Archives for Kids

Free Online Tutoring & Homework Help

Free Online Tutoring & Homework Help

Parents, need a hand helping your child(ren) with homework? We have an amazing resource for you to use! All you need is Internet access and your library card and you have access to live, on-demand, tutors through tutor.com! You can get live help daily from 9 am to 10 pm in English or Spanish. Simply have a homework question? Ask a tutor. Need practice with your reading skills? Ask a tutor. Simply follow these directions to get started: 1. Find the Online Tutors option under the Youth section of our homepage. 2. Enter the resource using the link provided. Then
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October 27, 2021 2:20 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: homework help, library resources, online tutor, online tutoring, practice tests, tutor.com, and tutors.

Project LIT Book Clubs for Kids and Teens

Project LIT Book Clubs for Kids and Teens

Project LIT is a global initiative to help kids, tweens, and teens engage with the real events shaking our country and the world at large. As a chapter in the Project LIT Community, the Trove and Edge staff organizes discussions revolving around recommended titles, highlighting and celebrating books that affirm and value all students. Our Project LIT Book Club for Kids & Tweens is for grades 4-8 and our Project LIT Book Club for Teens is for grades 7-12. We have been repeatedly blown away by our discussion participants, who have been smart, insightful, and continue to make connections between
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October 27, 2021 10:28 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book club, book discussion, kids book club, Project Lit, Project Lit Community, and teen book club.

Dive Into Diversity: Food, Family, Friends

Dive Into Diversity: Food, Family, Friends

White Plains is a wonderfully diverse community! Parents, children, and teens have expressed an interest in titles that reflect the diversity in the community, and Ashley, Kathlyn, and Raquel's “Dive Into Diversity” column will spotlight noteworthy children's and teen titles that are inclusive, diverse, and multicultural to fulfill that interest. Ashley's portion is aimed at readers in grades 4-6. As we delve deeper into the fall and the weather gets chillier, I usually find myself reconnecting with friends and spending time with family around the holidays. I hope you enjoy reading these diverse recommendations that combine all three – food,
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October 21, 2021 2:03 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for children, books for kids, children's literature, and Dive into Diversity.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

The Library is excited to join the free nationwide program, 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. This program is designed to help caregivers connect and prepare their children for kindergarten by reading together.  Research has demonstrated that reading to children at a young age has a direct positive impact on their cognitive development and later academic success. For a quick, easy-to-read summary of the benefits of reading to babies, see here. Who is it for? Any child may participate from birth until he/she enters kindergarten. You may start the program at any time. The goal of 1,000 books seems daunting, but in
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October 21, 2021 10:00 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Evergreen, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: 1000 books before kindergarten and early literacy.

Dive into Diversity: National Diabetes Awareness Month

Dive into Diversity: National Diabetes Awareness Month

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Diagnosed cases of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are surging among youth in the United States. From 2001 to 2017, the number of people under age 20 living with type 1 diabetes increased by 45%, and the number living with type 2 diabetes grew by 95%.” According to the article, “New Research Uncovers Concerning Increases in Youth Living with Diabetes in the U.S.,” “The greatest increases in type 2 diabetes prevalence were seen in youth who are Black or Hispanic, and the
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October 21, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, National Diabetes Awareness Month, Observances and Celebrations, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Turtle Dance Music

Turtle Dance Music

Turtle Dance Music presents: Spooky Halloween! A Virtual Music, Bubble and Comedy Show! Thursday, October 21, 11:00 a.m. Children, families, all ages welcome! Access the program here. Note: a free registered Zoom account is required to access the Library’s youth programs. Get a Zoom account here. The Spooky Halloween Show! engages children with comedy, singing, the itsy-bitsy spider, bats, goblins, ghouls, bubbles, music technology and a monster mash dance party for the kids! The show is crafted to be inclusive for children of all abilities and a great time for parents and caregivers. Each song in the 40-minute show is
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October 18, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's events, dance, music, performing arts, trove events, and Turtle Dance Music.

NaNoWriMo: November Writing Time Reminder

NaNoWriMo: November Writing Time Reminder

Are you a middle schooler or teenager who loves to write? Is writing the best way you can express yourself? If so, then you should join our NaNoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month) program. In September and October we brainstormed ideas, learned about conflict and worked on character sketches and writing prompts. If you missed our writing sessions for the months of September and October you can still sign up for our November writing sessions. This program is for anyone in grades 4-12 who is looking for some quiet time to write. Each week we will set an hour to write
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October 15, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: creative writing, NaNoWriMo, and National Novel Writing Month.

Fall Stories & Stuff

Fall Stories & Stuff

We’re excited to announce that our popular program, Stories & Stuff, will be returning virtually in September and October! Stories & Stuff is geared towards kids from ages 4-8. During Stories & Stuff, stories are centered around a theme and children listen and discuss the topic. The children create a craft project that ties in with the theme. We ask that caregivers join the virtual program as well to assist their children during the craft portion of the storytime. Stories & Stuff will be held on Thursday, September 30th as well as Thursday, October 28th and the program begins at
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October 14, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's events in White Plains, crafts for children, crafts for kids, Stories & Stuff, Stories and Stuff, storytime for ages 4-8, storytime for children, storytime for kids, and The Trove.

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. My last Peculiar Picks featured two girls who befriended dragons, but that was just scratching the surface of the many wonderful picture books with dragons. In this Peculiar Picks, find some fantastic draconic reads, that all share a similar quality: absolutely amazing artwork. If you like dragons, perhaps you’d like to check out some other Monster-rific Reads – there’s
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October 14, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, dragons, Peculiar Picks, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Great Podcasts for Kids 5

Great Podcasts for Kids 5

Here are some more Great Podcasts for Kids on a variety of topics and themes selected by Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. All of these should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. Be sure to also check out earlier entries in the series and if you have some great podcast recommendations of your own, leave them in the comments below! Podcast Potpourri Greeking Out From National Geographic Kids, Greeking Out is all about Greek mythology, told in a very funny, kid-friendly, style. My
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October 13, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Great Podcasts, Great Podcasts for Kids, podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Tiny Tales: Big Pumpkin

Tiny Tales: Big Pumpkin

Welcome to our new series of Tiny Tales videos! Tiny Tales are short “bite-sized” song and story videos. Watch one for a short early literacy break, or a few for a whole storytime! You can find all of our Tiny Tales videos, including the thirty six videos in the previous series, right here! Today’s video features Trove librarian Ms. Raquel presenting “Big Pumpkin.” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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October 5, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: halloween, library storytime recording, library storytime video, Observances and Celebrations, October, online library storytime, Spooktober, storytime, The Trove, Tiny Tales, video, videos, virtual library storytime, westchester libraries, westchester library storytime, white plains library, and white plains new york.

Let’s Draw Monsters

Let’s Draw Monsters

Kids, teens, and families are invited to join nationally syndicated award-winning cartoonist Rick Stromoski virtually on Tuesday, October 26th at 6:00 p.m. for a fun workshop to learn how to draw creatures, goblins, ghosts, and all things Halloweeny! All participants will need is a stack of paper and something they like to draw with! Let’s Draw Monsters! Tuesday, October 26th, 6:00 p.m. Grades 3+, teens, families Access the program here. Note: a free, registered Zoom account is required to join our youth-focused virtual programs. Sign up for a Zoom account is free and easy at http://zoom.us/signup. About Rick Stromoski Rick
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September 29, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: art, drawing, drawing workshop for children, drawing workshop for kids in Westchester, halloween, Halloween events in Westchester, Halloween events in White Plains, and Rick Stromoski.

Great SPOOKY Podcasts

Great SPOOKY Podcasts

Here are some great spooky podcasts to get your kids and teens (and you!) in the Halloween mood. All of these should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. If you have some great podcast recommendations, leave them in the comments below! For additional (non-spooky) podcast recommendations, click here! FOR KIDS & FAMILIES The Creeping Hour If your kids like Goosebumps, then The Creeping Hour horror anthology series from NPR is going to be a hit. Recommended for ages 8-12 and families, these are some
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September 29, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Great Podcasts, halloween, Halloween Books, Observances and Celebrations, October, podcasts, Spooktober, spooky podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Halloween STEAM

Halloween STEAM

Halloween is a wonderful time to learn about ghoulish goblins, bob for apples, visit Sleepy Hollow, and go trick-or-treating. However, if some of these activities aren’t an option, there are still plenty of fun things to do virtually to satisfy your need for creepy crawlies and menacing mummies! The Library will be hosting two fun and spooky STEAM projects: one for grades 1-6 and one for grades 4-8. Twelve kits will be available for each age group and patrons can register online through the library calendar to pick up their kits. Both kits will include items needed for the program,
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September 28, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: halloween, Halloween Books, Halloween STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, and STEM.

Diwali: A Celebration of Light

Diwali: A Celebration of Light

Diwali, or Dipawali, is India‘s biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects us from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians. Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that's also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind
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September 28, 2021 9:13 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, diwali, Diwali celebration in Westchester, diwali celebration in White Plains, Grab & Go kits, and Observances and Celebrations.

Dive Into Diversity: Spooky Stories

Dive Into Diversity: Spooky Stories

White Plains is a wonderfully diverse community! Parents, children, and teens have expressed an interest in titles that reflect the diversity in the community, and Ashley, Kathlyn, and Raquel's “Dive Into Diversity” column will spotlight noteworthy children's and teen titles that are inclusive, diverse, and multicultural to fulfill that interest. Ashley's portion is aimed at readers in grades 4-6. School has begun again and the weather will turn chillier as we head into fall and the spooky season! When I was a kid, I was a big fan of watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? and reading the Goosebumps
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September 24, 2021 3:33 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for children, books for kids, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, halloween, Halloween Books, Observances and Celebrations, October, Spooktober, spooky stories for kids, and stories to read in october.

Dive into Diversity: Italian-American Heritage Month!

Dive into Diversity: Italian-American Heritage Month!

October is Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month. The month-long celebration recognizes the many contributions and achievements of Italian-Americans in the U.S. According to National Today, “Over 26 million Americans of Italian descent currently reside in the U.S. — making up America's seventh largest ethnic group.” New York Public Library’s, 5 Picture Books to Celebrate Italian-American Heritage Month lists some great books to share with young children, and below you will find several noteworthy and fun titles for kindergartners to sixth-graders to celebrate Italian heritage and culture – buon divertimento! Paolo, Emperor of Rome by Mac Barnett & Claire Keane (Grades
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September 24, 2021 1:26 pm | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Dive into Diversity, Italian-American History, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

October Book Bunch & Author Visit

October Book Bunch & Author Visit

Does your child enjoy funny books? Do they geek out about mythology? Are they really into graphic novels? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then your kid would be totally interested in our upcoming virtual book discussion! On Wednesday, October 6th at 4:30 p.m., join librarians Ashley and Caroline to chat about the first book in the Nico Bravo series called Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades by Mike Cavallaro. We’re thrilled to announce that author and illustrator Mike Cavallaro will be joining us for a Q&A session after the discussion! This program is open to
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September 20, 2021 10:02 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book bunch, Book discussion for kids, book discussion for middle grade students, book discussion for teens, books for children, juvenile fiction, Mike Cavallaro, Nico Bravo, and Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades.

Project LIT Book Clubs for Kids and Teens

Project LIT Book Clubs for Kids and Teens

Project LIT is a global initiative to help kids, tweens, and teens engage with the real events shaking our country and the world at large. As a chapter in the Project LIT Community, the Trove and Edge staff organizes discussions revolving around recommended titles, highlighting and celebrating books that affirm and value all students. Our Project LIT Book Club for Kids & Tweens is for grades 4-8 and our Project LIT Book Club for Teens is for grades 7-12. We’ve been taking a break over the summer from our Project LIT Book Clubs but we’re happy to announce that they
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September 20, 2021 10:01 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book discussions, kids book club, Project Lit, Project Lit Community, and teen book club.

Great Podcasts for Kids 4

Great Podcasts for Kids 4

Here are some more Great Podcasts for Kids on a variety of topics and themes selected by Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. All of these should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. All of our Great Podcasts recommendations, including those for Kids, Teens, and Parents and Caregivers, can be found here. Podcast Potpourri Ear Snacks The creators, Andrew and Polly (a duo of award-winning children’s music makers), call the Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award winning podcast Ear Snacks a “musical podcast” and music
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September 15, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Great Podcasts, Great Podcasts for Kids, podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.