Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 47

Classes for Parents and Caregivers

Parents and caregivers of children are invited to participate in free Early Childhood Essentials classes at KDL this fall. If you have young children or work in child care and need professional development hours, this series is for you. All of the presenters are certified and vetted through Great Start. The classes are for adults, and child care is not provided.

Registration is required and participation is limited. Sign up today by clicking on the links below or calling our Patron Services Department at 616-784-2007. If you register and then are unable to attend, please call and let us know, as many sessions have waiting lists.

Schedule:

Communicating with Respect

Thursday, September 11, 6:30 PM, Plainfield Township Branch

Appropriate Technology with Young Children

Saturday, September 13, 10:00 AM, Cascade Township Branch

Saturday, November 8, 10:00 AM, Caledonia Township Branch

Selective Screen Time

Saturday, September 13, 11:30 AM, Cascade Township Branch

Saturday, November 8, 11:30 AM, Caledonia Township Branch

Moral Development and Fostering Goodness

Monday, September 15, 6:00 PM, Wyoming Branch

Thursday, September 18, 6:30 PM, Byron Township Branch

Tuesday, October 7, 6:30 PM, Walker Branch

Getting Ready to Write For 3–5-Year-Olds

Monday, September 22, 6:30 PM, Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch

Journaling with Young Children

Saturday, September 27, 10:00 AM, East Grand Rapids Branch

Sugar Shock

Monday, September 29, 6:30 PM, Krause Memorial (Rockford) Branch

Let’s Go Outside!

Tuesday, September 30, 6:30 PM, Caledonia Township Branch

Stress Less with Mindfulness

Thursday, October 2, 6:30 PM, Plainfield Township Branch

Money and Economic Skills for Preschoolers

Monday, October 6, 6:30 PM, Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch

Monday, November 3, 6:30 PM, Krause Memorial (Rockford) Branch

Picky Eating

Thursday, October 16, 6:30 PM, Byron Township Branch

Visualizing and Verbalizing Daily Experiences

Monday, October 20, 6:30 PM, Krause Memorial (Rockford) Branch

Discipline with Fewer Tears

Monday, November 10, 6:30 PM, Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch

Thursday, November 13, 6:30 PM, Byron Township Branch

Tuesday, November 18, 6:30 PM, Walker Branch

 

Branch locations can be found here.

 

Get Creative!

Check out these programs that are sure to get your creative juices flowing!

3Doodler Dream It, Draw It

Have you ever wished your drawings could come to life? Now they can! With the use of the 3Doodler, create simple 3D objects from your own imagination or use some of the provided stencils. Pre-registration is required and spots are limited. For all ages.

Thursday, September 11, 6:00 PM, Spencer Township Branch

Thursday, September 25, 4:00 PM, Alto Branch

Wednesday, October 8, 4:00 PM, Gaines Township Branch

Tuesday, October 14, 6:30 PM, Plainfield Township Branch

Tuesday, November 11, 6:30 PM, Englehardt (Lowell) Branch

Saturday, November 15, 2:00 PM, Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch

Saturday, November 22, 10:30 AM, Sand Lake / Nelson Township Branch

 

Get Revved Up

Interested in cars? Want to learn how an engine works? Create your own rubber band car, help us build an engine model and even design a sketch of your own style of car or truck. For all ages.

Sunday, September 14, 2:00 PM, East Grand Rapids Branch

Thursday, September 18, 6:30 PM, Caledonia Township Branch

Saturday, September 27, 10:30 AM, Sand Lake / Nelson Township Branch

Saturday, October 4, 10:30 AM, Alto Branch

Saturday, October 11, 10:30 AM, Alpine Township Branch

Saturday, November 8, 2:00 PM, Byron Township Branch

Tuesday, November 18, 6:30 PM, Englehardt (Lowell) Branch

Saturday, November 29, 2:00 PM, Comstock Park Branch

 

Branch locations can be found here.

 

Michigan Reads Celebration

Celebrate the 2014 Michigan Reads book, Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band by Kwame Alexander, with crafts and activities. For ages 6 and younger.

Saturday, September 13, 10:00 AM,

Krause Memorial (Rockford) Branch

Tuesday, September 16, 10:30 AM,

Sand Lake/Nelson Township Branch

Tuesday, September 16, 6:30 PM, Comstock Park Branch

Wednesday, September 17, 10:30 AM, Comstock Park Branch

Monday, September 22, 10:30 AM, Alto Branch

Tuesday, September 30, 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM,

Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch

Wednesday, October 1, 10:00 AM, Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch

Thursday, October 2, 10:00 AM, Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch

Sunday, October 19, 2:00 PM, Cascade Township Branch

Thursday, November 6, 10:00 AM, Englehardt (Lowell) Branch

Saturday, November 8, 10:30 AM, Gaines Township Branch

Monday, November 10, 6:30 PM, Byron Township Branch

Tuesday, November 11, 1:00 PM, Byron Township Branch

Tuesday, November 18, 10:00 AM, Alpine Township Branch

Wednesday, November 19, 10:00 AM, Caledonia Township Branch

Branch locations can be found here.

 

 

New Adult Booklists!

Plenty of places to find a great book to read this fall:

If You Liked “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
KDL Uncorked: Wine and Winemaking
New Adult Fiction

To view other booklists prepared by Kent District Library, be sure to check out the KDL Recommends section of our website.

 

 

Movie and Discussion Time!

The Plainfield Township Branch would like to invite all interested adults to come to a special screening of the film “Friday Night Lights” on Saturday, October 4, with pizza served at 12:30 PM and the film beginning at 1:00 PM. After our viewing, we will hold a discussion of the film and some of the themes explored. The movie, originally released in 2004, is based on the nonfiction book by H.G. Bissinger that was published in 1990. The story centers on a small town in Texas where high school football is the reigning passion, and the players are the heroes of the town. Here is a description:

Odessa is an oil town in the western part of Texas that is home to the Permian High School Panthers, the football team with the best winning record. The city’s economy is in a tailspin, but football is the one thing that brings all the people of Odessa together, and on Friday nights, as many as 20,000 people fill Permian’s football stadium to watch Coach Gary Gaines lead the team to victory. And in Odessa, a football victory is prized above all else. The players ponder the fact that a championship season can be as much a burden as a triumph.

The movie also spawned a popular television series, which ran for five seasons.

Though we will be discussing the movie and not the book (or the TV series), we encourage anyone attending to read the book ahead of time if they’d like and bring whatever questions or comments they’ve gleaned from it to our discussion.

 

Movie and discussion time!

 

 

 

 

KDL’s Plainfield branch would like to invite all interested adults to come to a special screening of the film “Friday Night Lights” on Saturday, October 4th, with pizza served at 12:30 and the film beginning at 1pm. After our viewing, we will be holding a discussion of the film and some of the themes explored in it. The movie, originally released in 2004, is based on the non-fiction book by H.G. Bissinger that was published in 1990. The story centers on a small town in Texas where high school football is the reigning passion, and the players are the heroes of the town. Here is a description:

Odessa is an oil town in the western part of Texas that is home to the Permian High School Panthers, the football team with the best winning record. The city’s economy is in a tailspin, but football is the one thing that brings all the people of Odessa together, and on Friday nights, as many as 20,000 people fill Permian’s football stadium to watch Coach Gary Gaines lead the team to victory. And in Odessa, a football victory is prized above all else. The players ponder the fact that a championship season can be as much a burden as a triumph.

The movie also spawned a popular television series, which ran for five seasons.

Though we will be discussing the movie and not the book (or the TV series), we encourage anyone attending to read the book ahead of time if they’d like and bring whatever questions or comments they’ve gleaned from it to our discussion afterwards.

Free Computer Classes for Adults

Whether you’re a computer novice or looking to update your skills, KDL’s free computer classes can help you learn something new! Registration opens today for our October classes:

Computer Basics: Mousing and More
Computer Basics: Where’s My Stuff?
Computer Basics: Windows 8 — Using It and Loving It!

(B.Y.O. Laptop)
Gadgets: B.Y.O. eReader & Tablet Users Group

(pre-registration not required)
Internet: Facebook Basics
Internet: Getting Started on Craigslist
Internet: Google — More Than Just a Search Engine
Internet: Internet Basics & More
Internet: Online Security
Internet: Pinterest Basics
Online Research: Genealogy Research I & II
Microsoft Excel Basics I & II
Microsoft Excel: Data Analysis
Microsoft PowerPoint Basics
Microsoft Word Basics I & II
Career Transitions Workshop: LinkedIn Boot Camp
Speak to a Geek (pre-registration not required)

For class descriptions and schedule, please see our brochure or search our events calendar.

Unless otherwise noted, pre-registration is required and will begin the month before the scheduled classes on the first Monday of each month for KDL cardholders and the second Monday for non-KDL cardholders (if space is still available):

October classes: Registration begins Tuesday, September 2 for KDL cardholders

(Monday, September 8 for non-KDL cardholders)
November classes: Registration begins Monday, October 6 for KDL cardholders

(Monday, October 13 for non-KDL cardholders)

To register, please call 616-784-2007.

Write Michigan Contest Kicks Off Today!

Short story writers, grab your laptops for the third annual Write Michigan Short Story Contest, presented by Kent District Library, Herrick District Library and Schuler Books & Music. Entries are accepted now through Sunday, November 30. Writers of all ages can enter, with cash prizes awarded for Readers’ Choice and Judges’ Choice. Winning entries will also be published by Chapbook Press.

Enhance your writing skills by attending one of the short story workshops being offered for adults, teens and children.

Learn more, including complete contest guidelines, by visiting the Write Michigan website.

We can’t wait to read your story!

You Decide Who Runs the Race!

What are your favorite reads at KDL? KDL’s Genre Derby, our online campaign to raise money for collections, will be returning in February, and we need you to vote on which genres make it to the starting gate. Fill out this short survey and the genres with the most votes will make the cut.

Last year, the Genre Derby raised over $6,000 for collections at KDL! Romance received the most donations, but every genre was a winner.

 

 

Early Lit Bits: Book Review – “Thank You, Octopus”

Thank You, Octopus by Darren Farrell

Bedtime ahoy! In this silly story, we find that Octopus might not be the best choice for getting his little buddy ready for bed. Octopus helps brush teeth with a paint brush and attempts to rock (and roll) Buddy to sleep. The action takes place on a boat and colorful, quirky illustrations carry the nautical theme throughout the book. Invite your child to respond as you read together. They will likely be repeating, “No thank you, Octopus” by the end of the story. Talk about the pictures and ask your child what Octopus should really be doing at bedtime. Can you think of a funny way to change one of your bedtime routines? Reading a bedtime story each night and talking together are fantastic ways to get your child ready to read!

– Liz W. at KDL’s Plainfield Township Branch

 

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.