Kids

School's Out! Game Days

The Petoskey District Library will again offer "School's Out" Game Days on days that Petoskey School are SCHEDULED to be closed for students.

Since school has been scheduled for Friday, May 24 we WILL NOT HOLD our LAST SCHOOL'S OUT GAME DAY of the 2012/13 school year!

You may join us at any time during the activity. Parents are welcome to attend also. Games offered by the library include: Mancala, Scrabble, Checkers, Chess, Cards (decks will be available for go fish, euchre, etc. - no gambling games!), Connect Four, Pictureka!, Cranium, Twister, Chess, Dominoes, Cranium Conga, Monopoly Deal, Scrabble Slam!, Trouble, Sorry! Harry Potter Clue, Loaded Questions, Awkward Family Photos, Best Day Ever, Bookopoly and Dino-opoly. Children are welcome to bring their own games to share as well.

The library’s PlayStation 2 (Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero; Metallica, AC-DC or World Tour, Cars, Sonic-Mega Collection and Micro Machines v4 and a few others are available). Participants may bring their own PS-2 games also.

The library will provide popcorn and punch or hot chocolate (depending upon the weather). Children may also bring their favorite soft drink in cans or plastic only. The event is free, but donations are happily accepted.

updated 4/18/13

Email: childstaff@petoskeylibrary.org

Reader’s Theatre 2013

Elementary Reader's Theatre for grades 3-8 has finished for the 2012/13 school year. Watch for us to "reboot" mid-September and you could add yourself to this photo of some of our 2012/13 cast at their Children's Book Week 2013 performance.

Reader's theater is a legitimate form of drama with actors using their voices and upper bodies to convey various roles in a script through reading to an audience. It differs from a play in that parts or roles are read rather than memorized. Actors usually stand behind lecterns or music stands and use techniques such as vocal and facial expressions as well as hand and arm movements. Small hand props may be used as well.
Periodic public performances are presented, participation in these is optional.

Reader’s Theater builds reading confidence (and it’s fun), helps readers learn to read with expression
(plus, it’s fun) and it promotes reading fluency (besides, it’s fun). While telling a familiar story in a
creative way, participation in a Reader’s Theater group improves a child’s reading skill and comprehension, and develops vocal and facial expression in order to effectively convey thoughts and emotions (did we mention that it is fun?).

updated 1/7/2012

"THE CHESS GANG"

Chess for Kids

Our chess club, The “Chess Gang” meets on Mondays from 3-5 pm in the Children's Program Room.

The Chess Gang rides again! They are in "full swing." Come on in and join the fun!

The Chess Gang is a chess club for 8-14
year-olds that meets to learn the game with some instruction and lots of
playing. The gang’s mentor is Mr. Robert
Bemben of Levering. No sign-up is required, just show up. This activity is Free.

Here are a couple of websites to help to get you started before you come:

http://www.chesskids.com/newcourse/index.htm
Teach your kids how to play chess with our free online chess course
Interactive chess lessons, quizzes, videos, games and puzzles for kids
Play chess against the computer. FREE online chess books for kids to kids to download and print. Everything parents need to give their children the best possible start in chess. A unique chess site for kids, teachers and parents. Creator, author and webmaster: Richard James

ChessKid.com

Learn to play chess!
Play chess with kids around the world!
It’s FREE!

updated 2/4/2013

Phone: 231-758-3112

Chess Gang – Family Fun NIghts

The May Family Fun Night has been replaced with a "Chess Gang Family Fun Finale!" on Saturday, May 18 from 12 to 4 p.m. in the Carnegie Building upstairs.

Updated 4/2/13

The Chess Gang will hold monthly Family Chess Nights on the third Tuesday of each month from 6:30-8:30 pm in the Carnegie Building. The remainding date of the 2012/13 school year is April 16.

CHESS GANG FAMILY NIGHT-MARCH EDITION

Our chess tournament at the Carnegie Building on Wednesday evening, March 19, was a success despite the challenging winter weather; fourteen kids came out to compete in three rounds of chess! A special treat this month was participation by the Petoskey Middle School Chess Club.

The next evening chess tournament will be on April 19, 2nd floor of the Carnegie Building, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. All local children, ages 8 through 15, are invited to play.

Participants for the evening, included in the photo are:
Back row, left to right: Christian Duran, Alex Bemben, Caleb Gomez, Blake Thomas, Alex Baxter, Grace Werden.
Front row: Nathaniel Wurster, Joel Dubey, Grace Gomez, Makayla Soukkala, Kendall Pederson, Caleb Dubey, Seth Mapes , Emily Dudd.

CHESS GANG MEMBER WINS TROPHY!

Here is a photo of Chess Gang member, Alex Bemben with his BIG trophy!

Alex won it for being the 1st player rated under 700 in the 40 player Novice division of the Michigan Master/Expert & Class Championships held in Lansing on January 19th, 2013.

Alex had a score of 3-1/2 points after 5 games with 3 wins, one draw and one loss

Three other kids from the Chess Gang attended, they were: Christian Duran, Christopher Gauthier and Ben Gauthier. Christian won three games, Christopher two and Ben one. Christian was the highest rated player in Novice, but he encountered stiff competition since he was seeded #1 and started out 3-0.

Three parents also entered. Everyone had a fun and exciting time!

YET ANOTHER TOURNAMENT!

Several members of the Chess Gang participated in the Michigan Young Junior Championship and Reserve K-8 at the MSU Student Union on March 10, 2013

The five kids that participated from the PDL chess gang are:
Claire Gauthier, Christian Duran, Alex Bemben, Christopher Gauthier and Ben Gauthier. Ben is the one laying across the top of the other kids in the photo.

All of them played in 5 rounds, they all did amazingly well competing and learned a lot about playing in a tournament.

Group mentor, Bob Bemben took 2nd in the adult class sponsor tourney. Congratulations!

Saturday's Child Story Time

Our “Saturday’s Child” Story Hour, for children ages 3-7, will continue every Saturday from 3-4:00 pm, In the Children's Program Room

These programs will be offered by Youth Services Staff and the exact elements of each program will vary depending upon the strengths of each presenter. Generally several stories will be featured along with music, movement, art activities, finger plays, puppets and more. The emphasis will be on fun. Parental participation is a must and the activity is free. Currently there is no registration is required.

updated 2/9/2013

PAWS TO READ

Our
PAWS program (where kids may sign up to read out loud to a therapy dog
for a 15-20 minutes) continues!

A BIG thanks to Kim Brown and Roo of Cinderbay Labradors and Janet Burns and Ellie, who currently volunteer to do the program!

Ellie and Janet Burns will be available on the Second Saturday of every month, current dates scheduled are: January 12, February 9, March 9, April 13, and May 11. The hours are 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Roo and Kim Brown will be available on the THIRD THURSDAY of every month, current dates scheduled are: January 17, February 21, March 21, April 18 and May 16. The hours are from 3:30-5:00 p.m.

We recommend that Readers schedule a 15 minute appointment at the Youth Services Desk or by calling 231-758-3112.

The
theory is, that by reading out loud to the dog, who doesn't judge how
well the child reads, the child's self consciousness disappears and she
gains the confidence needed to become a better reader. You may get the
complete scoop by watching this video at the Therapy Dogs International
web site listed below.

On
the third Thursday of the Month, you'll be reading to Roo, who is a
certified therapy dog and a veteran listener. Roo, pictured here, is
the friend of Kim Brown of Cinderbay Labradors in Harbor Springs.
Depending upon the need, other dogs may be added to help Roo out.

--Updated 01/03/2013

Email: childstaff@petoskeylibrary.org

Phone: 231-758-3123

WebSite: www.tdi-dog.org/Introduction.aspx

PAWS DOG TOO!

On the second Saturday of the month, you'll be reading to Ellie, pictured below, who is the friend of Dr. Janet Burns and is pictured here.

Below you'll find a link to a Washington Post article about reading, kids and dogs.

WebSite: www.washingtonpost.com/local/children-read-aloud-to-dogs/2012/12/27/9cc2a34a-4c55-11e2-8758-b64a2997a921_story.html

SOME WEB RESOURCES FOR KID'S BOOKS & Kids

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) maintains a page called Great Web Sites for Kids.
Links to great sites about: Animals, Arts, History and Biography,
Literature and languages, Reference, Mathematics and computers,
Sciences and Social Sciences are available.
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL)posts its annual list of Top 25 Websites for Teaching and Learning .
The American Museum of Magic celebrates magicians and their magic. It holds the stories and the treasures of performers that entertained residents of the smallest communities and audiences in the grandest theaters. The American Museum of Magic is home to the largest collection of magic open to the public. Thousands of artifacts illuminate the stories of Houdini, Blackstone, Thurston and many others. By the way, the museum lives in Marshall, Michigan and an online version is scheduled to go up in November, 2012.
Ask Kids is a nifty site that has links and activities in several different categories called: Schoolhouse, Movies, Games, Videos and Images. Activities, Kid-friendly searching and positive links to relevant site are all here.
Big Universe.com is a site that features children's books. You can read them, share them, create and publish them. A pretty good preview tool as well.
The Book Hive is produced by the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. You'll find hundreds of reviews of chldren's books, many with comments for parents, that you can look for by author, title, reading level, interest area, number of pages and illustrator. The reviews are written by librarians.
Handipoints is a fun way to earn cool Rewards for completing your chores, homework, and simply lending others a hand!
At Book Adventure you may obtain your very own personalized reading list at by answering some questions about what interests you and your reading level. Not only that, you may earn points toward free reading prizes (books, children's magazines, CDs and others) redeemable from the site! You may need to obtain the free, downloadable Flash Player in order to fully experience the following interactive stories online.
Welcome to Dizzywood, an exciting virtual world for kids. There are all kinds of imaginative places to explore, fun Dizzywood secrets and stories to discover, and fun games to play, including puzzles, arcade games, dress-up games, and much more. Dizzywood is safe for kids and free to use.
Mrs P.'s Magic Library is an award-winning FREE interactive digital storybook destination. Classic children’s stories brought to life by TV star Kathy Kinney as Mrs. P.
The Story Place site is maintained by the same people who bring you the Book Hive. Preschoolers may have books read to them while those of elementary age can read books and watch animations. There are interactive and printable activities and the books can be read in English or Spanish.
At The Neverending Tale you will find yourself in the middle of stories where you get to decide what happens next (Like the Choose Your Own Adventure Books). You can enjoy this site at 3 levels: young reader, older reader and teen.
Mighty Book has more than 45 interactive, read-aloud books. There are books suitable for children ages 2 to 12 and the words are highlighted as they are read.
MinyanLand is a virtual community designed to engage kids and families in games and interaction that is entertaining and educational.
Whyville is a virtual world where boys and girls from all over the real world come to chat, play, learn, and have fun together. You design your face, earn clams by playing games, hang out at the beach, and go to town events at the Greek Theater. You can start your own business, buy a car and give your friends a ride, or write for the town newspaper.
To find more online interactive stories, try using the children's search engine Yahooligans and enter "online interactive stories". Be sure to include the " " (quotation marks) :-).
Best Children's Books - We are a team of teachers who love children's books and have created this site of the best children's books to help you quickly and easily find the ideal book for any topic and reading level. And...we don't include ALL the books on a given topic, just the award winning, highly rated books.
Professor Garfield offers fun, engaging and transforming educational content for school children between kindergarten and 8th grade. The educational content is upgraded continuously and presented in a popular culture entertainment format. All of the content has been reviewed by educational experts and tested in classroom settings.
Animaland Have a new pet hamster and not sure how to care for it, or
maybe wonder what manatees eat? Find the answers at this fun children's
site that has animal-related games and cartoons and information on
various animals, pet care, and some careers working with animals. The site is run by the ASPCA
RIF Reading Planet has all kinds of reading FUN!
Want to find out how just about anything works? Well, then, go to: HowStuffWorks.com!
Like Astronomy or Outer Space? Then visit: NASA's Space Place
You can access lots of great links for just about anything at the MeL:Kids! That would be "The Michigan Electronic Library for Kids."