Story Writing Contest Winners

Congratulations to the Winners of our

Story Writing Contest

1^st - 3^rd Grade:

1^st Place: My Journey to Discover the “Lost City of Atlantis”

by Jack

2^nd Place: The Little Lost Boy by Grace

3^rd Place: Pilgrims in Peril by Elijah

Honorable Mention: Two Innocent Children by Sadie

4^th - 6^th Grade:

1^st Place: Dolphins of Florida by Emma Rose

2^nd Place: Mystical by Kate

3^rd Place: The Hen’s Lament by Davey

Honorable Mentions: (in no particular order)

Take a Hit by Jemma

Beatrice and Olive and the Thanksgiving Dinner by Annabelle

Thanksgiving at the Machado’s House by Maddie

We Love School So Much by Emily

Little Lexi and the Big Snarl by Mackenzie

Click here to read the stories! 

Many thanks to our esteemed panel of judges:

Sarah Lauderdale, Head of Reference, H-W Library

Barbara Lawrence, Ed.D., Local Author

Janet Mackay Smith, Managing Editor, Gatehouse Media New England

Prizes supported by The Bookshop of Beverly Farms

Children's Ebooks

Did you know you can check out ebooks from the library? In order to do so, you search and download via Overdrive Media Console. There are "how to" pages online to walk you through the download process. There are also brochures here at the library to help, or as always, just ask one of us.

As ebooks have grown more popular, the Hamilton-Wenham Library has been purchasing titles just for you to check out. We've recently acquired a few children's titles, and will be adding more. There are a lot more children's ebooks and audiobooks that are available to all members of MVLC including you. Check one out today!

For a list and summary of the children's titles exclusive to Hamilton-Wenham, click here. 

Congrats to our Food Guessing Contest Winners!

Congratulations to

Colby, 5

And

Grant, 10

Winners of our food guessing contest!

There were

118

food items in our grocery cart!

Attention Chess for Kids Members

Sandra is extending Chess for Kids an extra week through December 10th.

Don't miss out on the two last sessions December 3 and December 10 at 3:30 pm.

Dynamite December Drop-Ins

The Children's Room is happy to announce that we will be offering several drop-in story programs throughout the month of December. Music & Movement, Terrific Twos & Threes, and Rhythm & Rhyme will all be offering drop-in classes. For a complete schedule and description of the classes click here.

In addition we have several special events happening in December.

On Saturday, December 1 at 11:00 am is Dads & Donuts. Join us for stories featuring Things That Go, with juice, donuts and coloring to follow.

The following Saturday, December 8 at 11:00 am is our Holiday Storytime & Craft. We'll read stories featuring December Holidays with a festive craft to take home after.

And don't miss our Hanukkah Storytime on Tuesday, December 11 at 4:00 pm. This story is presented by the Lappin Foundation. Registration is appreciated, but not required. To register contact Phyllis Osher at 978-740-4404 or through email at posher@rilcf.org

In addition to these great programs we are also bringing back Lego-Mania. Lego-Mania, open to children in grades 1-5 is a non-competitive, non-robotics Lego Club. Just come and build, work together or alone and build a masterpiece. Lego-Mania will be happening from 3-4 pm on Wednesdays in December.

We are also extremely happy to announce that Ari of our Teen Think Tank is once again hosting a Magic the Gathering Club. This club, held Fridays from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm is designed for children in 3rd - 6th grade. Registration is appreciated, but not required.

For a calendar of all of our December Drop-Ins click here.

Read to a Dog!

Paws to Read!

Thursday, December 6

4:00 pm

 Sign up and read to

Tessie the dog!

Tessie is a certified therapy dog,

through Therapy Dog Inc.

Readers who are in Kindergarten through 3rd grade are invited to sign up to meet Tessie and read a book to her. 

Pre-registration is required. Sign up at the children’s desk for more information.

Congrats to our Circulation Guessing Contest Winners!

Throughout the month of October, we displayed The Adventures of Tin-Tin, Flight 714 for children to guess how many times it had been check out. 

The answer: 249 times! 

Congratulations to our winners! 

Owen, age 5

Luke, age 9 and Grace, age 10. 

Congrats to the Pumpkin Contest Winners!

Congratulations to the Winners

of our Pumpkin Decorating Contest!

Connor, 5 won Best Avenger

Patrick, 1.5 won Most Delicious

Kaitlyn, 7 won Most Patriotic

William, 5 won Best Mutant

Colby, 4 won Most Regal

James, 6 won Most Athletic

Elizabeth, 10 won Most Musical

Briana, 7 won Most Melodic

Vanessa, 9 won Most Global

Aaron, 8 won Craziest Pumpkin

Harry, 4 won Best Wrapped

Jack, 7 won Best Bird

Audrey, 4 won Most Colorful

Eleni, 3 won Most Bedazzled

Sadie, 9 won Most Literary

Ava, 7 won Most Striking

Stephen, 6 won Most Ghoulish

Andrea, 7 won Most Aeronautical

Alex, 10 won Friendliest Plant

Ian, 2 won Best Head Wear

Enoh, 4 won Best Farmer

Gian, 5 won Spookiest

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Last week in World of Wizarding we made our own edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Check out the finished product: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.

Paws to Read cancelled

Due to the storm and the closing of the Library on Monday, October 29, Paws to Read with Tessie has been cancelled.  We will be re-scheduling Tessie as soon as possible, and apologize for any inconvenience.

Read to a Dog! Tessie is back.

Paws to Read!

Monday, October 29

4:00 pm

Sign up and read to

Tessie the dog!

Readers who are in Kindergarten through 3rd grade are invited to sign up to meet Tessie and read a book to her.  

Pre-registration is required. Sign up at the children’s desk for more information.

Tessie is a certified therapy dog,

through Therapy Dog Inc.

Chess for Kids is Back!

 Chess for Kids

Three Mondays this Fall

November 19, November 26

December 3

3:30 pm - 4: 30 pm

The Children’s Room welcomes back Sandra Stolle,

assisted by Emmanuel, in this popular chess club.

Designed for players of all levels. Beginners welcome.

Designed for children in 1st – 6th grade.

Pre-registration is required. Free and open to the public.

Former players welcome.

Goodreads - see what Lorraine and Nicole are reading!

We just added a new widget on the right hand column of the blog, directly under Facebook, you will now see Goodreads (previously where Library Thing was). Goodreads will give you a list of what Lorraine and Nicole have read, click here to start looking at the list or below for more direction if you are unfamiliar with Goodreads.   

Goodreads is a social network for people who love reading. You can add books you've read, books you want to read, and what you are currently reading if you create an account of your own. However, you don't have to have an account to see what Lorraine and Nicole have read. You will see ten random books from our read shelf on the side each time you load the blog. To view all the books on our read shelf, simply click the link on the top that says Lorraine's bookshelf: read. You can sort the books by rating, or by the shelves we are creating on the left hand side including historical fiction, 100 picture books everyone should know and Wimpy-Kid read-alikes. 

We have been working to add the books that Lorraine and Nicole have read. Not all of them have been rated yet, but if they are added you can assume we would recommend them to a child in one situation or another. However, all of them are linked to our Library Catalog under the review so if you see something that looks interesting, you can click on the link to request it. If you have questions or trouble navigating Goodreads, stop by the Children's Room one day, we'll be happy to show you. 

Congratulations to our Butterfly Guessing Contest Winners!

Congratulations to: 

Toby, age 5

&

Jared, age 8

Winners of the Hamilton-Wenham Library's

2012 Butterfly Guessing Contest

There were 

117

butterflies!

Pumpkin Decorating Contest

• Decorate a Halloween pumpkin at home with paint, sparkles, feathers, paper, ribbon — use your imagination!
• Do not carve your pumpkin! No carved pumpkins will be accepted!
• Include a card with your name, age, telephone number and your pumpkin’s name.
• Bring in your decorated pumpkin anytime between October 1st and October 31st (before 5pm).
• Pick up your pumpkin by Saturday, November 3rd before closing time: 4:00 p.m. Pumpkins not taken home will be discarded.

ALL AGES WELCOME!! EVERYONE WINS! PRIZES FOR ALL!

Kindermusik Demonstration - Fun this Saturday!

This Saturday, Susan Carter-Krugman presented two Kindermusik classes at the library. One for children 18 months - 3 years and one for children 3 - 5 years. Fun was had by all. Don't miss out on all the Children's Rooms programs. Our weekly sessions begin again in October and registration begins next Tuesday. For a complete list of all the programs happening this fall check out our schedule. And don't miss the next Saturday program - our Fall Storytime and Craft! on September 29 at 11:00 am. 

Sarah Releases Butterflies in Children's Room

This Friday Sarah helped release the butterflies in the Children's Room. The Children's Room has been raising Monarch's all summer and the last bunch has nearly all flown away. Be sure to stop by the Children's Room to examine the empty chrysalises and guess how many butterflies we set free this summer. You could win a prize!

Drop-In Music & Movement Cancelled

If you picked up a flyer in the Children's Room stating that there would be a Drop-In Music & Movement on September 19, it has been cancelled. There will still be one held on September 26 at 10:30 am for ages 18-30 months.

Kindermusik Demonstration - Saturday, Sept. 15

Kindermusik® Demonstration  

Saturday, September 15

10:30 am and 11:00 am

Join us at the library as Susan Carter-Krugman 

presents a Kindermusik® class.

There will be one class at

10:30 a.m. for 18 months - 3 years

and another at

11:00 a.m. for 3 - 5 years.

Space is limited and registration is required.

Open to the public and offered at no charge.

Kindermusik^® brings the joy of musical learning to

infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and young children.  Ms. Carter-Krugman has been teaching Kindermusik^® classes since 1998.

Tessie Visits this September!

Monday, September 24

4:00 pm

Sign up and read to

Tessie the dog!

Tessie is a certified therapy dog,

through Therapy Dog Inc.

Readers who are in Kindergarten through 3rd grade are invited to sign up to meet Tessie and read a book to her. 

Pre-registration is required. Sign up at the children’s desk for more information.

If you can't make this September date, don't worry. She'll be back in October, dates to be announced.

Fall Program Information is Here!

Our Fall Schedule is now available online as well as in the Children's Room.

Registration for these storytimes is TUESDAY, September 25 at 10:00 am. Please note registration is Tuesday, a new day from previous sessions. Registration is required for several storytimes and must be done in person, in the Children's Room. For all storytime ages, dates and times please check the schedule, call or stop by the Children's Room.

In addition to storytimes for children from birth through Kindergarten we are also offering two programs for elementary age children. For children in grades 3-5 we are bringing back World of Wizarding, a Harry Potter Happening. For children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade there is a new program this fall called League of Superheroes. Both programs take place Wednesdays at 3:00 pm and alternate weeks.

We are also having several Saturday Drop-In Storytimes  and a Star Wars Symposium.

This is only just the beginning, look for more information to come on Holiday Storytimes, a Pumpkin Decorating Contest and a Story Writing Contest.

Summer Finish with Frisbees and Alaska Storytime

As this week marks the beginning of school for children in Hamilton and Wenham, last week concluded our summer programming.

On Thursday, Todd Brodeur presented a World Class Frisbee Show with a Playshop following so children could learn some tricks of their own. The beautiful weather allowed the children to try their hand outside. You can see some of learning below.

On Saturday, Ashley from Up with People joined us to share stories and facts about her native state Alaska. This was the third Multicultural Storytime Up with People presented at the library and children loved to learn all about their home countries/state.

With the end of summer, fall information will be coming shortly. In the meantime, enjoy pictures from throughout the summer on Facebook. Also be sure to check out our drop-in Saturday Storytimes in September.

Kite Raffle Winners

Congratulations to our Kite Raffle Winners!

Hannah, 4

Jack, 7

and

Tim, 10

Many thanks to Archie Stewart for the donation of the kites. 

Up with People presents Multicultural Saturday Storytimes - One More Left!

Up with People has joined the Children's Room the last two Saturdays to present some stories, songs, and games from their native countries. Sergio joined us August 11 and shared some of his native country, Mexico while Malin read stories and taught a little Swedish to us on August 18. Check out the fun had below and don't miss their last storytime this Saturday, August 25 at 11:00 am as Ashley tells stories native to Alaska.

Eli, 7 spots Silverwing at Connolly's - Silverwing Flies Home to Children's Room

Silverwing spent his last week traveling throughout our two towns at Connolly's where Eli, age 7 spotted him. Congratulations Eli!

Silverwing has finished his travels for the summer and will be resting up in the Children's Room. Stop by to say hello.

To see all the locations Silverwing visited this summer click here.

Bubbleology Highlights - Wow It's Wednesday Wraps Up Tomorrow Night

Last Wednesday, Keith Michael Johnson joined us to explore the mysteries, science and art behind bubbles. Children and adults alike loved his sense of humor and one lucky child was put inside a bubble. Check out the pictures from the event below. 

Tomorrow's Super Summer Ice Cream Party wraps up our Wow! It's Wednesday! programs for Summer 2012, but there are still some great events happening before the end of summer.

Be sure to join us for a Frisbee Demonstration and Playshop on Thursday August 23 at 2:00 pm

Join us Saturdays in August at 11:00 am for Multicultural Storytimes.

Last, but not least. Tessie the dog is joining us once again, next Wednesday, August 22 at 11:00 am. For more information on how to sign your child up for a chance to read to Tessie click here. 

Read to a Dog! Tessie is back next Wednesday!

Paws to Read!

Wednesday, August 22

11:00 am

Sign up and read to

Tessie the dog!

Tessie is a certified therapy dog,

through Therapy Dog Inc.

Readers who are in Kindergarten through 3rd grade are invited to sign up to meet Tessie and read a book to her. 

Pre-registration is required. Sign up at the children’s desk for more information.

Ava, 8 spots Silverwing at Salem Five Bank!

Ava, age 8 found Silverwing while he visited the customers at Salem Five Bank in Hamilton. Silverwing is traveling for one last week - be sure to take a walk around the towns to find him. Then stop by to the Children's Room to write down your name, age and where you found him for your chance to win a prize.

For all the places Silverwing has visited so far this summer click here.

Congrats to the Photography Contest Winners!

Congratulations to all of the winners of our

Dream Big, Read! Photography Contest 2012

Children Grades 1 -3

1^st Place           Cordelia           “Polka Puppy Comes Home”

2^nd Place          Neve                “Llamas Dream Big”

3^rd Place           Ian                   “It’s a Small World in my

Backyard”

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)

Hayden            “The Adventures of Bird”

Mary                “Walking into the Sunset”

Vanessa           “The Dog Days of Summer”
Eli                   "The Day I Got Lost at the Zoo"

Children Grades 4-6

1^st Place           Nidhi               “Story of a Little

Cucumber”             

2^nd Place      Ethan               “Life of a Pancake”

3^rd Place          Amelia             “Story of a Flower          

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)

Sam                 “An Awesome Day at my Family’s Camp in

Maine”

Kennan            “The Life of a Tree”

Silverwing Interrupted! Congrats to Taylor, 9 and Kaitlyn, 7

Silverwing began his week at the Hamilton Post Office where, due to circumstances beyond our control, he was removed from the window. Once we discovered that there was a problem, Dr. Pett came to the rescue and Silverwing spent the end of the week at the Hamilton-Wenham Veterinary Clinic. Due to this unusual circumstance, there are two winners this week! Taylor who spotted Silverwing at the Post Office and Kaitlyn who found him at the Veterinary Clinic. Congratulations to you both!

A Note: Silverwing does not typically visit two places each week. This week's change was out of our control and we apologize for the confusion. Please continue to look for Silverwing throughout this week and next in a single location either in Hamilton or Wenham. Once you have found Silverwing, stop by the Children's Room and write your name, age and place you spotted him. Remember, you can enter yourself once each day!

To see all of Silverwing's travel so far click here.

Vehicle Night Fun in Spite of Rain

Our 14th Annual Vehicle Night went ahead on Wednesday, despite the rain and fun was had by all who came out. All the favorite vehicles were still able to make it - police cars, fire trucks and ambulances alike. As well as our all time favorite K-9 from Homeland Security - Apache! Below are a few pictures from the night.

And summer's not over yet! Join us this Wednesday at 6:30 pm for Bubbleology.

Multicultural Storytimes - Saturdays in August

Saturdays in August! 11:00 am

Join Up with People as they present stories 

from their homeland. 

For three Saturdays, join a different member of 

Up with People for a Multicultural Storytime. 

All ages are welcome, no registration necessary. 

Join Sergio on August 11 to hear stories about Mexico. 

Malin will present stories from Sweden on August 18.

Listen to stories about Alaska from Ashley on August 25. 

Silverwing found at Wenham Post Office by Jared!

Last week Silverwing visited the Wenham Post Office. Jared, age 10 found him there and won our Silverwing Sighting Contest! Silverwing has moved again so be sure to take a walk around town to find him. Once you do, stop by the Children's Room to write down your name, age, and the place you spotted him for your chance to win a prize.

To see Silverwing at all the places he's visited so far, click Silverwing Sightings

Awesome Robb's Pirate Magic Brings Lots of Laughter!

This Wow! It's Wednesday! brought Awesome Robb to the Hamilton-Wenham Library where over 100 children enjoyed his magic as well as his humor. This marks the halfway point for our summer programming - don't miss the rest of our summer fun. For a complete list of Wednesday night programs click here.

Next week is our 14th Annual Vehicle Night! Don't miss your chance to climb aboard fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars, as well as meet Apache, a canine from the Department of Homeland Security.

Congrats to Vanessa, she spotted Silverwing!

This past week, Silverwing visited Jolie Tea Co. in Hamilton. Vanessa, age 7 spotted Silverwing while there. For all of Silverwing's travels so far click here and don't forget to search for Silverwing at his new location this week.

Wizard of Oz Highlights

This past Wednesday, the Hampstead Stage Company performed The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for over 150 children and their parents. A few pictures are below. More can be found on Facebook and videos should be up there as well shortly.

Don't miss any other Wow! It's Wednesday! performances. Click here for the complete schedule. Make sure to stop by this Wednesday, July 25 at 6:30 pm for Awesome Robb's Pirate Magic Show.

Lily spotted Silverwing - Can you find him this week?

Silverwing, our Dream Big - Read mascot began traveling throughout Hamilton and Wenham last week. He spent his first week at Talbots, where Lily, age 9 spotted him. Make sure you find him at his new location this week. If you do, stop by the Children's Room to enter yourself in a raffle. You can also take a look at where Silverwing has been by clicking on Silverwing Sighting.

Wingmasters - Owl Education Fills the Room!

 This Wednesday, Wingmasters visited our library to present information about owls, their habitats, hunting habits and to show off a few live ones. Crowds gathered and everyone enjoyed Jim's lively presentation. Here are a few highlights from the night.

Don't miss the rest of our Wow! It's Wednesday programs - next week join us for a presentation of The Wizard of Oz. For a complete list of the schedule click here.

Read to Tessie the Dog - 2 New Dates!

Sign up and read to

Tessie the dog!

 Thursday, July 19 at 3:00 pm

and 

Thursday, August 2 at 1:00 pm

Tessie is a certified therapy dog,

through Therapy Dog Inc.

Readers who are in Kindergarten through 3rd grade are invited to sign up to meet Tessie and read a book to her. 

Pre-registration is required. Sign up at the children’s desk for more information.

Vic & Sticks Recycled Rhythm Band - Fun for All

Last night kicked off our Wow! It's Wednesday performances with Vic & Sticks Recycled Rhythm Band. Not only was it a great performance, but the kids became part of the band as well. Here are just a few photos from the event.

If you weren't able to make it to this event - don't worry there are plenty more ahead. Wingmasters is next. Don't miss your chance to meet live owls on July 11 at 6:30 pm.
For the entire Wow! It's Wednesday line up click here.

Photograpy Events in the Children's Room

This Saturday, Toni Carolina taught children in grades 1-6 the basics about photography and how to ensure a good picture. The children had a blast, and you can see them learning below. If you missed out on this event, you don't have to miss out on all the photography fun this summer.

The Children's Room is once again holding a photography contest for children in grades 1-6 throughout July. For complete information visit Photography Contest.

Also make sure to check out all of our Wow! It's Wednesday events!
This week Vic & Sticks Recycled Rhythm Band is coming to the library June 26 at 6:30 pm.
No registration is necessary for this family event. For more information click here.

Read to Tessie the Dog - July 13

 

Sign up and read to

Tessie the dog!
Friday, July 13 at 3:00 pm

Tessie is a certified therapy dog,

through Therapy Dog Inc.

Readers who are in Kindergarten through 3rd grade are invited to sign up to meet Tessie and read a book to her. 

Pre-registration is required. Sign up at the children’s desk for more information.

Summer Reading Lists!

Schools out and it's time to think about those Summer Reading Lists. Each school and grade has different requirements. Most are merely suggestions to keep children reading. For your convenience we keep a binder full of the reading lists in the Children's Room. If you'd like to view the lists online, click the school link below.

Buker's Reading List

Winthrop Main Page

Cutler Main Page

For the Middle School and High School Reading Lists visit the Young Adult Blog.

Last Week of Spring Storytimes - Register for the Summer Session June 18!

This week concludes our Spring Storytime Session and next week kicks off the beginning of Summer!

Beginning Monday, June 18 you can sign up for any of our weekly programs, as well as the Summer Reading Program.

Registration is required for Baby Bookworms, Music & Movement, the Photography Workshops as well as Dream Big with Bryan. Registration is appreciated for the rest of our weekly programs. For more information about all of our summer programs be sure to click on the tabs above. The weekly story programs can be found under Summer Weekly Programs and Dream Big with Bryan can be found at Special Thursday Programs.

There is one exception. Registration for the Photography Workshops begins this week Tuesday, June 12. Children entering Grades 1 - 6 have the opportunity to sign up, but space is limited. For more information click Super Summer Saturdays.

You can always stop by the Children's  Room for a brochure with all the dates as well.

Raindrop Guessing Contest Winners

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Finn, age 5

and

Lucas, age 7

WINNERS OF

THE HAMILTON-WENHAM LIBRARY’S

CHILDREN’S ROOM 

2012 RAINDROPS GUESSING CONTEST

THERE WERE   

155

RAINDROPS!!

New Media in the Children's Room

We've been busy expanding our collection in order to serve you better!   Below you will find information about all types of  new media available for checkout.

Introducing....

MUZZY Multimedia Language Courses

MUZZY Multimedia Language Courses are designed to help you learn the basics of foreign language. We have  two levels in eight different languages. Muzzy includes DVDs and CDs, with activity sheets available online. Languages available are Spanish, French, German, Italian, English (ESL/ELL), Russian, Portuguese, and Mandarin Chinese. Click for a list of all the languages and levels available.

Playaway Views

The idea is similar to Playaway audios except these are light weight, portable videos, with high quality imagery at the touch of a button.  This new technology can be found in libraries only, and are durable and easy to use, even for our youngest patrons. Headphones are not required, as views have small built in speakers, though they are an option.  Playaway views come fully charged, but have an charger included in the case for charging as needed.   Just check them out, hit play and you can learn about history, weather, mythology, animals and more! A complete list of our Playaway views can be found here.

Look What's New & Updated!

Hooked on Phonics

We've had Hooked on Phonics in the room for awhile now, but we've recently ordered new and updated editions in a complete eight-level program, serving preschoolers through second graders. Each level has storybooks, workbooks, and a DVD to help your child learn to read. The levels begin at pre-K and continue through second grade. Stop by and check one out. Click for a list of the levels as well as what each level focuses on.

Playaways

Playaways are a portable audiobooks. Unlike CDs or tapes you don't need anything except headphones and a AAA battery to listen to this book.  They can also be played in the car if you have the required cable. We've added 18 new Playaways to our collection. For a complete list of all our Playaways click here.

Books on CD

We've also been working to expand the number of audiobooks we have on CD as well as CD and book sets. For a list of our new audiobooks click here.