Posted in Explore and Discover on April 22, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson Sometimes my family needs something to brighten our day. Every once in a while the news channels sprinkle in a human interest story or a funny video into the more stark news that makes me feel better about the world. Social media is more of the same, with every other post about […]
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Tags: fun, happy, kids, parents, teens, tweens, uplifting, videos, viral videos
Posted in Parents and Teachers on February 12, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson I have always been a fan of games. When my kids were younger, I could hardly wait for them to be old enough to move on from Candy Land to more interesting games—ones that I could actually enjoy too! When thinking about games, we often think about reasoning and strategy, which are […]
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Tags: addition, board games, cards, counting, dice, Families, games, kids, learning, math, multiplication, parents, playing, subtraction
Posted in Parents and Teachers on November 27, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson My oldest daughter is an avid reader. However, for a year or so when she had just learned to read and was a good reader, she still hated reading. As a librarian, my response was—challenge accepted! I brought home lots of books on topics I knew interested her in a variety of […]
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Tags: caregivers, children, first grade, graphic novel, graphic novels, kids, Kindergarten, parents, reading, reluctant reader, second grade, struggling reader, teachers, third grade
Posted in Parents and Teachers on September 18, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson Fall is my favorite season. I enjoy sunny weather that is cool enough to welcome jeans and sweaters. I enjoy the beauty of the changing leaves. I relish the cooler nights that encourage snuggles and books on the couch, and I love all the fun flavors that make their way into my […]
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Tags: apples, autumn, booklist, books, cider, cookies, donuts, doughnuts, drinks, fall, flavors, food, hot chocolate, kids, parents, pumpkin, reading, recipes, season, seasonal, soup
Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on July 8, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson This year the library’s summer reading program has been celebrating A Universe of Stories. If you haven’t already poured through Engage, our programs and events guide, to circle the programs that interest you, I suggest you do so soon. We still have lots of summer programs you won’t want to miss! This […]
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Tags: activities, astronauts, book list, books, constellations, crafts, jewelry, kids, library, Mobius Science Center, moon sand, orbit, parents, planets, programs, reading, space, stars, telescopes, The Zaniac
Posted in Explore and Discover on April 23, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson I often hear people refer to Spokane as a big city with a small-town feel, and I think this is one of the reasons many people enjoy living in Spokane. However, when talking with customers and friends, I also hear more and more about how people don’t know their neighbors anymore. How […]
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Tags: civic life, community, grandparents, inequality, kids, libraries, library, neighborhoods, neighbors, nonfiction, Palaces for the People, parents, parks, places, polarization, public life, schools, social, social infrastructure, social science, society, spaces, teachers, together
Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on February 12, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson In my years of helping kids find books to read, one thing has remained the same—kids always want to read the same books their friends are reading. Often, a new title has gained traction. It’s also not uncommon for older series to suddenly come into popularity again, based on word of mouth. […]
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Tags: book list, book recommendations, books, children, kids, kids books, reading, recommendations, tweens
Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on December 18, 2018 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson Cold Spokane winters can leave us longing for the days when we can send the kids outside to run around and get some energy out. When the weather isn’t cooperating, music can be a great way to channel kids’ extra energy and help them get a little exercise at the same time. […]
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Tags: dance, early learner, early learners, early learning, kids, kids music, music, musicians, parenting, parents, play, preschool, preschooler, storytime, storytimes, young learners
Posted in Parents and Teachers on October 9, 2018 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson There are lots of wonderful books about first-day school jitters. But reading to our kids about school doesn’t need to end once school is in full swing. There are all sorts of challenges that kids face while at school. Fortunately, there are also a wealth of books that cover situations such as […]
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Tags: accidents, art, back to school, booklists, books, bravery, bullying, courage, creativity, embarassed, embarassment, family, fiction, fitting in, friends, kids, kindness, parenting, parents, playing, reading, teachers, teasing, young learners
Posted in Explore and Discover, kids, Parents and Teachers on July 24, 2018 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson Even though I’ve lived in the Spokane area for over 15 years now, every once in a while I find out about something and wonder how I’ve never heard about it before. This past fall I learned about the Stonerose Interpretive Center. While it’s a bit of a drive from Spokane (about […]
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Tags: adults, archeology, day trip, digging, fossils, kids, life sciences, microadventure, microadventures, parents, science, shale, STEM, Stonerose, teens, tweens