Tag: kids events

Together in 2023

Posted on by Laura Daugherty

As we move into 2023, we are excited to busy oursevles with helping patrons, planning programs, and finding new ways to serve the community. The summer reading theme this year is called All Together Now – a fitting phrase to describe the relationship between libraries and their communities. Our staff and volunteers come together to best meet the needs of those who use our services. In return, donations made by the community make it possible for us to maintain those services.

In 2022, we were grateful to recieve support from our wonderful patrons and local organizations. Our garden club, summer concerts, Halloween family night, Christmas family night, and much more would not have been possible without funding from outside donors. In 2023, we look forward to working together to bring joy, learning, creativity, and growth. Here are a few ways that you can support us in the new year:

Friends of the Library

We are thrilled that our Friends of the Library group has recently reformed! Fundraising is key to our continued maintenance and growth. If you have ideas or want to lend a hand, stop in to the meeting on Monday, January 16th at 6:30 or fill out this form.

Sponsor an event: $200

With your sponsorship, we can hold events such Harry Potter day, mini golf at the library, craft night, seasonal events, and much more. With a donation of $200, we are able to ensure a day of exciting activities and experiences for kids of all ages and their families.

Sponsor Beanstack: $500

By funding our yearly fee for Beanstack, you are ensuring that patrons of all ages have access to yearly reading challenges and enrichment. Beanstack is an app that allows patrons to log the hours that they read, share book reviews, learn about different subjects, connect with the library, and participate in fun activities and games. We also use Beanstack for all of our Summer Reading logging, registration, activities, and prize drawings. Challenges range from encouraging kids to read 1,000 books before kindergarten to learning about Native American heritage month. Never heard of Beanstack? Check it out!

Book Decal Donation: $250, $500, $1000

If you donate $250, $500, or $1,000 to the library, your name or the name you are donating in honor of will be added to one of the book decals that line our indoor glass windows. Next time you visit the library, take a look at the windows behind the circulation desk to see the book decals.

Shopping with Amazon Smile

If you shop on Amazon, did you know that you could be earning money for the library? Make sure to use our Amazon Smile link before you make a purchase and 0.5% will be donated to the library.

Amazon Wish List

We created an Amazon wish list and a book wish list to let you know exactly what we need at the library! Library staff has been known to break into song and dance when a wish list package arrives.

General Donation

A donation of any amount can be made 24/7 by using Square or donating through Westmoreland Library Network.

Volunteering

Depending on the time of year and level of need, volunteering could look like pulling weeds around the building, dusting the shelves, shelving books, helping with program prep, organizing the book sale room, helping at the circulation desk, and more. Email us at rostraver@wlnonline.org, call us (724-379-5511), or stop in to see how you can help.

At Rostraver Library, we care deeply about helping each patron as best we can and cultivating a spirit of growth and creativity in the surrounding area. Your support will help us move forward with our efforts. We can’t wait for a new year at the library with all of you!

Library Tour: Children’s Room

Posted on by Laura Daugherty

Sitting area

The children’s room at our library is home to colorful toys, timeless stories, and the many excited voices of our young patrons. Whether you are looking for a change of scenery to spend time with your little one(s), thousands of educational resources, or dynamic programs to enjoy, the children’s room can provide opportunities for you and your child to grow, imagine, and learn.

Walking into the children’s room, you will see a circle of movable seats aside from our children’s tables. These, along with other seats scattered throughout the room, provide ample room for parents to relax during events or normal visits to the library.

Display shelf

 

You might also notice our shelf of displays to the left of the sitting area. This space is devoted to teaching young patrons quick facts, exposing them to books they may not have noticed, or reaching out to reluctant readers.

Right now, we are featuring a nonfiction display, an author birthday display, and a holiday display. Many of our displays are interactive, so give them a closer look on your next visit!

 

Board Books

Turn to the left to find our collection of board books. These sturdy, simply worded books are ideal for babies and toddlers to explore without worry of damage, confusion, or boredom.

Walk a bit further and you will see our juvenile DVD and juvenile audio book collection. Beside this display is a door to our patio and a stack of bean bags where patrons can relax and enjoy their book finds.

To the right of this area is our juvenile nonfiction collection that also includes biographies. We work to provide books for young readers on a wide variety of up-to-date subjects. This section is organized under the Dewey Decimal System, and guardians and children can learn how to navigate it through the nonfiction display. Our biographies are organized by the last name of the person the book is written about. The library staff is also happy to help you find the books and subjects you are looking for.

Nonfiction and biographies

 

Juvenile Fiction

The next section is juvenile fiction where more advanced young readers can find many levels of chapter books. The table in this area provides a great place for reading, studying, or coloring (ask us at the front desk for a selection of coloring books and pencils).

The largest collection in this room is the easy readers, or picture books. These span three walls and give readers of all ages short stories and beautiful illustrations that leave a lasting impact.

 

The beginning reader books and holiday books are on the right wall. These shelves also hold toys, puzzles, puppets, games, and coloring books for the kids to enjoy on their library visit.

All of our collections are constantly updated and organized to provide award-winning books, new releases, resources on important topics, and favorite stories. If we don’t have the book you are looking for on our shelves, we can check its availability at other libraries and order it for you.

Our children’s programs include story times, family nights, author birthday parties, dance programs, garden days, and much more. Check our events page and social media to view upcoming events.

If you would like to see this level of services continue, please make a donation to Rostraver Public Library. You can donate directly by clicking this link.

Thank you for your support.

 

Keep up with our services and events by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Dance Around the World

Posted on by Laura Daugherty

Last week on Saturday, October 12, our Dance Around the World (DATW) program kicked off with the Jazz session. In this 8-month program, participants 6-8 years old enjoy an hour of movement, learning, and creativity based on the featured dance.

At RPL, we offer Tiny Tykes for ages 1-3 and Storytime for ages 3-5 every week. After hearing a few patrons ask for a program for children who are too old for these programs, Dance Around the World was created. Since this program is focused on the kids who are leaving Storytime, it acts as a transition from Storytime to an introductory book club. After every session, participants can choose one or two themed books and take them home. Over the next month, they can explore their book(s) and record any interesting facts or stories on their handouts. They can then share their findings with the group during the first 5-10 minutes of the next DATW session. This way, the kids can practice the listening and communication skills involved in discussion.

Attendees learn a few jazz steps.

Here’s a look at our typical schedule for DATW sessions:

  • Introductions (if there are new attendees)
  • Review and discussion of last month’s dance and books
  • Attendance activity
  • A look at history, geography, fun facts, and videos related to the dance
  • Warmup/Stretching
  • Learning dance steps
  • Dance time
  • Craft/Activity
  • Wrap-up and checking out books

Playing drums to jazz music to learn about beat and improvisation!

Each child receives a folder to hold their name tag, handouts, schedule, and any other materials. Since the program is once a month, the collected materials and review time help the attendees remember what was already covered and compare each dance to the next.

In November, we will focus on Flamenco dancing. Check our events page, calendar, and social media to keep up with the dance of the month. Attendees do not have to attend every program to participate. As long as there is space open, your child can jump in at any time.

The most important thing to remember about this program is that there is no pressure to memorize facts or dance steps. Attendees are not expected to like every dance or find every book that they check out to be interesting. The goal of DATW is to be exposed to different cultures, countries, music, and art. When we worry less about memorization and focus on having fun, learning becomes a favorite activity.

No skill is required to participate – just a willingness to try and have fun!

This program will continue until May. Call the library (724-379-5511), stop in, or register online to reserve your child’s spot.

 

If you would like to see this level of programming continue, please make a donation to Rostraver Public Library. You can donate directly by clicking this link.

Thank you for your support.

 

Keep up with our services and events by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Growing with Gardens 2019 Recap

Posted on by Laura Daugherty

This summer, participants ages 4-12 came to Rostraver Library to learn about all things plants!

Growing with Gardens consisted of 6 sessions split into two groups in order to accommodate ages 4-6 and 7-12. The program kicked off on June 20 with a community planting day when kids planted tomatoes, beans, peppers, cucumbers, herbs, and flowers in Rostraver Library’s patio garden. On this day, they also received and decorated their garden journals which they used throughout the remaining sessions to track plant growth and store other activities. Finally, they decorated craft sticks and rocks and used them to label different plants in the garden.

A few weeks later on July 11, the sessions started back up with Plant Anatomy. After hearing a story and lesson about the parts of a plant, the kids made a flower model and labeled the plant parts. Then, they went out to the garden to start recording plant growth in their garden journals. They filled out the first row of their plant log charts with plant measurements and appearance. They even found a few blossoms on the young plants!

In the next week’s session Plant Growth on July 18, participants learned about the life cycle of plants with various crafts. In addition to monitoring the garden and updating their garden journals, they also had the opportunity to gather plant samples from the garden and study them in microscopes.

The Healthy Eating Activity Day on July 25 got the kids thinking about foods in different ways as they played games, tested foods by rubbing them on white paper, and other interactive activities. This day was a break from the normal routine and a favorite among the participants!

Growing with Gardens started August out with more learning about nutrition. On August 1, the Veggies and Our Bodies session helped to solidify concepts introduced during the last session. The kids enjoyed reading an alphabet book of many different fruits and vegetables and then using those items to fill in healthy foods for every color of the rainbow.

The program came to a close on August 8 with Food Prep and Recipe Books. Everyone helped to put together a small picnic using ingredients that were grown and discussed during the program. After the picnic, they enjoyed a final look at the garden and a few closing activities.

As always, thank you to all who participated in this event and made it possible. We look forward to seeing you in the garden next summer.

For more information about our upcoming events and photos/descriptions of our past events, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Harry Potter Day 2019

Posted on by Laura Daugherty

On Wednesday, July 31st, the world celebrated the birthdays of J.K. Rowling and her treasured character, Harry Potter. The Rostraver Public Library collected and celebrated the energy around this day by throwing our second annual Harry Potter Day. From noon until 6:30pm, patrons of all ages visited Hogwarts (the Children’s Room) and Diagon Alley (the Booksale Room/Makerspace).

Upon entering the library, Harry Potter enthusiasts were sorted into houses and received a house tie, acceptance letter, and ticket to the Hogwarts Express. After this, some chose to explore Diagon Alley first so they could make their own wand and feather quill pen.

Waiting in the Children’s Room was an assortment of classes and activities found at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Before arriving at Hogwarts, participants jumped on the Hogwarts Express and turned in their tickets in order to receive a treat from the Honeydukes Trolley.

Treats on trolley included Acid Pops, Licorice Wands, Pixie Puffs, and Jelly Slugs!

After fueling up, patrons experienced classes such as Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination. They even visited Dumbledore’s Office and the Owlery. At each destination, they collected stamps on the back of their acceptance letters in order to receive a Honeydukes treat bag and prize on the way out.

The months of preparation for this day were well worth it as attendees of all ages posed for photobooth pictures, made dragon eggs, and took advantage of activities where they could express their passion for the wizarding world and the characters of this timeless story. Some patrons were thrilled to discover that Hogwarts was awaiting them on what they believed to be an ordinary visit to the library. Others arrived promptly at Noon in anticipation of the fun that awaited them.

The success and joy of this day was made possible by the many patrons who support us and the volunteers who devoted their Wednesday to bringing Harry Potter’s world to life at the library. See you all next year!

“Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”― J.K. Rowling

For more photos from the Harry Potter day and information on upcoming events, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.