Library Blog
Posted on Wed, July 19, 2023 - 07:00pm
Babytime is moving inside for the rest of the summer!
Between the UV rays, heat, humidity, and air quality, storytime attendees and Miss Hannah have decided to make the switch and hold Babytime in the Children’s Room. We’ll still meet on Wednesdays at 10:30am for songs, rhymes, scarves, and…
Category: Kids, Youth Services
Posted on Mon, April 03, 2023 - 07:00pm
The results of our recent Storytime Survey, meant to determine where storytime attendees would like Wiggleworms, Babytime, and Family Storytime to be held in the spring and summer, are in! Your voices came through loud and clear! Over 90% of attendees selected our outside garden space as the…
Category: Kids, Youth Services
Posted on Fri, March 31, 2023 - 07:00pm
From February 1st through March 15th, 2023, the Boston Bruins, Cradles to Crayons, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Wonderfund came together for the 16th annual Pajama Drive. Every year, the drive collects donations of new pajamas for children living in low-income and homeless…
Category: Kids, Youth Services
Posted on Sun, March 12, 2023 - 08:00pm
As the days grow longer, crocuses bloom, and the temperature slowly climbs, your friendly Children's Librarians are thinking about spring. Specifically, we're thinking about what the new season might mean for storytime.
In recent years, we've held storytime outside in the Queset Garden during the…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, December 29, 2022 - 07:00pm
Were you dreaming of a White Christmas but experienced a bitterly cold one instead? Are you dreading the snow and slush that the rest of this winter may have in store for us? Do you wish you could pick up a cloud and squish it?
Well, on December 28, 2022, Miss Hannah held a “Snow Slime” program…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Wed, December 21, 2022 - 07:00pm
This Winter Break, put on your fuzzy socks, build a blanket fort, ask a grown-up to make you a cup of cocoa, and snuggle up with a seasonal read. All of these great books were featured during December's Chapter 1: Book Tasting program. If you missed the meeting, that's OK! Keep reading for some…
Category: Staff Picks, Kids
Posted on Mon, December 05, 2022 - 07:00pm
I spy with my little eye…something totally fun!
Did you know that the Children’s Room now offers themed Scavenger Hunts? You can find them in-room during the last week of every month. Decode a riddle by hunting for images posted around the room. If you need a helpful hint, ask the librarian for a…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, June 28, 2022 - 08:00pm
I have a complicated relationship with JK Growling – not with the bear herself, of course (she’s my BFF!), but with her name. First, a bit of history:
When I began working at the Ames Free Library, back in the Fall of 2019, I found a slightly mangy, decidedly grumpy, and hugely adorable bear…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, June 16, 2022 - 08:00pm
This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, April 26, 2022 - 08:00pm
With April’s showers (hopefully!) behind us and May’s flowers in full bloom, Storytime is now meeting solely in the Garden! Along with our Winter coats, we’ve packed away the need to register. Since we’re outside, everyone is welcome to attend.
Be sure to pack a light jacket (in case it’s breezy),…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, March 29, 2022 - 08:00pm
Officially, Storytimes will continue to meet inside at the Queset House throughout the rainy month of April. Because Spring has officially sprung, however, we know we can count on some sunny days! This means that the location for Storytime will be weather-dependent each day. On mornings when we get…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Wed, February 23, 2022 - 07:00pm
Storytimes will continue to meet inside at the Queset House until the weather improves. As we stay cozy inside for these next few weeks, please be aware of our latest guidelines:
Space is limited and registration is required. Read your confirmation email carefully to check your status as fully…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, January 25, 2022 - 07:00pm
Now that we're a couple of months into winter storytimes, we are really getting into our routines! We're still looking ahead to lovely weather and to moving back outside, but in the meantime, please remember these guidelines:
Space is limited and registration is required. Registration will open…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, January 09, 2022 - 07:00pm
There's nothing better than working together!
Last month, we put out a huge sticker mosaic in Youth Services for everyone to work on. It took up our entire central work table, and everyone who came in had the opportunity to add a sticker (or 10!). Each square on the page had a letter, and each…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, December 30, 2021 - 07:00pm
Do you like hot cocoa, snuggly kittens, new friends, and dragonfruit? OF COURSE you do! How about frozen boogers, being told "no", stinky ghost burps, and even stinkier durian fruit? Maybe not so much? We don't blame you. But hey, don't knock it 'til you try reading about it...
The books we talked…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, November 07, 2021 - 07:00pm
Winter is coming! As the weather gets colder, storytimes must move inside. We’ll continue to run our weekly storytimes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 10:30 AM, but there will be a few changes.
As of January 3, 2022, the following guidelines will be in place for all storytimes:
Space is…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Wed, October 27, 2021 - 08:00pm
Halloween sure is a spoooooky time! But don't be scared that you've missed out on our new kids' MCBA book club!
We have rescheduled our first meeting to Wednesday, November 3 at 3:30 PM. There's even still time to pick up and read our book for this meeting: The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag. Ask…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Mon, October 18, 2021 - 08:00pm
Have you been seeing signs for the MCBA book club? Maybe you’ve found our book display in Youth Services, or noticed those stickers on some book spines. Maybe you even saw our video about the book club! Wondering what it’s all about? Here are 5 things to know about MCBA!
1. What is MCBA?
MCBA…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, October 03, 2021 - 08:00pm
If you're a fantasy fan, you'll want to grab one of the newest additions to our collection - Adventures in Thousandworld: the Darkenstar by Joseph A. Davis. We have three copies currently available in Youth Services. Check one out!
This coming Saturday, October 9, at 11 AM, we'll tune in on Zoom…
Category: Youth Services, Kids, Teen
Posted on Thu, July 08, 2021 - 08:00pm
Experience a story in a different way, with no books or pictures! Close your eyes, listen carefully, and prepare for an adventure. What would it be like to have a highly-sensitive snout, leathery wings, feathery whiskers, or a glittering, rainbow tail? Let your imagination (& your body!) run …
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Fri, May 28, 2021 - 08:00pm
This past week, we lost two Children's Book greats: Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) & Lois Ehlert (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom). Both were prolific authors & illustrators whose work will live on in the imaginations of children (& adults!) for generations to come.
Here are some…
Category: Youth Services, Kids