Wrapping up Food for Fines 2021

If you or you children have late fees (overdue fines)
don't miss out on the opportunity to get them
forgiven while also helping others.

Food for Fines 2021

 

December Caudill Picks

 

Fiber Arts Exhibit Open

 

November Caudill Picks

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Fiber Arts Show 2021

 Open to ALL AGES! 

Show off the quilt or afghan grandma made, the finger knitting or pin cushion you made, or display the stuffed animal your aunt sewed you. Did your mom sew you clothes or a costume? You could display that too. All pieces will be returned after the show.

Young Naturalists - Seed Collection

  

Please note age requirements.
Registration is not required, but is encouraged for space reasons.

Inktober

 

October Caudill Picks

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Caudill Time is Coming!

 

YN: Insect Survey

Kelsey led our final Young Naturalist program of the summer, Insect Study. Dhe brought Toby, the tarantula, and some Madagascar hissing cockroaches for us to see. Then they went to explore the garden to see what bugs they could find and identify. 

Watch for future Young Naturalist programs this fall!

Young Naturalists: Insect Survey

Register online (under special program) or by calling 309-385-4540. Space is limited!

High school participants may receive volunteer service hours for mentoring and assisting younger participants.

YN: Wildflower Identification

Suzy from Forest Park Nature Center joined us today to discuss identifying wildflowers. She brought Dash the snake with her. Young Naturalists wandered the library's garden learning the different varieties of flowers it contained. They even drew and labeled their own sketches of some of the varieties of flowers we had in bloom.

You can still register to join us for next week's, "Wildflower Identification" program by calling 309-385-4540 or sign up online (choose Special Program, then Young Naturalists)

Young Naturalists: Wildflower Identification & Conservation

 

Register online (under special program) or by calling 309-385-4540. Space is limited!

High school participants may receive volunteer service hours for mentoring and assisting younger participants.

Seeds & Soils

Kelsey brought a new assistant today, ET the turtle.
Today's presentation was about local soil types. Young Naturalists filled in a Soil Layers poster and got to get their hands dirty taking a soil sample to assess what type of soil is around the library.

Of course, attendees had fun meeting ET, the 35-40 year old turtle. ET was even able to stretch her legs in garden at a leisurely pace before she returned to Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria Heights.

You can still register to join us for next week's, "Wildflower Identification" program by calling 309-385-4540 or sign up online (choose Special Program, then Young Naturalists)

   

Young Naturalists: Seeds & Soils

 Register online (under special program) or by calling 309-385-4540. Space is limited!

High school participants may receive volunteer service hours for mentoring and assisting younger participants.

Water Cycle & Native Animals

Kelsey & Dash

Today Kelsey and her assistant Dash (a black rat snake) gave an engaging talk to Young Naturalists with information about the water cycle and creatures you can find native to Illinois. 

Attendees really enjoyed petting Dash and learning about her, her habitat, and her "job" at Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria Heights. A few brave Young Naturalists held Dash as she calmly coiled around their hands. Unfortunately, I was unable to get photos of all of them taking their turn holding Dash. 

You can still register to join us for next week's, "Seeds & Soils" program by calling 309-385-4540 or sign up online (choose Special Program, then Young Naturalists)

Young Naturalists: The Water Cycle & Native Animals

 

Register online (under special program) or by calling 309-385-4540. Space is limited!

High school participants may receive volunteer service hours for mentoring and assisting younger participants.

IDEA Club: Lego Lab Days (ALL AGES)

The moment SO many of our *younger (and older) Lego enthusiasts have been waiting for... Open Lego Lab Days!

*Please keep in mind these are standard size Legos, not Duplo's and could pose a choking hazard to small children. Small children must be supervised by their adult guardian.

 

IDEA Club: Art Show Entries

 

We had 4 builders submit 3 unique entries. Their creations were from their own imagination, not from a kit or from instructions.

IDEA Club: Lego Lab Days (Ages 10-14)

 

IDEA Club, Mission 8: mBot Ranger

We're doing another mBot kit. This one is a bit more advanced. These programable vehicles can follow lines, follow simple coding, or be controlled like an RC car. Kit availability is limited so don't miss out!

IDEA Club, Mission 7: mBot

 

We've moved on from Lego builds to mBot kits. These programable vehicles can follow lines, follow simple coding, or be controlled like an RC car. Kit availability is limited so don't miss out!

IDEA Club, Mission 6: Frankie the Cat

Lets see Frankie in action. This is just a small sampling of what you can do with this kit. 

You can do more complex or simpler programming, make it behave realistically or be funny and make Frankie burp and fart! Using the Lego Boost app on a smart device the build and coding are broken down into manageable segments. Assembly is the same user-friendly build style you're used to in paper form. Then, coding segments are interspersed throughout. Once complete you have the option to map your own coding in a "Scratch-like" sandbox mode. The possibilities are limitless!!!

This is our last Lego Boost mission. However, we do still have a few more missions coming up so watch this blog and our social media for updates.

2021 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award WINNER!!!

In the past youth services librarian, Mrs. Routh, would visit classrooms monthly from October to February doing book talks on the Caudill nominees. Then, in February students who have read at least 3 nominees vote and we wrap up our Caudill program announcing which nominee our local students voted for the most and who the 4th-8th graders across the state chose as the winner. 

Unfortunately, due to pandemic safety precautions our program this year didn't include the normal interactions and amount of participation. Virtual book talks were recorded for participants but it just wasn't the same. This year we received zero local votes 😞 The overall winner picked by 4th-8th graders across Illinois was...

IDEA Club, Mission 5: Guitar 4k

 

RCYRBA February 2021

 

This month's book talk: 

VOTING IS OPEN!!!

Voting closed for 2021 nominees.

IDEA Club, Mission 4: Vernie the Robot

Mission 4 kits are available now! IDEA Club is only open to 4th-8th graders (and homeschool equivalent) holding Lillie M Evans Library cards.

IMPORTANT: Read Me document for these "intro to robotics & programming/coding" style kits.

IDEA Club is made possible by a grant from Project Next Generation and the Illinois State Library to establish a Lego program we're calling "IDEA Club" (Imagine, Design, Enact, Achieve). This program is currently limited to 4th-8th graders (and homeschool equivalent) while we fulfill our grant requirements.

It's almost time to vote!!!

The time to vote for your favorite 2021 Caudill nominee is almost here!

In order to vote you must have read at least 3 books by February. Please be sure to log the nominees you have read. If you haven't already, signup under your homeroom teacher (or select "Homeschool") on ReaderZone. Complete instructions are below. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Routh at 309-385-4540 or arouth@lmelibrary.org. 

I can't wait to see which book wins! 📕🏆

Voting open in February 2021!!!

RCYRBA January 2021

 

Book talks will be posted on our YouTube

Here is the link to this month's book talk slide show:

January Caudill book talk