promote African American fiction
- Barahona Center for Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents-great resource for Latino books for children in Spanish and English
- Jump at the Sun (Hyperion Books for Children)-publisher of African American books
- Oyate-publisher and reviewer of Native American books