Read for the Record on Oct. 4

Read for the Record OCTOBER 4

Richmond Public Library will be joining in with millions of others to read  Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad as part of JumpStart's Read for the Record. Come by for storytime or check out one of the Ladybug Girl books to read on your own!


Jumpstart’s premiere national campaign Read for the Record, presented in partnership with the Pearson Foundation, is one day of the year when millions of individuals come together to celebrate literacy and support Jumpstart in its efforts to promote early childhood education. On October 4^th, people across the country will be encouraged to read the children’s book Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad, by David Soman and Jacky Davis, in support of Jumpstart’s mission to work towards the day that every child in America enters school prepared to succeed.
In 2011, 2.2 million people participated in Jumpstart’s Read for the Record. We hope you’ll help us break that record by pledging to read Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad on October 4^th!
Campaign Impact
Each year, the campaign has shone a national spotlight on America's early education achievement gap and highlighted Jumpstart's programs as a way to address this crisis. Since 2006, the campaign has:

• Engaged 7 MILLION children
• Raised more than $7 MILLION for early education programs
• Provided more than 1,000,000 books for children in low-income neighborhoods

Campaign History
In 2006, Jumpstart launched the first Read for the Record campaign with the classic story The Little Engine that Could. Jumpstart began the morning of that campaign day on NBC's TODAY Show, which has become a proud tradition. Jumpstart’s supporters helped set a new record for reading the same book on the same day, and in the process, created a national forum for concerned citizens to voice their support of early education.

Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad by David Soman and Jacky Davis

2012 Jumpstart's Read for the Record Campaign Book -- A girl named Lulu, otherwise known as Ladybug Girl, gathers her friends Bumblebee Boy, Dragonfly Girl, and Butterfly Girl for some imaginary fun. Lulu and her friends learn about friendship, feelings, and courage.

Young Adults-Changing the World with Volunteering

I was inspired to write a blog post based on my wonderful experience with the teens I’ve been working with at the library this summer. On July 26, a nonprofit organization, HandsOn, orchestrated a week long program with a selected group of teens who showed interest in volunteer work.

The program is called,Teen Impact, and each day the group would work with other nonprofit organizations to give back to the community. I've been working with the HandsOn organization for their Teen Impact project, and I am thankful that the Richmond Public Library was one of the facilities chosen to be a part of their project!

I met the group at 9 a.m. and I could see the tired state the teens were in. They didn't look like a happy group at first. I guess teens are not morning people! They each staggered out of the van and had some type of Starbucks drink in their hand. The teens were unenthusiastic at first, but when I asked if I could take a picture they gave in.

When the teens got settled in, the program started with the group learning about how to conduct a story time with Ms. Beth, our Children's Library Associate at Main. They learned about puppetry, presentation, and using expressions when conducting a story time.

The Teen Impact group had an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned during a story time for preschoolers. The kids loved the special treat they received from the group of teens.

After the story time, I gave the group a tour of the library.The teens were very fond of the Children's Department. I even shared a special moment with one of the kids when I helped her find Eric Carle's popular book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (I love this book!).

"When We Were Young," featuring portraits by 
photographer Mark Mitchell of World War II veterans.

They also enjoyed our art exhibitions here at Main.

Observing the work of the late photographer, Louis H. Draper.

The teens also went outside and viewed our garden. They got the opportunity to taste the different varieties of mint. Later on that day they made signs/labels for the garden.

Another part of the Teen Impact project was to get the teens involved with the arts, and this included a session with the group making bracelets out of magazines, which was part of my summer recyclable crafts programs for teens.

Over all I hope the teens enjoyed themselves at the Main Library.

A group picture after they made a mess of themselves from painting signs for our garden.

If you are a parent or a teen and looking for volunteer opportunities, just go to this website for HandsOn: www.handsonrva.org

 
Main Teen Volunteers and the Mayor's Youth Academy Interns

I also would like to mention our other teen volunteers and the interns from the Mayors Youth Academy. They were a great group of teens who helped with shelving, programs, and even help conducting programs.

What a silly group of kids!

Some of the teen volunteers and Mayor Youth Academy members.

Helping out with a craft project

There are still opportunities for teens to volunteer in the library, too. Check with your local branch to see what opportunities that are out there. Also, the Main Library is starting a Teen Advisory Group (TAG) and teens can use the hours for volunteer credits.

Children's Book Week 2012

Celebrate Children's Book Week at the Richmond Public Library!

Visit your local Library for a story time, some computer time, or to check out the winners of the 2012 Children's Choice Book Awards. Weekly story times for babies, toddlers and preschoolers are offered at each RPL branch.  Please check the RPL website for locations, days and times.

The Children's Choice Book Awards is the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by children and teens of all ages.  Voting lasted from mid-March until May 3, 2012.  A list of the final titles may be found at the Children's Book Week website.  Winners will be announced tonight at a gala in New York City and will be posted at the website on May 8, 2012.  Teen choice winners may be found at http://www.teenreads.com/.  Print a cool bookmark here!

On May 10, 11 or 12, children and families are invited to their local Library for a visit with storyteller Megan Hicks, weaving stories, paper, and a little bit of magic. 

Check the RPL website for dates and times at each Library location. 

http://www.richmondpubliclibrary.org

Finish the week with Children's Day on Saturday, May 12 from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm at the Main Library, located at 101 East Franklin Street.  View the ongoing exhibit "Why Children's Books: Inspiring Generations" and see if your favorite is on display.  Hear storyteller Megan Hicks, make a hat, and enjoy a fun day for the whole family. 

http://www.bookweekonline.com

 

Theatre IV Does Storydrama Workshop @ the Library

Theatre IV came to the Main Library to do a storydrama workshop with a group of preschoolers in the Children's Department. In conjunction with the Theatre IV musical "Seussical", the teaching artist did an amazing interactive story time with "Horton Hatches and Egg". The children were engaged in helping Horton "hatch" the egg.

   

Cat in the Hat came by to help them as well. He suggested they READ A BOOK FOR IDEAS! They were able to solve the problem with inventive imagination. It was a great event for all.