WE'RE PLANNING A VERY SPECIAL MEETING AT
FLORENCE BRANCH LIBRARY ON
 
MONDAY MARCH 17 FROM 11-1215
WE'RE COMBINING OUR HOMESCHOOL KiDS STORYTIME
WITH A SPECIAL WORKSHOP  FOR HOMESCHOOL PARENTS.
 
LIBRARIANS JOANN PROUT (CHILDREN'S LIBRARIAN)  
ARE GOING TO SHARE WAYS TO USE THE LIBRARIES
TO ENHANCE OUR HOMESCHOOLS.
We have 5 families who come to Storytime at Florence Branch Library and we are so happy with the service, librarians, and Homeschool KiDS Storytime there.   Gretchen Ward asked the Children's Librarian, JoAnn Prout, if she would be willing to do a short workshop for homeschool families during
Homeschool Storytime (so childcare would be provided)
-and Florence Branch is happy to provide this service for us!)
 
 During the parent's meeting, the kids can come and  participate in our Homeschool KiDS Storytime!  We're learning about Ireland on March 17!
JoAnn is prepared to share some ideas with us and also answer specific questions parents might have about their particular programs & how to use what the library has to offer to meet their family's educational needs. 
 
(ie.  One mom calls JoAnn and tells her what she & her children are studying.  JoAnn knows the ages & interests of her children and gives this mom a list of books that her kids would enjoy.  Another mom has had trouble finding good books for her older children at the library or books she could afford at other places.  JoAnn told her how she could use a library program to locate the classics she was looking for.  JoAnn is an excellent librarian, who wants to help library families.  With her expertise and appreciation of good education & literature, we can be prepared for a very helpful time!
 
Please contact Gretchen Ward with any questions that you would like to have answered and I'll forward the questions on to JoAnn.  This way she can prepare a discussion and bring information that would be helpful and also answer our questions in a more complete way.  It would be neat to have a short presentation followed by a time of question & answer.
 
Please call ahead to JoAnn at 444-5299. 
so the she can make sure we have enough crafts & snacks for your children. 
Any teens or grandparents who would like to help us with craft & snack time
would be greatly appreciated! 
 
Thanks for your time,
Gretchen & kids 
451-8932
wards@5pillars.com
 

Here is a review of what we've been doing at Homeschool KiDS Storytime...
Feel free to forward this to your friends. Anyone is invited!  
 
Florence Branch Library is doing a SPECIAL WEEKLY STORYTIME
for Home School KiDS
or for other families who are interested in joining us! 
We meet from 11-12 every Monday morning except when the libraries are closed due to holidays.
This storytime is directed towards elementary school aged children. 
 
All our children come and the older kids look for books during storytime,
our handicapped child participates in the whole time,
the older children help the younger children during craft & snack times. 
We love it!-Gretchen Ward
 
We've had a really fantastic time together! 
This year JoAnn took us through an American KiDS series and read to us about...
 
KiDS from the...
  • American Revoloution-Felicity+more
    • the kids made quill pens & wrote with them & ate colonial type food
  • Frontier Days-Kirsten+more
    • made paper patchwork quilts & had frontier food
  • Civil War Days-Addy+more
    • made conk shell necklaces and ate cornbread & syrup
  • Victorian Era-Samantha+more
    • made Monet-like watercolor drawings and made & ate peanut butter sandwiches
  • Depression Era-Kit; Shirley Temple+more
    • cut out Shirley Temple paper dolls & clothes & ate potato soup
  • country of Mexico-Josephine+Mexican traditions+Mexican speaking storyteller; Mexican music + more
    • made poinsettia pencil toppers & ate tacos
  • World War II-Molly+more
    • worked with Patriotic stamps & ate smores
  • Native American people-Kaya+more
    • made leather (vinyl) pouches & ate beef jerky
We're now learning about Children Around the World.   JoAnn is using stories from the American Girl Books-
'Girls of Many Lands' along with other stories.  She teaches a great craft that goes with the stories and brings some sort of food that ties in too.  It's a blast.
  • England-read about England & kids who lived there
    • made shields with a Coat of Arms & swords; ate English Muffins with jam
  • France-read about France & kids who lived there
    • made puppets & used a shadow puppet stage to do plays; made & decorated fans; ate French Bread & fancy cheese
  • Africa-Nigeria
    • made African masks & bracelets; ate bananas & banana bread
  • China-read about Chinese New Years + more
    • made Chinese Dragon Puppets; ate Ramen Noodles with chopsticks
  • Yup'ik Alaska-Minuk & a sled dog & his owners
    • made dog sleds out of popsicle sticks & ate 'pupcakes' (cupcakes) decorated with a M&M paw print
YOUR FAMILY WOULD BE WELCOME JOIN US!!
We request that families call ahead, JoAnn Prout, Children's Librarian
at Florence Branch Library,-444-5299
 so we can have enough crafts & snacks ready for everyone. 
 
Thanks for your time,
Gretchen & kids 
451-8932
wards@5pillars.com