The Best Gift you can Give is to be a Friend
December is Write to a Friend Month

• Make recommendations to family members and friends about gifts that you feel are appropriate for your child.
• Inspect all toys as much as possible before taking them out of the box.  Once opened, go through each part of the toy to make sure there are no small parts that could be choking hazards or sharp edges.
• Avoid toys that shoot or include parts that fly off. BB guns and air guns should not even be considered toys.  Flying toys caused 9,600 injuries in 2008.
• Gifts of sports equipment should always be accompanied by protective gear (such as a basketball along with eye goggles, a baseball with a batting helmet with a face shield).  In fact, 90 percent of all sports-related eye injuries can be prevented by using the appropriate eye protection.
• Educate yourself on what products have been recalled.  Contact the CPSC at (800) 638-2772 or go to www.cpsc.gov.
• Keep toys meant for older children away from younger ones.  Closely monitor all activities to make sure smaller children do not have access to toys that are not at their age-appropriate level.
• Inspect toys for sturdiness. Your child’s toys should be durable, with no sharp edges or points. The toys should also withstand impact.  Dispose of plastic wrapping material immediately on toys as they may have sharp edges.
• Never give toys with small parts to young children.  If a part of a toy can fit inside a toilet paper roll, the toy is considered a choking hazard and is not appropriate for children under the age of 3. 

We have finished our "Kid's First"(Afterschool program) room in the library.  This was a special project that I have been working on funded by the Martha Ellen Tye Foundation grant that we had received.  I was able to update/remodel our storage room in the library basement to turn into a livable and enjoyable space.  I was able to paint and refinish the cement portion of the floor, I put up curtains to cover the shelves that we use for storage in the basement.  Gary Fricke cut the carpet and tacked it down for us, and my wonderful sister, Lisa painted the beautiful murals on the walls.  Thank you both for your help with this much needed project!     

We will start the afterschool program on Tuesdays, starting September 22.  We will meet from 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.  This is for Kindergartners on up.  We have a snack, stories, games, crafts, and many other activities.  We meet every Tuesday unless there is no school.  We hope that your children will be joining us as we will be putting your "Kids' First." 

Story Hour will also be  held on Tuesdays, starting September 22.  This is for 3, 4, and 5 year olds.  They will meet from 11:30 - 12:30.  We begin the program with book reading, followed by songs, games, crafts, fingerplays, puppets, a snack or other activities.  The children will enjoy all the activities and of course be able to check out books and movies- keeping the 3-day movies for a whole week!- as a bonus for being in Story Hour.  We have a Halloween and Christmas Party and a picnic in May.  Lots of fun for your little one- let your child be the judge!       

Teen Scene is a program for 5th graders on up. We meet for activities, games, crafts, food and fun.   We meet the 3rd Wednesday of the month during the school year.  So we will start on the 16th of September from 7-8 p.m.  We will be celebrating "Back to School" with various activities.   Hope you will join us. 

Calling all knitters & crocheters... Have we got a great way for you to meet others and to learn new ideas and patterns. We will be offering a class for those who want to learn knitting and crocheting. We also offer a wonderful opportunity for those who already knit/crochet to come together to share ideas and conversation with others in our group.  If you would like to learn to knit or crochet have we got the right people for the job.  We have 2 of the most caring & patient teachers, that are so dedicated to helping you learn.  They are Kathy Kelly and Lois Wermager.  Come join them starting Tuesday, September 15 from 7- 8 p.m.  They will meet then after the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month. 

Our Friends group was able to purchase for us a wonderful addition to the library collection from Nest Family.  It is a complete learning system.  For over 15 years, NEST Family has provided the best in inspirational, educational and entertaining videos, audios, books and other items for families, home educators, schools churches and libraries.  As their name suggests, NEST provides an environment that fosters development and nurtures the young. Their engaging stories and music provide inspirational, entertaining, and educational tools that help loved ones share with each other their values, morals and wisdom. 

We have the Animated Hero Classic Series, and with this children will learn to appreciate democratic principles, values, and people from many cultures who contributed to economic and political heritage in world history. Plus, The Animated Hero Classic Series promotes the development of higher level thinking skills such as analyzing, evaluating, sequencing, and more!   We will be using this throughout the school year for the afterschool kids and this is open for anyone to use and check out especially home schoolers.  We do allow the DVD videos to be checked out for a whole week and the educational workbooks are for "In Library Use Only"  but we do offer you the opportunity to copy the necessary pages for $.10 a copy.  Some of the heroes are Joan of Arc, Benjamin Franklin, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, The Wright Brothers, and many more.  We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful new addition to our collection. 

The library will be closed on Monday, September 7 for Labor Day.  We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, Sept. 8.  We wish you a very happy and safe Labor Day weekend.  Until next time, Happy Reading!

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated in United States and Canada on February 2.  The legend of Groundhog Day is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year."  Every February 2, people gather at Gobbler's Knob, a wooded knoll just outside of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  Residents contend that the groundhog has never been wrong.

The ceremony in Punxsutawney was held in secret until 1966, and only Phil's prediction was revealed to the public. Since then, Phil's fearless forecast has been a national media event.  The groundhog comes out of his electrically heated burrow, looks for his shadow and utters his prediction to a Groundhog Club representative in "groundhogese." The representative then translates the prediction for the general public.

If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is just around the corner.  Approximately 90% o the time, Phil sees his shadow.  Phil started making predictions in 1887 and has become an American institution.

The children's programs here at the library (Story Hour and Kids' First Afterschool Program) that week will be learning and having fun with Groundhog Day. They will be hearing stories on Groundhog Day, participating in activities and creating crafts that have to do with this theme.
Here's a little Groundhog poem: 
Here's a little groundhog furry and brown
He's coming up to look around
If he see's his shadow, down he'll go
Then six more weeks of winter, OH NO!

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.  This year it begins on Monday, January 26th.  Chinese New Year is a holiday that celebrates the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar.  It is considered to be one of the most important holidays for Chinese families.  The holiday is celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the eating of symbolic foods and display of festive decorations--all focused on bringing good luck for the new year and celebrating the coming of Spring.  The children's programs here at the library (Story Hour and Kids' First Afterschool Program) this week have the the Chinese New Year theme.  They will be hearing stories on the Chinese New Year, participating in activities and creating crafts that have to do with this theme also. 
 

My husband and I are expecting a new baby in February of 2009. I will be having a maternity leave as soon as baby comes so there will not be any children and teen programs at the library during my leave. (As I am the one who works with this age group.) I will try to keep you aware of when the programs will stop and then again when they will start back up. Please watch for advertising and you can always check our website www.melbourne.lib.ia.us I will be leaving you in good hands- Karen and Rita will help you the best they can with your library needs while I am away.   These girls are great and are ready to assist you. Please don’t hesitate to let them know what you need.

      With the economy the way that it is this can be a very stressful time in life.  Your library cares about the hard times that you may be experiencing and want you to know we are here to help you find ways to deal with these difficult times.  Remember how much your library can help you out as you’ve decided to get rid of certain extras in your home. We have high speed internet here at the library, we have 6 public computers for you to use, we offer wireless internet for those that have access to laptops. Who says you still can’t check your email or chat online to family just like you did in your home? We provide this service for you for free. Please feel free to stop in during business hours to use our computers or wireless internet. 

     We also know that many of you have given up buying books, books on tape or CD, magazine subscriptions, movies, & even cable TV. We have a wide variety of books, audios, magazine subscriptions for men, women, & children; and movies. All of the above is free with a library card. We know that at times we won’t have what you are looking for, but please let us know so that we can get you what you want- that’s why we’re here. We participate in the Interlibrary Loan program and we can borrow from many libraries in the state to get you what you need. For the most part, this service is free of charge to you.  

Children need education and entertainment and it’s important for it to be free.   We have many board games, learning kits, busy bags, & activities & programs that they can come participate in. We have:
Kids' First is our after school program for children who are in kindergarten on up. We meet every Tuesday from 4:15 - 5:15 p.m. We have stories, games, crafts, and a snack is provided.