Welcome!

Welcome to the Fall 2007 edition of Parent Connection. This issue contains ideas and resources for the back-to-school season. Please email parentconnection@stdl.org with questions, comments and suggestions.

Featured Web Sites

Kindergarten Readiness

The Orange County Library System presents a guide for preparing your child for kindergarten. Learn skills and basic concepts that your child should know.

Links Reminder

From our Kids’ Page, gain access to hundreds of helpful links. Under “Youth Links,” click on “Reference & Schools,” “Social Studies,” “Math & Science” and more. The "Reference & Schools" page contains “Local Schools” links, featuring Web sites to local schools, standardized test information and school report cards. “Homework Help” links include biography, web almanac and conversion resources.

Library Basket

Are you tired of paying overdue fines? Do you often scramble around your house looking for a missing library book? Avid library users easily lose track of books, even inadvertently mixing them with personally owned materials. This fall, consider implementing a “library basket” system at home. Purchase a basket or container to keep in the living room, and put your library materials in it. When items are due, you may take them from this central location, put them in your library bag and avoid frantic searching!

The Most Important School Supply

A library card is the most important school supply. You may check out books and audio visual materials with a valid library card. From our homepage, access databases and your account with a library card number. September is National Library Card Sign-up Month. If you are a Schaumburg Township resident and do not have a library card, visit the central library or Hanover Park or Hoffman Estates branches with two forms of current address verification and a valid ID. This is a good time to update your contact information too. Throughout September, if you sign up for a card or update your current card, you will receive a prize. Your child is not too young for a library card; even your infant may have a card!

Social Networking Tips for Parents

The Illinois Library Association offers important social networking reminders. With the increased popularity of MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites, keep the following in mind.

1) Know that your children can access the Internet away from home, including at the library and a friend’s house.

2) Cultivate an open environment, encouraging your child to come to you with a problem he/she encounters online.

3) Talk to your children about online services and Web sites. Be sure that your children understand privacy issues and the importance of password protection.

4) Ask your child to share his/her blogs and online profiles with you. Use search engines to search for your child on social networking sites.

5) Visit our “Internet Safety” Youth Links for more information.

Featured Magazines

The Youth Services magazine collection includes excellent educational titles. Some magazines may be checked out. All current issues are available for library use only, and back issues may be viewed at the Information/Magazines Desk upstairs.

The following magazines are good reading choices and could be helpful with school projects. Often teachers require students to use a source besides a book or the Internet. Please ask at the Youth Services Reference Desk for more information.

Appleseeds
Appleseeds includes interesting articles and photos exploring history and culture. Students may submit stories, and each issue includes puzzles, recipes and games.

ASK®
ASK® is published with the Smithsonian magazine and includes cartoons, lively art and word puzzles.

Calliope®
Each theme-based issue brings readers face-to-face with history, including high-interest art from the world’s most famous museums.

Cobblestone®
Cobblestone® includes maps, primary sources, time lines and original illustrations and is designed to meet social science curriculum standards.

Faces®
Faces® fosters an appreciation for other cultures and encourages children to think from new perspectives. Readers learn how people in other cultures and countries live.

Odyssey™
Learn how science relates to daily life. Topics include human body, mathematics, space, technology and the environment.

Your Questions Answered

Question: What is a graphic novel?

Answer: Graphic novels are not the same as comic books. Graphic novels are a format of book containing comic book style illustrations emphasizing the story rather than the artwork. In contrast, comics are shorter, contain collections of unrelated stories and function for entertainment value. In graphic novels, the pictures add to the story, but comic books are about the picture rather than the story. Graphic novels cover a variety of topics, including superheroes, science fiction and even non-fiction. In the Youth Services Department, graphic novels are available in the non-fiction collection under 741.5.

Graphic novels motivate reluctant readers. Students enjoy the visual format, interesting characters and appealing themes. As the popularity of graphic novels has increased, more titles appropriate for elementary school students through teens have been published.

Best ABC Books

Excellent alphabet books may feature alliteration, an excellent story, concept focus or attractive visual appeal. The Schaumburg Township District Library owns the following alphabet books recommended by The Reading Teacher, a journal of the International Reading Association.

Animalia by Graeme Base
Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert
Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming
The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni
Achoo! Bang! Crash! The Noisy Alphabet by Ross MacDonald
Flora McDonnell’s ABC by Flora McDonnell
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.
Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H.A. Rey
The Book of Shadow Boxes: A Story of the ABCs by Laura L. Seeley
Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! by Dr. Seuss

Time for You

Parenting is a full time job with meals, baths, appointments, activities and more. Taking care of yourself is an important step to be sure that you function effectively. It is easier to respond to others’ needs when you feel energized. What activities help you recharge? Be sure to plan time for your own hobbies and rest. Consider these tips adapted from BornLearning.

1) Connect with other parents through a formal or informal group. Be intentional about making phone calls to relatives and friends.

2) Schedule time for hobbies you enjoy, whether sports, reading or taking a walk on a beautiful fall evening.

3) Eat a well balanced diet including snacks and water. This sets an excellent example for your children too.

4) Set priorities. You cannot do it all, so focus on the most important things to accomplish each day.

5) Try to get more sleep, or sneak in a nap when possible.

Homeschool Open House

Homeschooling families are invited to learn about library resources and services on Thursday, Sept. 27 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Youth Services Classroom. A brief tour and demonstration of electronic resources will be included. To register for this free program, email vheller@stdl.org or call (847) 923-3436 with family name and number attending.

Craft Corner

Each issue of Parent Connection features a simple project to make with common materials. This fall, make a beautiful collage with household materials.

Materials:
White construction paper
Multicolored tissue paper
Glue sticks
Tissue paper squares
Stickers
Squares of newspaper, wrapping paper or colored paper
Other small and colorful objects, such as buttons or fabric

Process:
1) Use the white construction paper as the base. Spread out supplies on a table.

2) Allow your child to select pieces to glue to the white base. Use glue sticks to attach the paper and objects. Overlap the colors, and cover the entire base with materials.

3) If desired, mount the collage onto a larger sheet of colored construction paper.