F is For "For My Forty-Third Birthday" and "Fairfield Public Library"

F is for "For My Forty-Third Birthday" and "Fairfield Public Library"

 I had a VERY hard time deciding which topic to use for "F"!!!  I had planned on completing this post several days ago, but no topic seemed "just right".  I had considered exploring "figuring out that I'm old", and listing all of the things that seem to be occurring lately to remind me that I'm no longer 27 (and there have been LOTS of those lately-way too much material, unfortunately;-).   I had also considered doing "favorite books this year" that I've enjoyed, which overlapped with "Francophile" in the form of several Paris-based memoirs.  Still, none of them felt exactly right.

And then, I stumbled upon Robyn Bomar:

Isn't she adorable??? At least I think she is- I've never met her. Robyn is an event planner (well, "event designer" according to her blog :-) from Florida. In 2010, in honor of her 38th birthday, she decided to try something new.  On her birthday, she completed one "random" (in quotes because some weren't really random, but were definitely acts of kindness!) act of kindness (RAOK) for each year of her life, so 38 RAOK on her birthday! How awesome is that?!?!?!?

Robyn and her kids fed change to strangers' parking meters, prepaid tolls for folks on the highway, delivered doughnuts to the police station, distributed gift cards all over the place, and had a fantastic, truly fulfilling day!  You can read about her 38th birthday by clicking here.  

Robyn's experience was so successful, and was so inspiring to her, that she decided to create something called The Birthday Project: Changing the World One Birthday at a Time to inspire others to celebrate life by performing random acts of kindness on their birthdays.  You can view her "Birthday Project" blog by clicking here.  Her blog is CHOCK FULL of RAOK ideas for adults and kids.  I LOVE IT!  One of my favorites of her recent posts details a 13th birthday sleepover party where the girls worked together to complete 13 RAOK before the party ended.  How cool is that?!?!?!??!

I've long been an advocate of encouraging children to support local charities in honor of their birthdays (if you'd like to read more about children's birthdays to benefit charities, check out my "C" post in my April archive).  I also enjoy participating in lots of charitable endeavors in my own life, but since I don't celebrate my birthday with a party, I've never had a charitable birthday party of my own.  Robyn's idea is an amazing one that is "one size fits all"!!!

My birthday is next weekend, and I have decided that in honor of my 43rd year, I'm going to invite my friends and family to join me in completing 43 Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK) over the weekend of July 21st and July 22nd.  I can't think of anything that would make me happier (o.k., full disclosure- a weekend at Canyon Ranch might do the trick, but since that's not in the cards, this VERY close  ;-), than following Robyn's lead, and participating in the Birthday Project.  I hope you'll check out Robyn's websites about her 38th birthday and the Birthday Project, and consider performing a RAOK next weekend!  If you do, please let me know by leaving me a comment!

Now, more on the "Nerd Herd's (a.k.a., my family;-) quest to see 26 libraries in CT this summer- an "F" post from my 11 year-old daughter:

"F is for the Fairfield Public Library"

 Saturday we visited the Fairfield Public Library. Here is the link to the website: Fairfield Public Library. This library is gorgeous on the outside and the inside! The teen room (pictured below) is huge and has lots of places to sit. They also have a neon sign at the doorway saying TEENS!!! There are also 2 TV's in the room and a great selection of books. The teen section also has a ton of DVD's for older children. This includes Harry Potter and many others. It was most definitely my favorite so far!

The neon sign at the door.

The inside of the teen room. It's the best one yet!!

There were 2 TV's and many seating areas.

The Fairfield Public Library also had a fantastic children's section. The section for children ages 3- 5 had structures that made the place look like a real city street with a train station, grocery store, trees, and lamp posts. 

Lamp posts and fake trees with little reading nooks.

The fake train station with  train kids could walk into.

 This library had a children's summer reading program themed about the summer Olympics where you would read 10 books and the library will add those books to the paper torches in the hallway. This is a great way to get children to read and a fun way to teach them about the Olympics. 

The Olympic torches part of the summer reading program.

The Librarian's desk looked light a light house!!

For adults this library in particular had many special things. There was an entire room devoted to periodicals with places for reading magazines and another smaller room branching off of that filled with different newspapers and their many issues. They also had a used book sale for the adults that had many good books for sale. I had a great time at the Fairfield Library and I can't wait to see the library in Greenwich.

"E is  for the Essex Public Library" (And also for "exclusive", because it's exclusively me, Jenn's daughter, writing today :-)!

Today we went to the Essex Public Library. The architecture and design were very appealing and the librarians were very nice. This library had a wide selection of books and a great children's section that was connected to the adult section by a beautifully painted mural.  The children's part of the library had a special section of the library with all of the book collections. These included American Girl, Star Wars, Lego, and The Guinness Book of World Records from multiple years (See picture below-). Here is the link for the library's site: Essex Public Library

Photo of "collections" section.

The hallway leading to the children's room: look at the lighted mural- ceiling and all!

Love the detail on the mural- look at all of the animals reading- even the sea gull!!!

The little reading nooks were all over the library!!!

This library in particular had a good amount of
places to read and many of them were super cute. They were especially very inviting to younger children.

It was almost as if the reading nooks were screaming "come sit in me!" (my brother clearly thought they were saying that! :-).

Another unique thing about this library was the fact that they had a summer reading program for adults. My mom was VERY envious!  Our town library has awesome programs for kids and teens, but an adult one with raffle prizes would be amazing!

The  adult section was also very well organized and easy to find what you were looking for. I had a spectacular time at the Essex Public Library and I look forward to visiting the Fairfield and Greenwich libraries next week :-)!

"D is for Discipline" AND "Deep River Public Library"

"D is for Discipline"

O.k., I have to admit, this is a topic that I have been hesitant to tackle.  Call me a "scaredy cat" if you will, but this subject is a tricky one.  Discipline styles are as varied as individuals- every person has his/her own ideas about discipline (or "child guidance", which, according to the HUGE child care conglomerate for which I consult, is the new, more PC, and preferred term ;-) and it can be a conversational wildcard. Think about all of your longtime friends- the ones you've had for years before you became parents, folks with whom you share a common history and many, many similar points of view.   Now fast forward to the present.  Many of you have kids, you may not have seen each other for a while, and you reunite for one of the first times with kids in tow, kids who are at an age where it's appropriate to correct inappropriate behavior.  Have you ever been completely floored by one of your friend's approaches to discipline?  I mean totally baffled by this person's choice in behavior management because it seems in direct opposition to the person you've known "forever"?   It happens all the time!  

Discipline is just one area of child rearing where people are compelled to constantly reevaluate and question the status quo.  Hey, I'm all for questioning the status quo- it's how we make sure we're doing the right things for the right reasons; however, this constant questioning can sometimes create disciplinary "wafflers", and that right there can be a critical parenting error- kids as young as 18 months can spot a "waffler", and once they have, it's all over- they've won ;-)!

My goal isn't to tell anyone how to discipline.  No how, no way!  I've found some things that have worked for my kids, but discipline is definitely a "custom designed" thing- no "one size fits all" here! I can only compare your disciplinary choices to trying to be something you're not stylistically:  If you try and force yourself to be something you're not, just because it's "en vogue", then you won't look good, you won't feel good, and no one will believe you- your look will be inauthentic.  Same goes for discipline- it requires thought and planning, but you must be comfortable with your choice to make it work. My purpose is to encourage you to spend a few minutes thinking about your personal style of discipline, how you came to it, and what you like and don't like about it.  Hopefully, by seeing where your choices fall into the suggestions below, you can "tweak" your current practices to be even more effective and beneficial!

1) What is your ultimate goal with discipline?  Hopefully, it has something to do with wanting to teach your children about expected behaviors in a variety of situations, and about the content of their personal character.  Always keep your personal goal in mind when you discipline your children.

2) How does your style of discipline dovetail with your personal disciplinary goals?   For example, if you've chosen spanking as a disciplinary option, does this gel with your desire to raise children who solve problems with words?   I know, I know, it's not that cut and dry...or is it?   

3) Does your disciplinary style allow for logical consequences?  Logical consequences are AWESOME.  They are the parents' Royal Flush (full disclosure: I totally had to Google that- I know nothing about poker ;-)!   Logical consequences are what happens when a kiddo gets to experience the results of a poor choice first hand, without the parent having to "be the bad guy" per se.  It doesn't mean it's easy, though- as a parent, to take advantage of the Royal Flush, you must remember two things: 1)  NEVER say "I told you so", and 2) Do NOT step in and save them (unless they are endangering themselves or others).  Both of these can be incredibly hard; however, the payoff is great.  Let them head to school with unfinished homework (at least the first time), let them wear a dirty uniform (that was left on the floor of the bedroom instead of put in the wash) to a game- they will learn all the faster their role in their own success.

4) Is your discipline consistent?  Listen guys, babies detect patterns from infancy.  I know this one for a fact, because when my daughter was a mere infant, too young to even sit up, she participated in a research study* at Yale.  The study involved infants watching images appear on a screen in patterns.  The babies' reactions to changes in images and patterns were recorded, and it was determined that they were able to almost instantly detect when a change in the pattern occurred! So, what does this tell you about your discipline practices?  If you give in, your kiddos will immediately recognize that you are able to be "cracked" :-)!  Is this a bad thing?  Not necessarily, but make sure that you make your inconsistencies occur with less serious offenses, and that you explain why you have chosen to make the change. Every rule has an exception; however YOU are in charge, and therefore, only YOU get to determine what these exceptions are and when they occur.

5) Is your discipline fair? Sometimes, we get so caught up in the heat of the moment when we're disciplining our kids, and so worried that this little infraction (grabbing a cookie from a classmate's lunch) might indicate that our kid will grow up into a raving sociopath, that our consequences can be "over the top" (I speak from experience.  The other day, my son mentioned his DS, and I asked where it was.  His response? "I think you took it away for a year."  oops.).   Make sure your consequences are fair- you will garner much more respect that way.  

6) Do you get upset when your kids are angry with you? DON'T!  Your children are not meant to be happy all of the time!  If they are upset with your limits, and if you believe these limits are the right ones for your kids, then STICK TO YOUR GUNS!  Think about your life as an adult.  Are you happy with all of the limits you deal with on a daily basis in life, at work, etc.?  Nope, probably not.  If you try to have your children avoid unhappiness at all costs, and create circumstances so they're never upset with you, how will they function as adults?  They need to learn how to deal with limits in the loving safety of their homes and families.  This way, as they grow and become independent they'll be able to handle these things successfully.

So, in my very first "A" post back in April (if you haven't read that one, I encourage you to give it a read in the archives) I suggested that you ask yourself what sort of adults you'd like to see your children become and to determine if your actions were consistent with enhancing this outcome.  I recommend doing this again, this time, with your style of discipline.  Is the message you're sending when you're setting limits one that is directly correlated to the type of adult you'd like your child to become?  If so, bravo!  And when you get together with all of those old friends and their kids, just remember, whatever they choose for their own kids is their deal- discipline can be like religion and politics- be VERY careful with whom you broach the subject- reactions can be VERY surprising ;-)!

* Regarding university studies:  If you live near a university, the chances are fairly high that their child psychology department may need subjects for various research projects.  Both of my children have been involved in a wide variety of studies from infancy on.  I only allow them to participate in non-invasive, positive studies, where I am able to either be present, or observe via a video monitor, and we're always provided with a written overview prior to participation.  Most studies require no more than 15 minute of our time, and my children know that they're helping the college students "learn about kids".  Another way to "walk your talk" with your children! :-)

And now, more from my daughter, the guest-writer, and our latest library adventure:

"D is also for the "Deep River Public Library"

Today we visited the Deep River Public Library. Very old fashioned and cute. We discovered that the house the library was located in was originally built as the  Richard Spencer House in 1881. Most of the same features are still there including a key-crank doorbell and a grandfather clock (both pictured below). 

The sign at the front of the house.

The key-crank doorbell (I have to admit this was my first time seeing one and most eleven-year old's would never see one. You turn the key, and it makes the cutest little "ding"!)

The Grandfather Clock in the Young Adult section.

In this library the books were mostly all in one room since the library was so tiny. It is probably the smallest library we visited so far, since Deep River itself is a very small town. In total, I believe there were really only 3 rooms that contained books. One room was for children's and adult fiction (great big windows in the children's room, and a puppet area, too!), another for young adult and adult nonfiction and the last room was set aside for reading books. The library had a downstairs which seemed to be used as a community room. They also had many cute bookmarks available for free, many of which had the slogan "Dream Big: Read" (this year's Governor's Summer Reading Challenge) on it. Very cute as were many of the pictures.

There were many cute bookmarks like the one above.

The reading room

I had a fantastic time at the Deep River Public Library and its location is great. It is in the downtown area and is located next to a few restaurants and a gift shop. I can't wait to go to Essex for "E".

 Happy 4th of July!!!:)

"C" if for Creativity!

"C is for Creativity!"(and further down, "C is for Cheshire Public Library":-)

I have always been attracted to art supplies.  All kinds of art supplies.  It doesn't matter what type of medium- clay, oil paint, pastels, ink, or even just plain old crayons or markers- I just like 'em all! I have never met an art supply store that I haven't loved, and I rarely leave one empty-handed.  Perhaps it's the organization of all of those little tubes and tins of color, all laid out perfectly in their monochromic scales, like a brand new box of 64 crayons WITH the built in sharpener? I'm not sure what it is about art supplies exactly, but whatever "it" is instantly turns me into a delusional sucker.  

You'll notice that I did not say that I have any ability whatsoever to utilize these materials (I got the "wordy" gene; my brother has the "artsy" gene ;-)- I am simply and utterly infatuated with the promise these supplies give of masterpieces waiting to be created.  And (here comes the "delusional sucker" part) these materials in their pristine state trick me into thinking that if I take them home, then I CAN create some really cool stuff! This happens ALL the time with various supplies- Watch out for the cross-stitch stuff- that stuff REALLY lures ya in- it's like the "crack" of craft supplies- all of those colors, whole bunches of pretty thread- for CHEAP!  Before you know it, you'll have amassed entire baggies of the stuff (promises, promises) that you'll intend to create all kinds of..."cross stitchery" with, and it'll end as it always does-....in the bag in which it was purchased, in the basement (or maybe I'm the only one who does this?  C'mon, I can't be!!).

O.k., so  here's what's happened recently (it all starts so innocently):

I was browsing in my favorite East Coast bookstore (another shout out to RJ Julia!) and my son was cozily curled up in a window seat reading one of a bajillion Star Wars books he had amassed in a pile beside him.  I decided that "the force" would keep him occupied for quite a while so that I could venture into the travel memoir section (Parisian travel memoirs are my current literary drug of choice).  Well, I stumbled on a book that was such a TOTALLY awesome combination of art, intelligence, adventure, and dry wit, that I just HAD to buy it!  This book was so up-my-alley, that I embarrassingly referred to it as "delicious"- on three different occasions! 

First, when I brought it up to the cash register (where a very cute, very young employee heard me gush over it ("delicious"!)and then said, "You really think this is great?  O.k., perfect!  I need to get my mom a birthday gift- she's turning 50 today- she'll probably like it, too!" Whatever, Sunshine.  Don't ruin my book buy high by reminding me that I'm not far behind your mom in age- just ring me out). 

 The next time I called it "delicious" was when I brought it to school to share it with my second-graders as my "Show and Tell".  They thought my description was hilarious- how can a book be "delicious"??? Oh boys and girls, where do I start???  I launched into an explanation that they either totally bought into (because they were riveted by my explanation) OR they thought I was completely bonkers (and sat in frightened silence hoping I'd be done soon and we could get on with morning snack).  I'm pretty convinced it was choice "b"!

Finally, the third time I referred to this book as I would an almond croissant (delicious!) was when I e-mailed the author, Vivian Swift, to ask her about her drawing and painting technique.

Folks, I am proud to say that the author REALLY got me (or at least I think she did; it's hard to see someone get that wary "I think she's nuts" look over e-mail)!  She was flattered (and not frightened) enough by my weird compliment, that she was not only sweet enough to send a great e-mail reply, but she dedicated an entire blog post to answering my question!  It's quite lengthy (but written in her fabulously conversational style); however, if you'd like to check it out, click here.

So, I loved Vivian's latest book so much, that I ordered her previous one from amazon that same day:

Equally awesome, but I didn't call it "delicious", simply because it is the opposite of a travel memoir (a "stay at home" memoir); but still fabulous writing and amazing art!

From here, I started down a VERY slippery slope...I decided I wanted (and still want!) to try drawing...and painting...Folks this is HUGELY dangerous territory- now, I am buying BOOKS (favorite indulgence) AND art supplies (despite all of their broken promises, I always go back for more!).

Through amazon's helpful "you might like" recommendations (they are book dealers, peddlers, PUSHERS these guys!), I discovered Danny Gregory- an edgier, darker artist and author (although authors are artists, aren't they!).  He uses the same medium, but with a very different style.   Because of all Danny's been through over the past decade or so (check out more of his story here), he's been especially motivated to share his thoughts on creativity and how it is an essential part of life to find a creative outlet for yourself- one that fits comfortably.  I've been reading two of his books:

They're inspiring and reassuring- a great combination by a teacher and for a teacher!  So I thought I'd give this drawing and painting thing a go.   Here are my supplies:

Gorgeous, aren't they?? Just like Vivian Swift's!  I love a new box of paints....wait, I have to PAINT now???

Here's the "art" so far in my special water color journal (I'm telling you guys, I've got it BAD!) Pretty, right?

So here's the great thing about being a teacher at the beginning of summer (o.k., ONE great thing, because at the beginning of summer, there are A LOT):

I get to treat this like New Year's!  I'm able to make these summertime resolutions, because I have (supposedly- I haven't found it yet ;-) more time on my hands, and fewer "must do's".  So this summer, I plan on really trying to mess up this pristine box of paints with a try- to stretch myself beyond "appreciator" and move to "creator" (oh, that sounds irreverent- sorry!).   I'm going to need some discipline here... I think I'll procrastinate on the "discipline" post until tomorrow- just for the irony!!!! :-)

 

 "C is also for the Cheshire Public Library"

Today my mom, brother, and I went to the Cheshire Public Library. We discovered that much like the Avon Library,  the Cheshire Library is in the middle of an extended renovation project. They are also similar to the Avon Library in that they have a teen room that is separate from the rest of the children's section but still can be supervised by librarians. The library has a  summer reading program and kids can work towards earning t-shirts with the library's logo which is the Cheshire Cat.

 

In the nonfiction section there is a borrowing limit of no more than 4 books so that others can still take out books. I thought this was a great idea. When you have picked out a book to take home with you, the library has a great self-checkout system. I had an excellent time at the Cheshire Public Library and I can't wait to go to Deep-River tomorrow.I wonder if that library might have a real cat?  I'm hoping to discover one in a library soon- that'd be great!

The stairs leading up to the main level of the library.

"B" is for "Background Building Experiences at Bargain Prices"

"B is for Background Building Experiences at Bargain Prices"

One of the biggest things parents can do to increase the likelihood of children's academic success is to provide them with experiences that build back ground knowledge.   The more background knowledge a child has, the easier it is for that child to integrate new learning into their working knowledge.  Summer presents an endless stream of opportunities for children to learn while having fun!

 Camps in our area cater to an amazing variety of interest areas, including scout camps, drama cooperatives, music camps, building and inventing, and ocean camps.  As a teacher, I am able to enjoy summers at home; however,  I encourage my children to each select one day camp that appeals to them as a fun learning experience.  This opportunity for enrichment allows each child to have some time to themselves (away from the family for the day, just for a week or so), in addition to making new friends and learning more about something in which they're interested.  This year, my daughter has chosen a chamber music camp and my son has selected a Lego Mindstorms camp.   Clearly, the aforementioned camps come at a hefty premium.  What of the "bargain prices"?  For background building experiences for little or no cost, look no further than your local library!  Our local library offers programs for everyone from toddlers to teens, in a variety of interest areas- I'm sure other libraries do the same...in fact so sure, I decided double check to find out!

Let me backtrack a bit.  Our family has decided that since we went to California (twice) last year, and we visited the Cape for Easter, AND we had to buy a new living room set this summer (the wood has come through the fabric on our 19 year old sofa), that we'd be staying close to home this summer, with the exception of the two camps the kids selected.  So, the challenge became making the summer exciting with limited (read :"NO";-) funds....

Our family is a family of bookworms.  Books, jewelry, and candy are all held in equally high regard by various members of our household.   So, keeping this is mind (that, and the fact that we're borderline Amish when it comes to media restrictions with the kids, on top of the fact that we don't have air conditioning ;-), you'll understand why my suggestion of the following project was greeted with unanimous "yays"!

I recommended to the kids that since our town library is so awesome, we should check out other public libraries in CT to see what they have to offer voracious kid bookworms!  I mentioned that libraries are free, they almost all have central air, and are loaded with our favorite things- books!  The kids were all over it.  Within minutes, they were researching libraries and their hours of operation.

So how to organize it?  Well, I mentioned that since my blog is A-Z, perhaps we could try and visit 26 libraries in our state, each from a town with a different letter of the alphabet, and we could add our observations to the blog.  My 11 year old has been DYING to do some blogging (too Amish for an e-mail account of her own- she figures this is as close as she's gonna get for awhile ;-), so she's volunteered to piggyback on my blog and document our efforts.

So, we've got a map where the kids have been plotting our visits, and we've planned out libraries through the letter "i" for now.  We visited Avon Free Public Library today (AWESOMELY renovated, with children's librarians who were excited about our project), and my daughter has amended my "A is for Absence" post to include her review of the Avon library.   Tomorrow, we'll visit the Blackstone library in Branford.  Look for this post to be edited tomorrow, when she adds her review of that library.  

We're excited to have a "quest" that supplies free air conditioning, builds background knowledge (map reading skills and we're learning lots about CT history and geography, too!), and is the perfect arena for a family of bibliophiles- woot!

 "B is for the Branford Public Library (James Blackstone Memorial Library)": an 11 year-old's Review :-)

So today we went to the Branford Public Library. (Click here to visit the James Blackstone Memorial Library Website) We pulled into the parking lot and were amazed at the gorgeous library Branford had for themselves. We went inside and there was a huge dome top with a fabulous painting of the evolution of the publishing process, starting with the Egyptians and papyrus (pictured below). This was painted by Oliver Dennett Grover who also sculpted the bust of Timothy Blackstone which is housed in the library. The children's room was on the top level and had separate  rooms for fiction and nonfiction. 

 I have to say I was disappointed that there weren't many places to sit and read a book here,  which I feel is a very important component of a library.On a more positive note, being inside this library made me feel like I had been transported back to a different period in time. It felt like the late 1800's. We found out the library was named after a senator named James Blackstone who was alive from 1793-1886. The library's construction started in 1893 and ended in 1896. We had a great time at the James Blackstone Memorial Library and tomorrow I can't wait to visit the Cheshire Library. 

This is the view of the main floor of the library.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder!

 

A is For "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder"

Well, looks like "a day or two" break from blogging turned into a "month or two".  That's what happens to high hopes when they're tossed into the "activities vortex" that is comprised of the months May and June!  We've had recitals (3, with 3 dress rehearsals), concerts (3, with one dress rehearsal), author's teas, project fairs, field days (3, if you include the one at the school where I'm a teacher), report cards (20- where I'm told I write far too much- but hey, parents appreciate good feedback, right???), softball games and practices (approximately 5 bajillion), soccer games and practices (only one bajillion- soccer kid younger than softball kid), fencing lessons (VERY cool new endeavor), and creating approximately 45 Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts (that's a combined total for my class and my personal kids). Could hardly put a cohesive thought together for speaking, never mind writing!

So, now you know I haven't been laying on the sofa eating chocolate, drinking wine, and smoking cigarettes while watching reality television instead of trying to be a disciplined writer (well, to be 100% truthful, I did manage to drink wine, eat chocolate, and watch a little of reality TV during the vortex...but no cigarettes ;-)!

I plan on cruising through the alphabet again this summer, with a new letter every couple of days.  I've noticed that the summertime attitude/schedule/extended daylight often frees up spaces in our minds for new ideas and perspectives.  I hope you'll join me as I explore some of them and how they relate to building a strong learning foundation for our children!

A is for "Avon Free Public Library"

 "Hi!" This is Jennifer's daughter, and I'm 11. Over the summer we decided it would be great to go all over the state of Connecticut and discover different libraries. We loved the idea because of our craving for books and the fact that our house is not air conditioned also played a role in our decision!! ;) I thought it would be interesting to do it in ABC order and blog it by adding on to my Mom's blog. So today after my brother's swimming lesson, we traveled to Avon for an hour or so and visited the Avon Free Public Library.

We pulled into the parking lot and gasped at the beautiful library in front of us. We walked inside and found ourselves in front of a table with a map of the library (very useful) and a brochure called the Library Times. I thought it was a clever idea and I looked inside and found that the library had just been rededicated at the beginning of June after being renovated for about 15 months. I have to say it's amazing inside and the whole upstairs is devoted to children. They even have a special room just for teens. We checked it out and talked to the librarians about what we were doing. They were very nice and suggested we blog about it. We sat down, looked at some books, and decided which programs we wanted to check out. I have always wanted to have a craft sale and my Mom found one for kids and by kids that will be happening at this library in August. Also for summer reading at this library, for every 5 books you read a $1 donation will be given to the Make a Wish Foundation. We thought that was a great idea something every library should take part in. The Make a Wish Foundation would earn so much money especially because there are so many children that enjoy reading. Our trip to Avon was so much fun and I can't wait to check out "B" (the Blackstone Library in Branford) tomorrow.

Check out the cool chair we found in the Teen Room!

Yay!

I survived!  I'll be back in a day or two with a new letter "A" post :-)!