TAG: parents

Kindergarten registration, plus games & activities to get ready

Posted in News, Parents and Teachers on February 25, 2020 at 6:00 am

By Mary Ellen Braks It’s hard to believe that it is already time for parents to register their children for kindergarten. March 1 is the first day to register for most school districts in Spokane County. Even though school doesn’t start until September, this early registration allows for school districts to plan ahead to have […]

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Playing games, practicing math!

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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Getting started with graphic novels: Reluctant readers, struggling readers, and you

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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Library insider: Helping your child research for school papers and projects

Posted in Explore and Discover on November 13, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Dana Mannino I always know when it’s research paper season. The first clue is that my work calendar explodes. For my work as a librarian, I offer research workshops to area high schools that aren’t fortunate enough to have their own library. Somehow all the requests for workshops come in at once. The second […]

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Flavors of fall: Food and book pairings for kids

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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Finding a love of reading through fairy tales

Posted in Explore and Discover on August 22, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Caitlin Wheeler Some children are early readers. I have a friend who swears she already preferred burying her nose in a book (over any other activity) by the time she turned two, along with the photo to prove it. While this story smells faintly of exaggeration and posed photography to me, I’m sure my […]

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Things to do during a sedentary summer

Posted in Explore and Discover on July 24, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Dana Mannino The way I see it, there are two phases of summer: active summer and sedentary summer. For me, active summer occurs when temperatures reach 70–85 degrees. At those temps, I try to spend most of my time outside, preferably in the mountains or at a lake, in the garden will do as […]

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Blast Off! for summer fun with space-themed crafts, books, and programs

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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Day in the life of a librarian

Posted in Explore and Discover on May 16, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Dana Mannino When kids tour the library, I like to ask them what they think a librarian does. Usually I get answers like “You tell us not to run.” I think to myself, “If I wanted to do that, I would have become a life guard!” I don’t think kids are the only ones […]

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Cloud watching 101

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 30, 2019 at 6:00 am

Cloud Watching By Abra Cole Springtime in the Inland Northwest is peak cloud watching time. Simple steps for cloud watching: Put away your wristwatch and prepare your imagination. Find a good spot, either sitting or lying down, with a good view of the sky. Talk about what you see: Shapes, colors, creatures, or other things in the […]

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