Kids Korner

March is shaping up to be a fun and exciting month for all ages at Spencer Public Library. We are continuing with the Lego Club but making a few changes. Lego Club will be held on Saturday, March 9th but will be a come-and-go event from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. This month's theme is dinosaurs, and if you need some inspiration, feel free to join us that morning for a special Dino-Storytime at 10:30 am.

We are also bringing back the Tween Book Club after a long break. Tween Book Club is a great opportunity for kids in 3rd, 4th, & 5th grades to interact with other readers and participate in literature-related activities.

This session we will be reading The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster. The club will meet on March 19th, April 2nd & April 16th after school until 5:00 pm for discussion and activities. Participants will be given a copy of the book to keep.

Space is limited, so please register by Friday, March 15th. You may do so by calling the library at 580-7290 or emailing sarahbeth@spencerlibrary.com .

Family Fest

Check out Family Fest  this March for fun, games, and resources for raising your children, all in one place!

Family Fest is a one day event at the Clay County Regional Events Center with the purpose of showing families what Northwest Iowa has to offer them. Join us on March 2nd from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

During Family Fest, families can jump around on inflatables, watch activities and demonstrations on stage, talk with local youth organizations, check out some of the new interactive STEM displays, visit business booths featuring products and services available for families, and much more.

Admission to Family Fest is free to families of all ages.  

Engaging our Communities

Where's Johnny Depp? In 2013, you can find him in the publishing business. He started his own book imprint last year, with the inaugural title--about Bob Dylan--slated to appear in 2015, according to Laurie D. Borman of American Libraries. 2012: it was an exciting, though admittedly sometimes challenging year.

A good theme for 2013 would be community engagement. Libraries and librarians are looking for ways to better serve the needs of their local populations. For example, libraries across the country are "scaling back the stacks and even putting trailers in parking lots to make room for makerspaces" (Borman, p.4). What is a makerspace, you ask? A makerspace is a place where people have an opportunity to explore their own interests, learn to use tools and materials, and develop creative projects. There's a long history of making things in libraries, beginning with quilting clubs and crafting classes. SPL invites you to join the DIY Club at the library. Membership is free but registration is required. You can register by calling 580-7290 or stop by the library. Beginning March 14th, this group will meet on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. Our initial project for the March meeting will be the creation of planters for International Earth Day. This program is designed primarily with adults in mind, but teens are welcome to join in.

**RANDOM FACTOID: Libraries can engage with those who need help staying in their community, too. Did you know that SPL has applications for Habitat for Humanity and information about other groups in the community that are willing to help out with issues of food, clothing, and other needs?**

Community engagement begins with a conversation, of course. Thoughts must be turned into action. If you have a great idea for the DIY Club or other makerspace suggestion for the library, contact Robin Munson, our adult programming coordinator. She is just waiting to hear from you!


You Make a Difference


Being a parent is a full time job, 24 hours a day. Parents of school age children are very important factors in a child's education. Our kids note everything we adults say and do. Attitudes, even though they may be unspoken, are transmitted to our children through our actions as well as our inaction.

Visit with your children about their day. Read to them, read with them, and check up on their homework. SHOW them you care. You do make a difference.

FYI....

Open Enrollment Apps Due March 1

Iowa's Open Enrollment law allows students to attend school in a district other than where they reside, but there is a March 1 deadline.

Parents who wish to transfer their child to another district under Open Enrollment may pick up appropriate forms from the office of their local school district or from the web site of the Iowa Department of Education. These forms must be completed and returned to the superintendent's office on or before March 1, 2013, if you wish for your child to transfer.  

20 Minutes

By Sue Mattson

Twenty minutes reading aloud with your child helps strengthen relationships, encourages listening, promotes attention and curiosity, and establishes a strong reading foundation.

Once your child begins to read, it is essential to continue reading aloud together. With lots of help from another person and practice, reading is mastered over a period of time. There is practically no way to do it wrong, but there are ways to do it better. The routine of sharing books together creates lifelong readers.

Any adult can do it, in just about any place, at little or no expense. It doesn't matter what language is spoken. Non-reading parents can make up stories to go with the illustrations. All that is needed is a scheduled time with books and a positive attitude.

Make reading together the most important and happiest 20 minutes of your day! 

Weather Preparedness

Please make sure your child is dressed adequately for outside. Staff has noticed with great concern that children entering our library after school and on Saturdays often do not have boots, scarves, mittens, hats, warm coats, etc. These things need to be worn as appropriate to the weather.

If you cannot provide these winter clothing items for your children, please contact your school nurse, Upper Des Moines Opportunity, or the Dream Center for confidential assistance. Thank you in advance for making sure that your child is dressed for Iowa weather.