Posted in Explore and Discover on December 30, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Alison Johnson I know it may be hard to believe, but there are times when a marathon of Disney movies or Doctor Who is just not appealing. Sometimes I am so tired of being inside, that even if it is cold and snowy, I just have to get outside and do something. I think […]
Tags: activities, adults, frozen bubbles, kids, outdoors, painting, play, snow, weather, winter
Posted in kids on December 22, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson When I was in school, one of my favorite things about winter break was that I didn’t have to read books assigned for class because that meant I had time to read books I picked myself! Studies have shown that kids are more motivated to read when they are allowed to pick […]
Tags: books, children's books, kids, kids books, parents, reading, recommendations, stories, suggestions
Posted in Explore and Discover on December 17, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Abra Cole Winter officially starts next week on December 21. This fall, we’ve already had below freezing temperatures and snow. And in the months ahead, we can expect even more snowy days and below freezing cold. I propose the following idea: there is no reason to shelter inside until spring! As the Norwegians say: […]
Tags: activities, adults, bubbles, fun, kids, nature, outdoors, parents, snow, snowmen, sticks, teens, walks
Posted in News, Parents and Teachers on December 15, 2020 at 6:00 am
Guest blog by Dr. Allison Wilson Community spaces and familiar routines offer rich opportunities for meaningful interactions and learning with young children. Everyday Language and Learning Opportunities (Project ELLO) focuses on increasing the number of quality, language-rich interactions between caregivers and young children. ELLO resources encou […]
Tags: caregivers, child care, conversations, development, early learning, ELLO, kids, math, parents, talking
Posted in Parents and Teachers on December 10, 2020 at 6:00 am
BY CAITLIN WHEELER MEMOIR, A MOMENT IN A LIFE Unlike biography, which is the story of a life, memoir is a story within a life—a moment or a thread of moments that shed light on a larger truth. Everyone has stories like these: little moments in our lives that illustrate something bigger about how we […]
Tags: grandparents, kids, memoir, memoir writing, parents, reading, teens, writing
Posted in Parents and Teachers on November 24, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Tammy Henry At some point in our lives, all of us will face the death of a loved one and the grief that such a loss entails. Facing death is never an easy thing, and for children, who have significantly less experience with the complexity of life and emotions, it can be a bewildering […]
Tags: caregivers, children, grief, grieving, healing, kids, loss, loved ones, pain, parents, picture books, reading
Posted in News on October 28, 2020 at 6:00 am
Storytime Shorts Our librarians miss having storytime with our youngest library customers and their families. And we’ve heard from some of you that you’ve missed storytime too! So our librarians have recorded some wonderful picture book stories, songs, fingerplays, activities, and flannel stories using the felt board for our new video series St […]
Tags: activities, babies, caregivers, early learning, kids, learning, parents, playing, preschooler, reading, rhymes, singing, stories, storytime, toddlers
Posted in Explore and Discover on October 21, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Alison Johnson I really love Halloween. Thinking up the perfect costume is fun, and then there is the excuse to indulge in sweets! You may be wondering, as am I, how we can still have a fun Halloween celebration with the restrictions we face right now. Many of us may err on the side […]
Tags: books, carving, crafts, creativebug, Halloween, jack-o-lantern, kids, pumpkin, recipes, scavenger hunt, teens
Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on October 14, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson Life is stressful. Life during the COVID-19 pandemic is extra stressful. As adults, we’ve had to navigate so much this year that nobody would have imagined in 2019. And our kids pick up on our stress. Plus, they have stressors of their own. School is completely different, they’re wearing masks, and they […]
Tags: activities, booklist, books, breath, breathing, kids, meditation, mindfulness, parents, preschool, toddler, yoga
Posted in News, Parents and Teachers on September 30, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Gwendolyn Haley Whether students are going to school in person, online, or a combination of the two, Spokane County Library District is here to support their learning with tools and resources. Students can access a wealth of free resources online within our Digital Library by using their library card. Getting a library card is […]
Tags: #Back2School, back to school, caregivers, digital, digital library, homework, kids, parents, resources, studying, teens, tweens