Foreign Films for Kids

Subtitled in English
Subtitled in English

Saturday, May 25 at 1 p.m.

Drop in and watch Trail of the Panda, a film from China, about the friendship between a boy and a panda.  This film will be subtitled in English.  Rated G, 89 minutes. 

Ages 9 to 12.

Everybody Jumps Rope

Jumping rope in Mongolia.  Image via Flickr user neurmadic aesthetic.
Jumping rope in Mongolia. Image via Flickr user neurmadic aesthetic.

Tuesday, May 28 at 4:15 p.m.

Around the world children of all ages jump rope. Join the children's librarians for some jumping fun including classic hand rhymes and string games. Ages 9 to 12. 

Register online

We're Coming to Your School!

Can you guess what the Summer Reading theme is?
Can you guess what the Summer Reading theme is?

In May and June, the Children's Librarians will be visiting Darien elementary schools and the middle school to share exciting new books for you to read through the spring and summer.  We'll also tell you about this year's Summer Reading program, and the fantastic guest author who will be coming to visit in August (it's pretty amazing).

 

Here's when we'll be booktalking at your school.

Hindley  May 8 & 9

Holmes  May 23

Ox Ridge  June 6

Pear Tree Point  May 7

Royle  May 29 & 30

Tokeneke  June 3 & 4

Middlesex Middle School  May 30

Booktalking session for homeschool students  May 1

Booktalking Flyers 2013

Check out the fantastic titles on this year's booktalking lists!  We shared them with you when we visited your school.  Come in to the Library to pick up a copy or request a copy online.

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Booktalking List

2nd and 3rd Grade Booktalking List

4th and 5th Grade Booktalking List

Double-0 Darien: Kids Summer Reading

Your mission this summer, should you choose to accept it....read! 

Sign up for Summer Reading starting on Monday, June 10!

Pre-readers can join the Read to Me Club and choose a free book to take home for every 10 books they read with a grown-up.  The Summer Reading Kick-off takes place on Friday, June 21 at 1 p.m. with crafts and chalk drawing in the Library's courtyard and a concert by Dre Towey at 2 p.m.  Ages 2 to 7.

Kids reading on their own can join our Summer Reading Club and earn prizes by reading and completing our weekly Quests online.  Kids who complete that week's Quest will be entered into a raffle for fun spy-related prizes.  Use the Summer Reading Decoder for some of the super-secret coded Quests.  Kids can track the minutes they read online; for every two hours read, they will automatically be entered into our Grand Prize Raffle for an iPad Mini! 

The Finale Party will take place on Tuesday, August 20 with special guest author, Wendy Mass, author of The Candymakers, a Nutmeg Nominee for 2014!  The winner of the Grand Prize Raffle will be selected at the Finale Party.  Registration for this party will begin on August 1.

2014 Nutmeg Nominees Are Here!

 

It's finally time to reveal the 2014 Intermediate Nutmeg Nominees, selected for grades 4-6. Click the link below to see your new nominees!

 

One World, Many Cultures in the Children's Library

See other examples of Alebrijes, or Mexican sculptures, on April 30. Photo courtesy of Flickr user A30_Tsitika
See other examples of Alebrijes, or Mexican sculptures, on April 30. Photo courtesy of Flickr user A30_Tsitika

This May, the Children's Library will be offering cultural programs for many ages. Take a trip around the world and be sure to help us celebrate the many traditions that make us unique!

Waitlist - Native American Program from the Connecticut Audubon Society

Tuesday, May 21 at 4:15 pm

Learn about the Native American's historical reliance on and respect of natural resources. Hands on activities allow students to practice daily life skills such as food preparation, wigwam building, and making wampum bracelets. Ages 7 to 11. 

Everybody Jumps Rope!

Tuesday, May 28 at 4:15 pm

Around the world children of all ages jump rope. Join the children's librarians for some jumping fun including classic hand rhymes and string games. Ages 9 to 12. 

Foreign Films for Kids

View a selection of films from other countries including France, India, and China. The films will be subtitled in English.
Ages 9 to 12.

May 25 - Trail of the Panda, Rated G, 89 minutes

 

 

May App of the Month: ABC Farm

In honor of summer being just around the corner, our app of the month this May is ABC Farm, a bright, imaginative app all about farms. Created by award winning app production studio Peapod Labs, ABC Farm teaches youngsters all about animals, farm life, and the variety of food and crops that grow on farms. Users also test out their letter recognition and print knowledge skills, which are especially important skills for pre-readers to utilize.

We especially like that users can toggle from English to Spanish to learn words in both languages. It's a great feature for bilingual users and language enthusiasts alike!

Peapod Labs have created a slew of great apps which feature picture and words relating to a special topic, like food, wildlife, and music, and ABC Farm is no disappointment! Available for Apple products for $2.99.