Author Nathan Dungan speaks to parents and teens...

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

7 p.m.

Community Room

In this highly interactive presentation, participants will:
• Discover new ways to talk and think about money among family members and between generations
• Develop a financial decision-making process that honors each person’s values
• Set clear financial goals that include saving and sharing
• Receive take-home tools to use with other family members, peers, etc.

Nathan Dungan is the founder and president of Share Save Spend®. For over 20 years, he has been an industry thought-leader on helping youth and adults link their money decisions to their values. He is the author of Prodigal Sons & Material Daughters: How Not to Be Your Child's ATM and his new book Money Sanity Solutions: Linking Money and Meaning comes out this fall.

Mr.Dungan's appearance at Darien Library is made possible by YWCA Parent Awareness and Darien Library. Darien Library and YWCA Parent Awareness are members of Thriving Youth: Connected  Community.

Teens vs. Tweens Monopoly Showdown

Saturday, November 13, 2010

2 p.m.

Conference Room

Will you rule Park Place or build an empire on Atlantic Avenue? Show off your financial wizardry in our first-ever Teens (12 and up) vs. Tweens (kids ages 10-12) Monopoly Showdown! No sign up, just drop-in.  This program takes place on National Gaming Day!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user mtsofan (Monopoly pieces)

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).

These are the last two programs that were part of the Teaching Your Kids Financial Literacy series at the Library this Fall.

The New York Times' recent article on baby talk and babbling confirms what generations of parents (and children's librarians) have know for years: those "ba ba" and "da da" utterances that babies make are more than simply adorable; they are the precursors to language development. 

According to one expert, infants begin by making squealing sounds without any identifiable syllables.  By the age of six months, babies (typically) start forming vowel sounds ("aaa"  "ooo") and with practice, consonant sounds ("mmm") by the end of their first year. 

An interesting takeaway from the NYTimes piece was this advice derived from the results of a recent study on language accquisition of babies:

"....if a baby looks at an apple and says, “Ba ba!” it’s better to respond by naming the apple than by guessing, for example, “Do you want your bottle?”  Offering new vocabulary words, even to children too young to form those words, helps strengthen their understanding of language and ability to name new objects. 

Perhaps the most important result of all these new studies on language development was the discovery that "Babies have to hear real language from real people to learn these skills."  There is something irreplacable about the face-to-face contact between a parent and a child that television, even educational programs, cannot duplicate. 

One of the best ways to facilitate this brain-building interaction is by sharing a book with your baby.  As Horn Book editor Martha Parravano so elequently states in A Family of Readers, "Despite all of our society's technological advances, it still just takes one child, one book, and one reader to create this unique space, to work this everyday magic."

Interested in learning more about early brain development?  Charlie Rose has a wonderful series of videos on the brain.  The Developing Brain video may be of particular interest to parents. 

incredibly adorable baby photo courtesy of Flickr user koka_sexton

Darien Land Trust in cooperation with Darien Nature Center invite the public to a free viewing of Play Again, an award-winning documentary directed by Tonje Hessen Schei. At a time when children spend more time in the virtual world than in the natural world, "Play Again" unplugs a group of media-savvy teens and takes them on their first wilderness adventure. Through the voices of children and leading experts, "Play Again" investigates the consequences of a childhood removed from nature and encourages action for a sustainable future.

The film will be shown on Monday, November 1, in the Community Room of the Darien Library, 1441 Post Rd., Darien. The program is slated to run from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.playagainfilm.com.

 A new article in the New York Times, Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children, suggests that the picture book is slowly going the way of the dinosaur.  According the to article, parents are increasingly encouraging their children, as early as kindergarten, to read "big kid" chapter books in order to help their children in an ever-competitive educational environment.  As a result, bookstores are stocking less picture books and publishers are offering less new picture books each season.

I'm curious if the NYTimes' Julie Bosman has visited her local library recently.  I wish she could stop by our Children's Library here in Darien.  She might be quite surprised at the extraordinary number of parents and caregivers curling up with a picture book in one of the big comfy chairs, or on the carpet, or at the puzzle table, or over a hot chocolate by the Cafe.  Her eyes might well pop when she notices the foot-high stacks of picture books that moms and dads routinely check out for their children (of all ages).  

We Children's Librarians know the power of a great picture book.  Using picture books is  staple in our baby and toddler programs.  But did you know that we also use them in our preschool and elementary-aged storytimes?  

The picture book is a unique work of art.  Combining text, illustration, and design elements, a good picture book does more than simply tell a good story.  Picture books can teach and engage a child's understanding of visual literacy (a skill that this new generation of digital natives will absolutely require to be successful in both academia and professional life.)  

Parents invited to be Mystery Readers in their child's classroom often ask us for read-aloud suggestions.  Whether they are visiting a first-grade class or a fifth-grade class, can you guess what kinds of books we nearly always offer?  We even have a special section in the Children's Library filled with picture books specifically for older students.  These gorgeously illustrated works may look thin, but are full of rich themes, well-developed characters, history, and humor.  Perfect for older children who are reading independently.

Graduating from being a pre-reader to an independent reader doesn't have to mean the end of enjoying books with artwork.  Chapter books and picture books can live happily together on a child's bookshelf.  Whether it's revisiting favorite picture books to read again or discovering a new crop of more sophisticated illustrated reading choices, independent readers will flourish when encouraged to read variety of books.  

Stop by the Children's Library soon with your reader and tell us about some of your favorite picture books and let us help you find some new favorites, too.  

photo courtesy of Flickr user John-Morgan

Paying for College and the Teen Debt Crisis with author Jill Russo Foster

October 14th at 7 PM - Conference Room

 
This program is for parents and teens. Jill Russo Foster, author of "Cash, Credit, and Your Finances: The Teen Years," will cover the two biggest sources of teen debt: college tuition and credit cards. You'll learn about different funding options such as: student loans, FAFSA, financial aid, work study programs, and more. Jill will help you teach your teens financial management so they'll be ready for life at college and beyond.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).

Hi my, name is Erica Leone. I just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself as I am your new Teen Services Librarian here at Darien Library.

I am here to make sure that your library expirience is everything you have hoped and dreamed for.  You may have seen me here when Sarah introduced me back in July or even here under "Our Librarians".  However, if you see me in person hanging out in the Teen Lounge with my computer be sure to come up and say "hello".

Feel free to contact me at any time by emailing me at: eleone@darienlibrary.org

Be sure to Friend me on Facebook at Facebook.com/EricaLeoneDL

We will have tons of awesome programs for teens this year so I hope you all find something you like!  If you want to have a voice in Teen Services at the Darien Library join our Teen Advisory Board (TAB).  TAB helps decide what goes on in Teen Lounge, creates cool teen programs, and recommends materials for order.  TAB also counts as community service hours and looks fantastic on college applications.

Welcome, New Darien Families to the Darien Library!

The Children's Library is having an orientation for all families new to Darien in 2010.  Parents and children will discover resources for children and adults, go on a tour, and obtain a Library card.

They are all drop-in, choose the date you'd like:

Tuesday, September 7 @ 4:30

Thursday, September 9 @ 4:30

Saturday, September 11 @ 2:00

If you have any questions contact (203) 669-5235 or email childrenslibrary@darienlibrary.org with any quesitons! 

We can't wait to see you!

Are we creating a generation of young people who have unsustainable spending habits? We know that young adults can have exceptional levels of credit card debt. How can you, as parents, help teach your child Financial Literacy?

Financial Literacy can be taught from a very early age and can come in many forms.  Darien Library is here to help you, help your kids. Use your Library card as a training ground for teaching credit.  We've put together a series of programs that explore fiscal responsibility for kids, teens and parents this fall. Come and join us September to December 2010.

For further reading, see our resource list of Library materials tagged with "kids and money."

The Programs:

For Parents - kids + money

For Parents and Teens - Paying for College and the Teen Debt Crisis

For Children - Counting Coins

For Parents - Family, Money and Habits - Nathan Dungan, author*

For Teens & Children - Tweens vs. Teens Monopoly Showdown

*Mr.Dungan's appearance at Darien Library is made possible by Grammery Advisors, YWCA Parent Awareness and Darien Library.

kids + money - Film screening and discussion

September 16th 7 PM - Community Room

What do teens really think about money? In this documentary, filmmaker Lauren Greenfield goes straight to the source and asks them. After the film, join us for a discussion about how money can play an influential role in their development (with Lauren Pote of Child Guidance, Darien).

*Special Sessions added November 4th 10:30 AM & 7:00 PM

After the 7 PM screening of the film, please join us for a discussion about how money can play an influential role in their development, with Larry Rosenberg, Ph. D of Child Guidance Center of Southern CT.

Paying for College and the Teen Debt Crisis

October 14th 7 PM - Conference Room

This program is for parents and teens. Jill Russo Foster, author of “Cash, Credit, and Your Finances: The Teen Years,” will cover the two biggest sources of teen debt: college tuition and credit cards. You'll learn about different funding options such as: student loans, FAFSA, financial aid, work study programs, and more. Jill will help you teach your teens financial management so they'll be ready for life at college and beyond.

Counting Coins

October 19th 4:15 PM & December 8th  4:15 PM - Children’s Program Room

It’s 1880 and here comes the Wells Fargo horse-drawn wagon! Using interactive activities based on the historical experiences of the great American Express trade, this program introduces kids to money and finance - how to distinguish between needs and wants and how to build savings.
For children ages 5-8; sign up by calling or emailing the Children’s Library (203) 669-5235 childrenslibrary@darienlibrary.org
This program is made possible by Wachovia Bank, Darien Branch

Family, Money and Habits - Nathan Dungan

November 10th 7 PM - Community Room

In this highly interactive presentation, participants will:
• Discover new ways to talk and think about money among family members and between generations
• Develop a financial decision-making process that honors each person’s values
• Set clear financial goals that include saving and sharing
• Receive take-home tools to use with other family members, peers, etc.

Nathan Dungan is the founder and president of Share Save Spend®. For over 20 years, he has been an industry thought-leader on helping youth and adults link their money decisions to their values. He is the author of Prodigal Sons & Material Daughters; how not to be your child's ATM and his new book Money Sanity Solutions; linking money and meaning comes out this fall.

*Mr.Dungan's appearance at Darien Library is made possible by Grammery Advisors, YWCA Parent Awareness and Darien Library. Darien Library and YWCA Parent Awareness are members of Thriving Youth: Connected  Community.

Teens vs. Tweens Monopoly Showdown

November 13th 2 PM - Conference Room

Will you rule Park Place or build an empire on Atlantic Avenue? Show off your financial wizardry in our first-ever Tweens (kids ages 10-12) vs. Teens (12 and up) Monopoly Showdown! No sign up necessary. Just drop-in!

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).

Photos courtesy of Flickr Users - Ken Wilcox (clear piggy bank), All In Green (pink piggy bank), mtsofan (Monopoly pieces)

Getting kids excited about reading is all about find that "just right" book. 

The Children's Librarians LOVE to help kids and parents find great new books to read.  You can stop in anytime for a personal consultation.  You can also check out our Online Booklists. 

Looking for even more book recommendations? 

Here are a bunch of great book websites for kids:

Which book is missing from the series? :-) Picture by awinn233

Question:  Every wondered what book 26 is in the Geronimo Stilton series? 

Answer:  The Mummy with No Name

An easy place to find the answer is right here. 

A library in Missouri has organized tons of series!  It's pretty awesome; it contains over 29,000 children's books.

You can also use the database Novelist.  Find children's books similar to other books, their descriptions, and reviews of them too.  Have your library card handy.