Buster Balloon!

Oh my goodness, we had the BEST time with Buster Balloon yesterday. He was excellent at making things with balloons and he had a laugh out loud sense of humor! I was still laughing this morning over things he said and did. The very best part was watching the children react to him. They were completely caught up with him and enjoyed every single minute of it. I wish I could describe this accurately to you but words don't do it justice. Ms. Nissa, Grandma Sue and I kept saying to each other "look at the kid's faces." It was the best feeling to watch their reactions and to see such joy in their faces. If you missed the show, don't worry because we will definetly have him back. The end of the show was the best part. Buster blew up this large woopie cushion and actually got inside of it! He was walking around in it and acting like he couldn't get out. Again, the kids went wild with this (in a good way.) I wish I had the words to descibe this. Maybe next time I'll invite David Allen to the performance. He is much better with words than I am. :)

So far, this is the BEST Summer Reading Program that I have had the privilege to be a part of. There are more kids and more happy energy than I have ever seen before. We had about 350 people crowded into our Laura Ingalls Wilder room yesterday. We have weekly crafts that the kids love and several story times that have been going well.

I've said this before and I will say it again: Yes, our programs have been pushed to the afternoon. But we have great air conditioning and we are still here for you. Come in and check it out or come back in for some more fun. We love it here and we would love to share it with you. See you soon!

Joke for the day: Who says "Quick, Quick"?
Answer: A duck with the hiccups! :)

Summer Reading Program Prizes!!

Hey ho young Pomonans! The word is out! Hot off the press: the prizes for the reading program are set! Do you want to know what they are?? Are you sure??

Okay. Enough fun. Here they are:

Sign up: Bookmark and pencil
5 hours read: Book bag, finger puppet, Skate Express certificate, reading certificate
10 hours read: Door Hanger, bug eraser, Spiderman tatoo (optional) Boomers! certificate
15 hours read: Round Table certificate and a book
20 hours read: Quake (baseball) tickets and a book
25 hours read: (Teens)In-N-Out coupon and a book
25 hours read: (Optional for kids)Hometown Buffet coupon and a book

Sound good? You betcha. We give prizes for the amount of time read. So keep track of your time in your reading logs. Remember, these prizes are all while supplies last. These pictures are of the children's and teen's logs. "Catch the Reading Bug" is for children and the Metemorphosis @your libray is for the teens.

You may notice that we are giving away more books this year. In the past, we gave away one book as a final prize. The Friends of the Pomona Public Library dug a little deeper in their pockets and funded more books for our reading program. Hooray to the Friends!! So get those reading hours logged and come in next Monday for your prizes.

Another joke of the day: What did one eye say to the other?
Answer: Between you and me, something smells! :)

The summer reading program is off to a wonderful start. We have been very busy and we appreciate your patience as you wait to sign your children up for the reading program.

These pictures were taken today as we had an impromtu storytime in the back of the room. It looked so cute I couln't resist taking pictures. They were good little listeners as well and could answer questions asked of them about the story.

As of 2:30pm this afternoon, we have signed up 316 children and 42 teens for a total of 358 readers! All this in 3 1/2 days! This week we signed up children for the reading program and began the Reading Buddies program (see previous posts.) Next week we will be handing out prizes for those of you who have read their five hours. Also next week we will begin the weekly crafts on Tuesdays at 3:30pm and we will begin our weekly special programs on Wednesdays at 3:30pm. Our first program on July 2nd is David Cousin, one of our favorite jugglers. He is very good so you won't want to miss this.

Joke of the day: What did the hat say to the scarf?
Answer: You hang around while I go on a head. :)

Summer Reading Program

Summer Reading Club 2007
Originally uploaded by Itasca Community Library

Oh my goodness! We were sooooo busy today. It was the first day to sign up for our Summer Reading Program. We also began the Reading Buddies (see previous post). At the end of the day when all is said and done, we signed up 98 children and 11 teens for a grand total of 109 readers! That is a very good beginning for what we know to be a great summer.

If you haven't signed up yet, come in and get started! This week just for signing up you get a bookmark and pencil with the "Catch the Reading Bug" theme on them. The teens get a bookmark and pencil with the "Metamorophosis @ Your Library theme. Read your five hours this week and next week come into claim your prizes. You may only read five hours per week so your library experience will go longer into the summer.

It's all happening HERE at YOUR library. See you soon! (I'll be the one looking a bit frazzled! :)

Joke of the day: Is it okay to eat french fries with your fingers?
Answer: No, you should save your fingers for dessert! :)

Summer Reading Programs

Summer Reading Craft Project
Originally uploaded by LaGrange Park Library

Hello young Pomonans! As promised I am posting our schedule of performers that we will be doing this summer.

Programs:
July 2: David Cousin, Juggler
July 9: Buster Balloon Show
July 16: Wonders of Wildlife
July 23: Craig Newton, Musician
July 30: Wonder World Puppet Show
August 6: Reader's Theater Performance (More on this later.)
August 13: Summer Reading Program Awards Party featuring the
marvelous Abbit the Average!

Please write this on your calendars or print it out and put on your refrigerator so you know what's happening when. These Wednesday performances are at 3:30pm. The last performance on Wed. Aug. 13th is at 10:00am. It's going to be a great summer! Remember that we will have crafts every Tuesday at 3:30pm.

Pomona Public Library's Catch the Reading Bug Summer Reading Program

MPL's Catch the Reading Bug Summer Reading Kickoff
Originally uploaded by Squid!

In just two short weeks, we will be kicking off the Summer Reading Program. "Catch the Reading Bug" is our theme this year so prepare yourself for a really buggy summer. You'll see staff in these green t-shirts and the lucky readers of the week will win a t-shirt plus other prizes.

Beginning June 23, 2008, we will be signing people up for the reading program. This program is for children ages 2 to 12. Our teen program is for teens 13-18. We will be counting hours instead of books again this year. It worked out really well last year. Keep track of the hours you read or are read to. Have one of your parents sign your reading log when you get up to five hours. Bring it in and get a prize! We will be giving prizes for five hours, ten hours, fifteen hours, & twenty hours. The teen program will go up to 25 hours.


The other program is called the Reading Buddy Program. This is a really great program where we put together an elementary school child with either a high school or college age student. You practice reading for a 30 minute session. Our sessions will be in the afternoon from 1:00-5:00pm. Come in anytime during that four hour period and have your 30 minute session. This is a really great program. The elementary kids love reading with the older ones and the older ones love being the "expert." The child must be able to read. This is not a tutoring session but a practice session. The elementary child must be going into 1st grade to participate in this program.

I'll be doing more posts about the prizes and the special programs we will be having this summer. Keep checking in!

Joke of the day: What do you get when a police officer surprises a skunk?
Answer: Law and odor. :)

The information fair is happening right now outside the library. There are plenty of people walking around from booth to booth. Kiwanis club is selling hot dogs and (gasp)they are letting Mr. Shapton cook! Charlene from the Cal Poly homework center is there telling everyone about our homework center. David Allen from the Daily Bulletin is supposed to be at our library table but he was off wandering around. Shoot, I was hoping for a picture for this blog!

Next week I will be posting about our Summer Reading Program. We have two programs one being the Reading Program and one being the Reading Buddy Program. I'll explain the difference between the two. We are also having again this year our Teen Program. There will be plenty to do this summer even though our hours will be shortened. Come in and find out!

Joke of the day: Why do mother kangaroos hate rainy days?
Answer: Because their kids want to play inside. :)

Homework

Homework
Originally uploaded by magnusmagnus

Ahhhhhh!! Give students a break and they come back with a vengeance! We have been very busy Tuesday and Wednesday. I have a feeling reports are due and the last minute is at hand. We are here for you! Our homework center is here for you!

I know it seems like time is short and you can't possibly get everything done that you need to, but you can. You are also not by yourself, you have thousands of students going through what you are going through. What, that doesn't help? OK, then. Come on in and see for yourself. Let us help you get the best possible grades you can.

And, to give you that prize, we will begin the Summer Reading Program June 23rd. We will be giving away free books more than we ever have before.

Our reading buddies will begin that day as well. Reading buddies is where we pair an elementary student with a high school or college student to practice your reading. It is a wonderful program!

That's just a teaser. We will be posting more information in the coming weeks. Hang in there!

Joke of the day: Do you want to hear the story of the broken pencil?
Answer: No, thanks. I'm sure it has no point. :)

Sping Flower Craft

This is a picture of our craft on Wednesday. You'll be coloring, cutting, and putting it together. Grandma Sue is great at crafts and it is easy to follow her direnctions. I'll try to not get in the way. :) The craft begins at 3:00pm.

There will be one more craft program before the Summer Reading Program begins. We will be making snakes. Woo hoo! Then we will be having weekly crafts every Tuesday at 3:30pm beginning July 3rd. The reading program will run for six weeks so we (we meaning Grandma Sue) have six crafts. (I wouldn't want to scare you thinking I was going to try to help.)

The Summer Reading Program is coming faster than we can believe. We will post more of our activities when the time is appropriate. Keep Reading!

Joke of the day: What's the difference between a cat and a frog?
Answer: Well, a cat has nine lives, but a frog croaks every night! :)