Library Announces March Events, Updates

Library Community Room Update

Repairs are proceeding in the Community Room and Community Room Kitchen, and are nearing completion.  At Bulletin deadline date for this publication, we’d received a temporary occupancy permit allowing library functions in the rooms. We will begin accepting reservations for the room from the public once the final occupancy permit is received. Check the library website for updates.

Children’s Room Carpeting Project

You may have seen some activity of things being moved around in the Children’s Room. This is in preparation for a carpeting and minor renovation project that will be happening in the coming months. In addition to new carpeting (approved at the fall town meeting) and a new shelving layout, we will also be updating the preschool play area with funds from a federal Library Services & Technology Act grant called Mind in the Making. There will be new furnishings, new educational toys,  and a whole new look to the Children’s Room.  We will update the library website with relevant information as the project proceeds.

PJ Collection for Cradles to Crayons

We will be collecting PJs for Cradles to Crayons  through March 15. Each year, Cradles to Crayons partners with the Boston Bruins and Mass. Board of Library Commissioners to collect new PJs for children of all ages. You could take this opportunity to talk to your kids about the importance of giving back and making sure every child has a pair of warm PJs to snuggle up in at bedtime.

Importance of Play to Child Learning & Development

The library is thrilled to announce that on Saturday, March 25, at 10:30 am, Los Angeles-based national speaker Nicole Gardner will present “Mind in the Making: the Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs,” a program of the Bezos Family Foundation (co-founded by Jackie and Mike Bezos, parents of Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos) at the library. Nicole is a Program Associate for Mind in the Making and Vroom. Mind in the Making is an unprecedented effort to share the science of children’s learning and development with the general public, families, and the professionals who work with them. Nicole will bring the science of early learning to life through engaging content and video field trips to labs of leading researchers.
There will also be opportunity for discussion on how to put this research into action and time for Q&A. Participants will come away with resources, tools, and strategies that they can immediately begin using with the children in their lives. This program is made possible by a “Mind in the Making” Institute of Museum and Library Services grant through the Library Services and Technology Act. The grant is administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Doors open at 10:00 am. Please register.

“Enlighten Bellingham” Program Starts in March!

March—September the library will offer a variety of programs for people of all ages under the “Enlighten Bellingham” program. We are one of six libraries that, because of our science programming, were chosen as pilot libraries by The Maine State Library, The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Cornerstones of Science, a Maine nonprofit. The goal for the initative is for the pilot libraries to create a field-tested, replicable science literacy method that can be used to enable their public libraries to become skilled STEM facilitators. The project seeks to empower public libraries to build their science capacity so that they can connect their communities to engaging and meaningful informal science and technology experiences, equipment, books, media and the scientific community. We have chosen the topic of Environmental Literacy and will be offering programs on alternative energy, recycling and water resources.

Kick-off Event:  Backyard Astronomy with Aldrich Astronomical Society, on Wednesday, March 29, at 6:30 pm (for ages 6–adult). At this event, we’ll talk about the exciting upcoming programs and highlight the library telescope. The program will assist in the use of the library telescope, how to check it out and how to use it to explore the night sky through a technique called star-hopping.  After the indoor presentation, attendees will go outside for a telescope stargazing event if weather permits.  Please register.

Other Programs Slated in April & May

• Community Read—“Plastic Purge: How to Use Less Plastic, Eat Better, Keep Toxins Out of Your Body, and Help Save the Sea Turtles!‚” by Michael San Clements. Book Talks & Book Discussions throughout the month!
• Recycle It Right! Join representatives from Republic Services, Bellingham’s trash contracting company, for a presentation and discussion on effective recycling. Registration preferred but not necessary
• Recycling for Kids
• Vic & Sticks will present “The Recycled Rhythm Program,” a fast-paced musical family show focusing on the importance of recycling
• Charles River Cleanup Day
• Solar Electricity for Your Home
• Solar Electricity for Your Kids
• Saving Energy & Money through the Mass Save® Residential Energy-Efficiency Programs. Registration preferred but not required.

March Events

• Dr. Seuss Extravaganza—Thursday, March 2, 4 pm (for all ages). 113 years ago today, Theodor Seuss Geisel—“Dr. Seuss”—was born. Join us for oodles of activities, games, and crafts. Please register.
• St. Patrick’s Day Party—Thursday, March 16, 4 pm. Wear your green and be ready for a fun hour of activities, games, and crafts to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  Please register.
• Simple Techniques to Release Your Inner Artist—Monday, March 27, 6 pm (for ages 15+).  Pastel art workshop for aspiring artists who want to learn a technique that will help jump-start your creativity. All materials are included. Please register.
• Book a Librarian—Wednesdays, 5 and 5:45pm.  Book a Librarian sessions are tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual. A library staff member will give undivided attention to patrons who want in-depth help with a wide variety of library services, such as learning to use a computer, tablet, email or the Internet; downloading eBooks and audiobooks; researching a topic; discovering new books and authors to read and enjoy; business, nonprofit or genealogy help; or other topics which you define.  Please register.
• Introduction to 3D Printing—Saturday, March 25, 2 pm (high-school-age and older; children 8 and up welcome to attend with an adult). Join us for an introduction to 3D Printing with our Cube 3D Printer and Sense Scanner. This class will not cover designing a 3D object to print in any detail. It will focus on the details of printing predesigned objects and objects that can be scanned with our 3D Sense Scanner. An overview of free online 3D Design software is reviewed. Class is limited to 8 people.

Cartwheel Book Awards Committee Members Wanted!  Are you between the ages of 9–12? Do you love to read books? Do you want your voice heard? Then we are looking for you to be a committee member for our very own Cartwheel Book Awards! This is the 5th year of the Cartwheel Book Awards, which is the Bellingham Library’s version of the Kids’ Choice Awards for Middle Grade Fiction.
 
During the course of this calendar year, committee members will read the same ten books, which are selected by Mr. Steve and are published between May 2016 and April 2017. The books are selected for written quality, kid appeal, and genre diversity. After the committee member has read each of the ten books, s/he can vote for his/her favorites in six categories: Best Written, Favorite Book Cover, Favorite Male Character, Favorite Female Character, Best Ending, and Favorite Book.

At the end of 2017, we will tally up the votes and contact the authors who won to ask them to send in acceptance speeches (many authors send in thank-you videos). In late January or February 2018, all the committee members and their families will attend the awards ceremony, where the kids will reveal the winners in each category and get to see the authors’ responses! A local producer will videotape the awards night and edit it into a TV show to preserve the memories of the evening. Please register for details.

Regular Events for Children

• Mondays, 2:30-4 pm: Mondays in the Middle (for grades 4-7). Drop by the Community Room after school for video games, board games, laptops, and homework.
• Tuesdays & Fridays, 10:05 and 10:50 am,  Ring-A-Ding (for ages 0–5). Drop in. No class on March 7.
• Tuesdays, 1:15 and 4:15 pm, and Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:10 and 11 am: Alphabits. Please register. No class the week of March 6.
• Tuesdays, at 11:35 am, and Wednesdays, at 9:35 am: Book Babies (for ages 0–23 mos.). Please register. No class the week of March 6.
• Tuesdays, 2:30-4 pm:  Crafternoons (for grades 4-7).  Drop by after school every Tuesday for crafts, video games, board games, laptops and more.
• Wednesdays, 2:30-4 pm: Wicked Awesome Wednesdays (for grades 4-7).  Video games, board games, laptops and more. Drop in; no registration required. 
• Wednesdays, 4–5 pm: Lego Club (for all ages). Drop in.
• Thursdays, 1:15 pm: Wild Things Story Time (for ages 3–5). We’ll feature a different wild animal each week, and include 3-4 stories and activities/a craft. Please register. No class March 9.
• Fridays, 11:35 am, and Saturdays, 10 am:  Babygarten restarts on March 24 & 25 (for pre-walking babies and their caregivers). Babygarten believes that reading to babies is one of the most important components of child-rearing; it can contribute to virtually every aspect of growth and development. Most important, however, is the emotional bond that is nurtured by a reading ritual. Babygarten is an educational curriculum for caregivers and their babies from birth to toddlerhood. The classes teach parents how and why to read to babies. The classes involve songs, rhymes and activities that help babies with language acquisition and preliteracy skills. Please register one time for this six-week class. For more information about Babygarten, visit www.babygarten.com.
• Monday, March 27, 4:15 pm: Magic School Bus (for ages 4-8). Each month, we will show a different Magic School Bus video and do a related experiment/activity. Please register.

Events for Teens

• Teen Room Activities (for grades 6-12)—Looking for something to do after school? Stop by the Teen Room every day, 2—5 pm (10:45 am on early release days). Use computers, play on the WiiU and XBox One, play board games, and create craft projects with your friends.
• Mother/Daughter Book Club, Monday, March 20, 6:30 pm (for daughters in grades 5-7) Each month, a mother/daughter pair selects a book that the group will read. Check library website for details. Please register for your first time attending. 

Events for Adults

• Monday, March 6, at 3 and 6:30 pm: Book Discussion Group. New members welcome, drop in. Throughout winter, the book discussion group holds both afternoon and evening sessions. Choose the one that best meets your schedule.
• Monday, March  6, at 7 pm: Friends of the Library Meeting. New members welcome.
• Monday, March 13, 6 pm: Coloring for Adults. Drop in.
• Thursday, March 9, at 7 pm: Library Board of Trustees Meeting.
• Thursdays at 6:30 pm: Bellingham Skein Artists Adult Knitting Group.  Drop in.