Posts by Joshua, Manager of Youth Services

NYT eBook Picks

NYT eBook Picks

A recent article from NYT Parenting highlights some great youth titles featuring kids stuck inside. All of these books are available with your library card on either Overdrive/Libby or Hoopla. Ages 3-7 The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, available on Overdrive/Libby Corduroy by Don Freeman, available on Overdrive/Libby Ages 8-12 Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, available on Overdrive/Libby The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, available on Overdrive/Libby and Hoopla The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, available on Overdrive/Libby and Hoopla The Doll People by Ann Martin, available on Overdrive/Libby The Long Winter
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April 13, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: eBooks, NY Times, and recommendations.

Safe at Home

Safe at Home

Some of the sites listed here may be offering some content free of charge or may be offering free access currently in response to the virus, but will move to a charge model again in the future. Please take care when using these sites to avoid unwanted charges. Previous Installments in this Series Stuck at Home Staff Picks 1 Stuck at Home Staff Picks 2 Stuck at Home Staff Picks 3 Stuck at Home Staff Picks: Teens Edition Great Ideas for Activities and Experiences Children’s Museum of Manhattan At Home Daily Activities Long List of Virtual Activities and Experiences for
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April 13, 2020 9:56 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Homepage Family CV, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: at home learning, covid-19, safe at home, staff recommendations, and stuck at home.

Stuck at Home Part 3

Stuck at Home Part 3

Some of the sites listed here may be offering some content free of charge or may be offering free access currently in response to the virus, but will move to a charge model again in the future. Please take care when using these sites to avoid unwanted charges. Previous Installments in this Series Stuck at Home Staff Picks 1 Stuck at Home Staff Picks 2 Stuck at Home Staff Picks: Teens Edition Great Ideas for Activities and Experiences Need Virtual Elmo Hugs? Sesame Street has New COVID-19 Resources for Kids. Fun Things to Do at Home from Today’s Parent. Virtual
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April 2, 2020 2:50 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: at home learning, covid-19, safe at home, staff recommendations, and stuck at home.

Stress, Anxiety, Your Child, and COVID-19

Stress, Anxiety, Your Child, and COVID-19

By Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. Is it all getting to be a bit much? Trying to balance #WFH; home learning; shared space; concern about safety, health, wellbeing; social distancing – the list goes on. Do you feel like your children are driving you insane? If online memes and videos are anything to go by, families went crazy within one day of being at home together. Take a deep breath. This pandemic has impacted everyone’s lives immeasurably, but consider the disruption to your child’s life: routines, school, activities, friendships, and their mental and emotional health. Your child may not
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April 1, 2020 3:52 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: anxiety and covid-19.

Stuck at Home: Staff Picks Part 2

Stuck at Home: Staff Picks Part 2

Stuck at home with kids and teens due to the virus? The White Plains Public Library has you covered with these suggestions from Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. Some of the sites listed here may be offering some content free of charge or may be offering free access currently in response to the virus, but will move to a charge model again in the future. Please take care when using these sites to avoid unwanted charges. Great Ideas for Activities and Experiences Family Maker Camp – free projects and ideas Smithsonian’s Fun Stuff for Kids Cincinnati Zoo Home Safaris
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March 26, 2020 10:50 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Homepage Family CV, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: at home learning, safe at home, staff recommendations, and stuck at home.

#WPPLreads: Kids Stuck at Home Reading Program

#WPPLreads: Kids Stuck at Home Reading Program

How many books do you think White Plains kids ages 0-12 can read before the pandemic crisis is all over? 1000? More?!?! Let’s find out. While this is mostly for fun and to put forth a challenge to the community to engage in reading while at home, participants will earn badges for their reading, and the Library is working on coming up with ideas for fun digital/virtual prizes. Stay tuned. Need a book? Check out White Plains Public Library's website for access to eBooks,  digital audiobooks, and more on Overdrive or Libby, Hoopla, TumbleBooks, and other digital resources! Need a
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March 25, 2020 2:53 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Homepage Family CV, Homepage Kids, and Kids.
Tags: #WPPLreads, reading program, safe at home, and stuck at home.

RPGs at Home

RPGs at Home

By Joshua Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. Role Playing Games are a fantastic way to work on creative, shared storytelling. Allowing all players to build their characters, help to direct the story, and use their imaginations, RPGs are not only fun, but a wonderful way to engage each other while stuck at home. And, you don’t have to even be stuck at home together! Apps such as Discord provide an easy-to-use system with text and chat to allow the game to take place virtually, as if you players were in the room together. No dice? There are apps for that,
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March 25, 2020 2:38 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: RPGs and tabletop games.

Stuck at Home: Teens Edition

Stuck at Home: Teens Edition

Some of the sites listed here may be offering some content free of charge or may be offering free access currently in response to the virus, but will move to a charge model again in the future. Please take care when using these sites to avoid unwanted charges. Online Reading from the Library These resources require a library card to access. Libby: Access an abundance of digital materials, including eBooks for teens from the Library’s catalog. Comics Plus: Do your teens like comics? A great selection of e-comics, including many popular titles, available online. Freading: Another resource for accessing YA
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March 20, 2020 5:02 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Evergreen, Homepage Family CV, Homepage Teens, and Teens.
Tags: online learning, resources, safe at home, stuck at home, and teens.

Storytimes at Home

Storytimes at Home

Just because you’re stuck at home (and can’t get physical books from the Library) doesn’t mean storytime can’t take place. While screen time has always been a concern, perhaps that concern could be let slide to get great books read-aloud to your child. Check out these resources for online storytimes. Some are from the Library’s resources and others are hand-selected by Trove librarians. From the Library Daddy-Daughter Storytime with White Plains Public Library’s Youth Services Manager, Josh Carlson. Morning and Evening Storytimes from Trove Librarians on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting April 7. Bedtime Stories for Teens and Adults with Edge
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March 17, 2020 2:21 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Homepage, Homepage Family CV, Homepage Kids, and Kids.
Tags: eBooks and storytime.

Peculiar Picks: Narwhal and Jellyfish Series

Peculiar Picks: Narwhal and Jellyfish Series

Peculiar picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Picture books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. Many of the books in this column are ones that my wife and I have read with our daughter. Our experiences of trying to find books to keep up with her insatiable love of books, while also keeping us interested in reading them, lead to a lot of the choices in this column. The Narwhal and Jellyfish books by Ben Clanton
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February 27, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Ben Clanton, book recommendations, Peculiar Picks, and picture books.

Changes to Trove Time and Mother Goose

Changes to Trove Time and Mother Goose

Mother Goose Play Time, the Trove’s early literacy program for little ones up to 24 months with a caregiver, and Trove Time, our storytime and socialization/play program for ages 2-4 with their caregivers, are two of our most popular programs. The demand for the Mother Goose program has far exceeded its current once per week scheduling, so in February some changes will be taking place. Mother Goose Play Time is now Trove Time: Tiny Tots and will take place on both Monday and Friday mornings at 10:30 a.m. It will be the same early literacy rich program with songs, finger
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January 27, 2020 5:06 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Mother Goose, Trove Time, and Trove Time: Tiny Tots.

Peculiar Picks: Peter McCarty

Peculiar Picks: Peter McCarty

Peculiar picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Picture books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. Jeremy Draws a Monster // The Monster Returns by Peter McCarty I’m starting off this series with “one” of my favorite books, the Jeremy and the Monster duology by Peter McCarty. McCarty is best known for Caldecott Honor Books, Hondo & Fabian, and New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year Henry in Love. But his Jeremy Draws a Monster
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January 24, 2020 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations, children's books, Peculiar Picks, Peter McCarty, picture books, and staff picks.

Makers Wanted!

Makers Wanted!

Become a Maker Corps Member and lead a summer of making in The Edge at the Library!  The White Plains Public Library, in partnership with Argus Information and Advisory Services, has been accepted to be a Maker Corps site this summer, which means that all summer long we will be holding STEM-related workshops and mini-camps. Are you a maker, a DIY enthusiast, an artist, or interested in new and emerging technologies?  The Library needs to hire two people as Maker Corps Members that are interested in the Maker movement, want to work with teens, and build an innovative and exciting
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March 31, 2017 4:31 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News, Technology, and Teens.
Tags: DIY, education, Maker, Maker Corps, STEM, summer, teens, and The Edge.

Safe Driving PSA 2016

Safe Driving PSA 2016

The number one cause of death to teenagers is car accidents. With this in mind, teens at the White Plains Public Library worked together to create a video about the dangers of distracted driving. Using animation and audio talents, the result was this year's Safe Driving Public Service Announcement (PSA) on YouTube. The project was made possible by the efforts and contributions from the Allstate Foundation, dedicated to the important mission of teaching youngsters not to text and drive and to be knowledgeable of the law. The teens are proud of their work, as they should be.  
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December 14, 2016 5:00 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Technology and Teens.