Awesome Activities at Your Library

During the summer I try not to over schedule or have set committed activities. You never know what the weather will be like or what will be coming up last minute (you can't always plan a beach day), so it is nice to have your days free, thus making everyday a kind of adventure.

With that in mind there is still one constant that we have and that is our library. We go at least once a week, sometimes more, to get books, movies, and listen to stories or do other activities. This year at our local library, and probably most libraries across the country, they have a summer reading club. Each child is given a passport to write down all the books they read. Each time they go to the library they show the passport and they tell about one of the stories they read and they are given stickers, ballots to win weekly and the grand prizes, and other little prizes (like a coupon for free ice cream). The kids are excited to share what they are reading about and are excited to choose new books.

kids reading during the first warm day this spring

Along with the reading portion, the library hosts different activities. There is the usually story time and craft time but there are some other fun options. At our library for instance, they are doing lego building, robot programming, learning about animals and their habitats, making LED jewelry, marshmallow catapults, make your own lip balm and more. And the best thing about these programs is that they are absolutely positutley FREE! Isn't that amazing?!?! (For info at what is happening at Waterloo Public Library reading club click here) I can't wait to go to some of the programs, mostly because I want to learn about them too, hopefully my kids do too! By the end of the summer the librarians and other staff at the branch we go to usually know our names very well. It is always nice when the kids go into the library and the staff welcome them by name. It makes it a special place for them and they are excited to go.

For more information about summer reading clubs or to see if your local library is doing it check out this website (for Canadian libraries only, though it has some cool activities to do and gives you some book ideas). If your library isn't doing this, ask them if they will. Be an advocate for your kids and community. Libraries are to serve the community and are not just about books anymore. It is truly is a learning centre.

So happy reading, and happy exploring you local library. If you don't know what to read, head on over to my other blog. There should be something that piques your interest. What free things are available in your community for your kids to do?

The Importance of Household Tasks for Children

I recently finished a book called Cleaning House: A mom's 12-month experiment to rid her home of youth entitlement by Kay Wills Wyma. (To read my review of it click here.) It really made me think about how I am parenting. Am I enabling my children to have a me centred life, where they think others are there to serve them and that the world revolves around them? Am I giving them responsibilities which teaches them the life skills they need when they eventually leave home?

There are so many stories in the news or news magazines that talk about adults in their twenties having their parents talk to university profs about assignments, or quitting jobs because the work is not interesting and they don't want to do it. I guess they assume if they fall on hard times their parents will be there to pick them up and take care of them. It is really interesting. I guess they don't feel the need to take care of themselves by themselves. (I know that not all people in their twenties are like that, but there have been more stories like that of late in the news.)

One thing the book talked about was the high levels of depression of people in their early to mid twenties. Even in teens the level of depression is going up. The author suggests that some of this is due to them not feeling needed. They feel that there is nothing unique that they are contributing and it wouldn't make a difference if they were not there. It shows how important it is that we make sure our children know they contribute to the family and that their contribution truly matters.

I am now inspired to make sure my children have tasks that only they do and that I equip them with important skills. My oldest is six. I am not wanting to pile on the tasks. She still needs to be a kid. But, I need to be giving her and my four-year-old tasks that they are responsible for. That way when they are older they will put on new responsibilities without too much resistance... hopefully. But to do this I need to have follow-through which, is not really my forte. But I know I need to do it, for their sake. Thus, I must get follow-through and lots of patience.

I think the patience will be the hardest part. I can wash lettuce faster, wipe the table more thoroughly and fold clothes more neatly. But, if I do it myself how are they going to develop the skill?

So I have come up with a few tasks that I am going to have the older two do. (My youngest is 10 months. Her task is to be the cutest baby ever! She is already a pro.)

1. Empty lunch bags when they come home from school.
2. Help sort laundry and put away their own clothes
3. Help prepare one meal a week. I am thinking they can help with the Saturday meal, swapping turns back and forth.

Once these are established I will add more. You have to start somewhere. You can't do too much too fast. Especially with my follow-through skills.

Some people set up reward systems to help with chores. I don't know how I feel about that. Sometimes in life you have to do something even when there is no gold star waiting for you. So, I don't think I want to go down that route.

The author of the book had a jar for each child with a dollar for each day of the month in it. If the chores were not done each day she would take out a dollar. Whatever was left at the end of the month was their's. I like that a bit better. It is still a type of reward, but I feel that they are earning it and that there is a consequence if their task is not done. With a sticker system, if the task is not done, they just don't get a sticker. They are not really losing anything.

Ugh! There are so many ideas and parenting styles. There is no set ways, just what you think is best. And I don't always know what is best. I wish that each child came with an owner's manual. Then we would know what would to do with each child.

How do you give kids responsibilities? How do you teach them? Do you use rewards or not?

The Awesomeness of the Library

I love to read! The house could be falling down around me, but, as long as I have a good book I'm fine. I love the way a book feels in my hands, the smell they have and the satisfaction of turning the page. Books are wonderful.

When I was newly married I would run out and buy books brand new. I was impatient to read the stories and the library was not yet part of my life. Growing up in rural Ontario, the closest library was 20 minutes away, by car, and was really puny. My house basically was a library. Books lined the walls and their was actually a room that we referred to as the library. There was so much choice, I had no need for any other kind of library. So when I started living in the city I never really thought about the library, or at least not the public one, I lived in the university one for much of my undergrad.

When my husband and I got serious about budgeting I was gobsmacked to learn how much I was spending on books. Especially when I would read them once and, for the most part, never read them again. That is when I got a library card and a whole new world of FREE awesomeness opened up to me.

Libraries are no longer places to sit quietly and be shushed by a matronly librarian. They are truly a gathering place, a place of discovery and fun. Through the library you can download free ebooks and audiobooks. You can learn how to use various technologies in workshops. There are children's programs that are fantastic and all FREE! You can get movies, c.d.s, magazines as well as books. I discovered lots of books with great ideas I could incorporate into my so called simple life. You get to meet people of similar mindset at the library book clubs (where I met 3 of my best friends), children's concerts and more.

It used to be just me and the kids that would traipse into the library every week. Now my husband joins us, usually checking out what action flick is available. It is nice to go as a whole family, to share in the joy and excitement of the library. It sure beats buying our own books and movies and adding them to our already overburdened shelves. There are some books that I have bought after I got them from the library. That's o.k.. I'm not saying you have to go on a book buying hiatus, but, there are some books we don't need everyday and those are the books we can get from the library. As well, it always nice to peruse something before buying.

I do like a look of books on a shelf and I do have an attachment to the written word, but I bit the bullet and got rid of books I absolutely didn't love or books I could easily get at the library. Less stuff to worry about.

So if you haven't been into your library recently, GO! If your library isn't meeting your current needs, get involved, make suggestions. The library is there to serve you and they have the resources and ability to run the workshops you need and get the books you want.

The new library is truly for everyone.