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TAG: family

Holiday Gifts for Expectant Mothers

Posted in Explore and Discover on December 5, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Stefani Miller “What do you want for Christmas?” I’ve never had trouble answering that question in the past. There’s always been a thing or two on my list. But as a newly expectant mother I find myself, for the first time, unable to answer. Before I became pregnant, I could ask for things that […]

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Big animals, big news: Connect with Washington wildlife at your local library

Posted in Explore and Discover on November 30, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Nathaniel Youmans 2017 has been quite a big year for Washington’s large wildlife. The gray wolf population in the northeast part of the state continues to rebound by an annual growth rate of nearly 30%, with the two newest established packs recognized in a Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife survey conducted late last […]

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Audiobooks: Are they reading or cheating?

Posted in Explore and Discover on November 22, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Abra Cole Readers quickly divide into two groups when it comes to audiobooks: those who consider listening to audiobooks as reading and those who don’t (“it’s cheating!”). On which side do you fall? I am a lifelong member of the pro-audiobook club. I’ve been listening to books for as long as I can remember. […]

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Reading with children: Identity, voices, and shared memories

Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on October 31, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Gwendolyn Haley I hear my grandfather’s voice when I read The Tale of Peter Rabbit. He did not read to me regularly. We lived very far away from him and only saw those grandparents once or twice a year. But when he read that story to me, it was magical. I have read the […]

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Ever louder bumps in the night: Scares for all ages

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 24, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Susan Goertz As a chill grips the autumn air and the chlorophyll leaches from the leaves, my mind turns toward the spooky. Nothing to get your heart racing and the cold sweat pouring on a crisp night like a good scary story. Horror is a very broad genre. There are a lot of options […]

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The Great American Eclipse of 2017

Posted in Explore and Discover on August 17, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Nathaniel Youmans Shortly after 10am on Monday, August 21, 2017, a terrific spectacle of light and darkness will leave millions of people suspended in awe. It has happened before (most recently through the Pacific Northwest states back in 1979), but on this morning many will witness the first total solar eclipse since 1918 to […]

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Dance like You’ve Got Ants in Your Pants: Q&A with Eric Herman

Posted in kids, News on June 29, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Erin Dodge We’re ready for comedy, creativity, audience participation, and outrageously amusing songs this summer. And we hope you are too! Eric Herman performs his cool tunes at our libraries, July 17–21. I reached out to Eric with a few questions and learned a bit about how Siri, poets, and kids influence his music. I […]

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Enraptured by raptors: West Valley Outdoor Learning Center

Posted in Explore and Discover on June 14, 2017 at 6:00 am

Guest Blog By Kim Brinkmann “I had no idea this place even existed!” This phrase is commonly expressed by first-time guests of the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center. The Outdoor Learning Center is tucked back in a corner on the grounds of Pasadena Park Elementary School, hidden among the towering cottonwoods, cedars, and aspens. It […]

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Books to help kids with the idea of a new sibling

Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on May 16, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Melanie Boerner After six years with our only child, my husband and I are expecting another in August. My son approached me the other day and asked, “Are you going to love the baby and stop loving me?” This, of course, broke my heart and had me, already a ball of hormones, in tears. […]

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Community gardening: a delicious pursuit to feed the hungry and the soul

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 25, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Erin Dodge I met with Teresa Sadler of Pumpkin Patch Community Garden to talk about the garden and learn her take on gardening, especially as a community. Originally a pumpkin patch and then a parking lot and staging site for the construction company that built the bridge over the river, the community garden was […]

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