Where The Child Things Are
What Drives Us
By: Tom Malinowski, Middle School Librarian
I went to the drive-in last night with some friends and saw Footloose, the original one with Kevin Bacon from 1984. It was being shown in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Huge shipping containers were stacked up (three of them) and a screen put on the side of them. The weather was perfect for it,
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Science at Home: Exploring Careers in Healthcare and Medicine
By: Justine R, Guest Blogger
Hi! My name is Justine Rozenich, and I’m an incoming senior in high school at Saint Ignatius College Prep. I am passionate about medicine and exposing youth to careers in healthcare, which was the inspiration for my project, Healthcare Exploration Activities. I hope that kids enjoy the activities I have created as a meaningful way to
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Podcast Palooza!
By: Heather McCammond-Watts, Youth Department Director
Going on a road trip? Or tired of too much screen time? Podcasts to the rescue! There are so many wonderful “kidcasts” that you can stream for free, which offer a fantastic way for children and their families to listen, learn, and be entertained anywhere, anytime. Did you know that listening to audiobooks, or audiopodcasts,
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Let’s Do Lunch!
By: Amy Waters, School Liaison
For several summers now, the Glen Ellyn Public Library has participated in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which is supported by the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Through this partnership, GEPL has been able to provide nutritious meals for children in the community at no cost to the library or to the children joining us
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The Prairie State
By: Christina Keasler, Assistant Youth Department Director and Youth Technology Librarian
You may have heard that Illinois is called The Prairie State. From Prairie State College to the Prairie Path, we have embraced the nickname. Our state prairie grass, the big bluestem, may sound familiar since “Bluestem” is also the name of a book award. Did you know that a prairie is made up of more
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Did You Miss It?
By: Katy Almendinger, Early Literacy Librarian
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been late to a webinar or Zoom meeting. Raise your hand if you just needed to get your kids out of the house and you missed the online concert. Raise your hand if you double- or maybe even triple-booked your schedule and had to prioritize what to attend. I
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Weekly Art Challenge: Recreate Famous Artwork
By: Kelli Rolston, Youth Associate
Have you ever wanted to try your hand at creating a piece of art in the style of a famous artist? You have come to the right place! Most of these art projects require only basic supplies, such as watercolor paints, paint brushes, markers, colored pencils, tempera paints, crayons, and construction paper. You will find
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Bedtime Stories and the Benefits of Reading Aloud
By: Cathy Mori, Youth Librarian
According to an American survey by Reading Is Fundamental, bedtime stories are becoming a thing of the past. Nearly 2/3 of survey respondents claimed they did not regularly read bedtime stories with their children; the nightly ritual having been replaced by phone or tablet use. A British survey had similar results. Multiple studies have proven
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Diversify Your Summer Reading
By: Kate Easley, Youth Librarian
It’s summer, which means, hopefully, that the kids are done with remote learning and they can finally start reading for fun! If you haven’t registered for our completely online Paint Your Story: Summer Reading Challenge yet, you can do that here and log all your child’s reading to earn some cool rewards. Of course, in
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DIY Spa Day
By: Alexa Moffat, Youth Associate
Hi, friends! As quarantine life wears on, I’ve been looking for creative ways to pass the time with my four-year-old. Our most recent success was a DIY Spa Day that we created using stuff around our house. Besides being lots of fun, mixing and mashing our spa treatments were great fine motor and sensory activities.
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