Archives for Kids

A New Catalog

A New Catalog

In March, the public libraries in Westchester County will be moving to a new catalog system. For you, this means an improved interface with better—and easier—search capabilities, greater control over your notifications, and better access to what’s available through the library. Library staff members are getting an open source system, which means the libraries have more control over how the system works. Going forward, we’ll be able to customize the catalog for what works best for Westchester. But migrating to a new catalog won’t happen overnight. To facilitate the process, the catalog will be offline from March 11 to March
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February 27, 2019 3:00 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Homepage Kids, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: catalog.

Museum Passes: Family Edition

Museum Passes: Family Edition

We’ve having a break in the weather, so why not head off to a museum? Highlighted here are some of the Library’s museum passes that families will enjoy. The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, located on West 83 Street, has way too much going on to describe here (Dynamic H2O; Art, Artists & You; Let’s Dance). Best of all, the museum provides plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning and activities. Visit their website for the full lineup. Trains, buses and ferries are universally fascinating, and the New York City Transit Museum has plenty on display. Check out the exhibit Ticket to
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February 13, 2019 3:00 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, eNewsletter, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Children's Museum of Manhattan, museum passes, New York City Transit Museum, Stamford Museum & Nature Center, and Stepping Stones Museum for Children.

2019 Children’s Book Awards

2019 Children’s Book Awards

Every January the American Library Association grants awards to a variety of talented authors and illustrators that highlight the year’s many excellent works created for children and youth with their Coretta Scott King Awards, (John) Newbery, and (Randolph) Caldecott Medals. Last week we highlighted past winners, this week we share this year's winners below. If you'd like to place a hold on one of the titles, simply click on the title or book cover. 2019 Caldecott Medal Winner Hello Lighthouse, illustrated and written by Sophie Blackall, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. Masterful
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January 28, 2019 3:57 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Homepage Kids, and Kids.
Tags: caldecott medal and Newbery medal.

Award-Winning Children’s Books

Award-Winning Children’s Books

Every January the American Library Association grants awards to a variety of talented authors and illustrators that highlight the year’s many excellent works created for children and youth with their Coretta Scott King Awards, and their (Pura) Belpre, (John) Newbery, and (Randolph) Caldecott Medals. This year announcements of the winners will take place on Monday, January 28th, 2019. In celebration of these honored books, the Trove has four displays showcasing a sampling of the superlative works created for children that have won these prestigious awards and medals in past years. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Coretta Scott King
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January 23, 2019 10:40 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Belpre medal, caldecott medal, Coretta Scott King award, and Newbery medal.

STEM Buddies

STEM Buddies

Join us every other Thursday at 4:30 p.m. beginning January 10th for STEM Buddies. During this program children in grades 1-4 can sign up at the Compass Desk in the Trove to work on STEM activities in small groups for 30 minutes with teen volunteers or college students. Sign-up will start at 4:00 p.m. STEM = Science Technology Engineering Math Read more about STEM and STEAM here.
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January 2, 2019 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Events, Evergreen, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: STEM and STEM Buddies.

Meet Ashley Bressingham

Meet Ashley Bressingham

This month, we’d like you to join us in welcoming Ashley Bressingham to the Library and the White Plains community. Bressingham has joined our ranks as a Children’s Librarian in the Trove. You’ve probably already seen her at the Trove’s Compass Desk, but she’ll also be leading children’s programming events. I interviewed her this week to learn a little bit more about her and her love of libraries. Bressingham, who grew up in Garden City, Long Island, calls herself a “life-long library patron” as she began frequenting her local library at a young age. Further proof of an early interest
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August 1, 2018 5:05 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Kids.
Tags: staff bio.

Puppet Playtime with Nicola Rose

Puppet Playtime with Nicola Rose

Actress and puppeteer Nicola Rose will bring her repertoire of interactive games, songs and stories to the Library for an 11:00 a.m. performance on Wednesday, July 11th.  “’Puppet Playtime’ is a series of short vignettes—games and stories—for toddlers and pre-schoolers,” she says. “I will be handing out scarves, toys and musical instruments so that the kids can play along with me. They will be very much involved.” The Bronx-based Rose is a Columbia University graduate and received a master’s degree in theater from the Sorbonne in Paris, where she studied for two years.  She is an accomplished independent film producer
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June 27, 2018 9:00 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Events and Kids.

We’re Fine Free!

We’re Fine Free!

We want kids to read. So we are eliminating one of the biggest impediments kids face: late fees on children’s and young adult materials. A public library’s most important responsibility is to develop readers. And research has shown that having books in the home is a critical factor in becoming a reader. But the sad fact is, too many young people can’t borrow books because of outstanding fines. But even though we are removing fines, kids and their caregivers will still be responsible for returning all library material—or else risk having their account suspended. How this works: We expect all
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June 15, 2018 11:56 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Evergreen, Homepage, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Rescheduled: The Deedle Deedle Dees Perform

Rescheduled: The Deedle Deedle Dees Perform

This event have been canceled for 3/21 due to weather and will be rescheduled. Please check back later for updates. On Wednesday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m., Lloyd H. Miller will bring the Deedle Deedle Dees with their mix of interactive music and activities for children to our second-floor auditorium. Miller has performed for 15 years (often for kids in care facilities and hospitals), and he is the one fixture in the Deedle Deedle Dees, which he describes as “a traveling show with different components.” In his performance, Miller’s accompaniments will include a bass guitar, ukulele and Olga Okuneva, a
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March 20, 2018 10:05 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events and Kids.
Tags: puppets and womens history month.

Celebrate Pi Day on March 14

Celebrate Pi Day on March 14

Come celebrate the beautiful mathematical constant that is Pi on Pi Day next Wednesday, March 14! The fun begins at 7:00 p.m. in Galaxy Hall. We'll have a concentration game with numbers, shapes, and math symbols as well as a story, riddles and jokes. After that, just the usual cookie snack. Come join in on the fun and games for children ages K-4 and their families!
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March 8, 2018 4:41 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events and Kids.

Story Theater with Jonathan Kruk

Story Theater with Jonathan Kruk

“I grew up on tall tales and day dreams,” says Jonathan Kruk, who went from “regaling his rambunctious brothers with bedtime tales” to becoming a master storyteller who has entertained elementary-school-aged children throughout North America for nearly three decades. He has become a Halloween and holiday-season perennial at the historic Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow with his renditions of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. All 60 shows have sold out every year since 2010. On Wednesday, February 21, Kruk will bring his “Children’s Story Theater” to the Library for a 7:00 p.m.
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February 14, 2018 2:23 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events and Kids.

Family Films Showing December 2017 in the Trove

Family Films Showing December 2017 in the Trove

Sunday Cinema continues at the Trove this month with a great selection of new and classic family films. Here’s a quick look at some of the titles we’ll be showing at 2:00 p.m. in Galaxy Hall throughout the month of December. Note: we have one extra weeknight film on Wednesday, December 20. Descendants 2 (2017) – December 3 This is the very popular sequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants and it continues with an exciting story and great soundtrack. Rated TVG, 111 minutes. Frozen (2013) – December 10 The wildly popular animated Disney hit for all ages. It
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December 1, 2017 1:31 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events and Kids.

Art in the Castle Returns This Week

Art in the Castle Returns This Week

Art in the Castle is rolling out its second season with the help of Lily Fearon, a talented Bachelor of Fine Arts candidate at Purchase College. The monthly art classes offer 3rd-5th grade White Plains residents the opportunity to try their hand at a variety of artists' media including pencil, oil pastels, charcoal, collage material, water color and acrylic paints. Fearon displays library books on famous artists from various periods to encourage conversation in a nurturing and fun environment. She teaches the children new techniques at each session covering concepts such as mixing colors, brush stroke, still life studies, shading
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October 18, 2017 1:24 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events and Kids.
Tags: art.

What’s Battle of the Books?

What’s Battle of the Books?

The Trove and the Edge are busy preparing for an epic battle taking place this fall…the Battle of the Books! Teams of children and teens at libraries all over Westchester are busy reading the same sets of books and practicing trivia questions. They’ll come together in October for a reading-based trivia tournament. Two teams will represent White Plains at this year’s battle: the Raging Pages (grades 4-6) and Team KnowlEDGE (grades 6-10). Battle of the Books is designed to encourage a love of reading and to expose kids and teens to diverse reading material. This year, titles range from classic
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October 5, 2017 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Kids and Teens.
Tags: battle of the books and The Edge.

Chess Club Comes to the Trove

Chess Club Comes to the Trove

Chess teaches us to think, visualize, problem solve, strategize and take risks. Play the game that spans cultures and generations. By learning chess, one of the oldest and most fascinating of games, you can make a friend and learn a little sportsmanship. The Chess Club meets Monday nights at 6:30 p.m.in the Trove. Ages 7 and up—teens, adults and grand masters—are welcome. No registration required.
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September 26, 2017 1:45 pm | by | 6 Comments
Categories: Events, Kids, and Teens.

Resources to Help You Understand Health and Safety Risks Associated with the Use of VR

Resources to Help You Understand Health and Safety Risks Associated with the Use of VR

Unfortunately, there are risks associated with the use of VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) headsets. Some of the risks are fairly obvious: bumping into objects, tripping over wires, etc. Other risks are not so obvious and may either be latent in their effects (for example, vision impairment) or may trigger dizziness, nausea or even a seizure. The fact is, the technology is so new that health and safety research needs to catch up with it. Because of the risks associated with the use of VR, the Library requires that a liability release form is signed prior to trying
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September 6, 2017 5:11 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Kids, Technology, and Teens.

Black History StoryWalk® Features Steamboat School

Black History StoryWalk® Features Steamboat School

Children at the White Plains Public Library are invited to take a walk along The Trove's 2017 Black History StoryWalk®. This year's walk is based on the book, Steamboat School: Inspired by a True Story, written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by Ron Husband. In this story, the teacher, Reverend John Berry Meachum, and his students refused to accept discrimination based on skin color. Meachum opened the “Floating Freedom School” in the middle of the Mississippi River in response to the Missouri law in 1847 that stated that “No person shall keep any school for the instruction of negroes or
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January 27, 2017 10:06 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Kids and Local History.
Tags: Black History, children, storywalk, and The Trove.

Sensory-Friendly Show

Sensory-Friendly Show

On Sunday, November 13 at 2 :00 p.m. Autism Friendly Shows and Turtle Dance Music will present a Sensory-Friendly Music, Comedy and Bubble Show in the Trove's Galaxy Hall at the White Plains Public Library. The event is for children ages 2 years and up with their families. This 60-minute program will will be a “turtle-riffic musical experience designed to engage children through songs, movement, stories and interactive music technology. It is crafted to be inclusive for all children, including children on the Autism Spectrum, and a great time for parents and caregivers. Each song is accompanied by hands-on, visual,
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November 2, 2016 7:40 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events and Kids.
Tags: children, families, music, sensory-friendly, and The Trove.

The Art of Local History: Collage Night 9/21

The Art of Local History: Collage Night 9/21

Help us put some old local history books to good use at a family night/local history event in the Trove on Wednesday, September 21, from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM! We'll provide all the supplies you need to create a collage using historical pictures from books that tell the story of White Plains. Part arts and crafts, and part local history, we'll use both sides of our brains to learn while creating. Special thanks to the White Plains Historical Society for the donation of books. Check out their website here.
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September 10, 2016 10:03 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Kids, and Local History.
Tags: arts & crafts, collage, local-history, The Trove, white plains historical society, and white plains history.