What Do Dragons & Popcorn Have in Common?

They were both recently the topic of a storytime here at Green Ridge Library!

Last time I blogged, I promised more updates about what we're doing here at the library, so here we go-

Last week we had a special dragon storytime. We read the following books:

Who Wants a Dragon? by James Mayhew
Take Care, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas
Dragon Dancing by Carole Lexa Schaefer

And then we made this special dragon craft.

Click here to see more photos of the children working on their craft or visit this website to download the template so you can make one at home!

In the first week of our second session of Play & Learn for the fall, our 4 & 5 year olds talked and learned about opposites. To practice opposites like 'over' and 'under', we created artwork above AND below the table! Of course, both sides of the table were covered with special drawing paper. We had so much fun with this activity, and it was a very unique way to practice using our fine motor skills as well.

Yesterday, our storytime was about one of my very favorite snacks, popcorn! We read the following books about popcorn and then made a fall corn craft:

Popcorn by Alex Moran
The Popcorn Shop by Alice Low
"Not Now!" Said the Cow by Joanne Oppenheim

Here are some photos of this craft, in progress and completed!

I just want to remind everyone that we're raffling off our Samantha American Girl doll at the beginning of next month! If you want a chance to win, all you have to do is stop off at the Green Ridge Library and check out items- for every ten books, DVDs, or CDs you check out, you'll get one raffle ticket. There's still a few weeks left to earn tickets!

I hope you enjoyed getting a peek into the programs going on here at the library. We always have fun activities planned for children of all ages. Check out our calendar of events and if you're interested in attending any of them, call the library at (570) 207-0764 to reserve your space. I hope to see you soon!

~ Miss Juli

The Staff of Green Ridge is Thankful for...

~ books
~ books
~ books
~ you, our patrons!

Ahh, November- the time of year when fall turns quickly into winter in northeastern Pennsylvania! I hope you've all begun to dig your winter jackets out because we'll be needing them again pretty soon. The library is closed a couple of days this month for the holidays, but we still have plenty of things going on!

All November we're giving you a chance to win a Samantha doll, which was discontinued by the American Girl company earlier this year. Earn a raffle ticket for every ten items you check out during the month of November. We will have a party on Thursday, December 10th at 5:30 PM to draw for the winner! You don't need to attend the party to win Samantha, but we'll have other American Girl prizes to give away that you must be present to win.

We have a number of other great programs going on this month as well. To see a complete schedule, click here! Don't forget to call the library at (570) 207-0764 to register for these programs; space is limited and some of them fill up very quickly!

And now for some exciting news- Miss Melissa and I are going to be blogging more often about the programs we're running here at the library, with ideas for crafts and activities you can do at home with your family and friends! Be sure to check back often, because we hope to blog at least once a week to let you know what's going on here @ Green Ridge Library. Talk to you soon!

~ Miss Juli

Yay Fall!

I'm so happy that fall has finally arrived- it's my absolute favorite season of the year! I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you about some of the great things we're doing to kick off the season here at Green Ridge Library.

Next Monday, October 12th, we're having a yard sale from noon until 5 PM. If it's nice weather we'll be outside on the lawn, but the sale is happening rain or shine so stop by if you're looking for great deals on books, movies, clothes, household items, crafts, and more! All proceeds from the sale will benefit Green Ridge Library's young adult club- a truly worthy cause, so check it out if you can!

Did you know that this year's Scranton Reads selection is The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien? All month long we're leaving supplies out in the children's room for kids to make thank you cards to send to American soldiers overseas. At the end of the month we'll pack all the cards up and send them on their way. I hope everyone will find some time to stop by this month and show their support for our troops!

At the end of October we'll be celebrating Halloween here at Green Ridge! There will be a special party for young adults ages 12 and up on Wednesday, October 28th at 5:30 PM and another party for children of all ages on Thursday, October 29th at 5:30 PM. Costumes are optional but suggested- I'm really excited to show mine off (it's a surprise)! Finally, we'll have a special Halloween storytime on Friday, October 30th at 11:30 AM. I hope to see you at some or all of the great programs we have scheduled this month!

Happy Fall everyone!

Miss Juli

September is Roald Dahl Month @ Your Library!

Matilda, illustrated by Quentin Blake

September has officially arrived and this month we're celebrating internationally beloved children's author Roald Dahl at Green Ridge Library. During his lifetime, Dahl authored well-known works such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, and James and the Giant Peach. On Tuesday, September 8th @ 5 PM we'll hold a special party celebrating these books and many more. There will be crafts, games, and prizes for children of all ages! Additionally, we're holding a special nighttime storytime on Wednesday, September 9th @ 5 PM centered around Dahl's Revolting Rhymes. Even our cooking club will be Dahl themed this month, as we create some really Revolting Recipes on Thursday, September 24th @ 5:30 PM. We hope to see you at one or all of these fantastic events (please call to register)! If you're a Roald Dahl fan and would like to revisit some old favorites, or you've never read him before but would like to try him for the first time, we have all of his books available at the library. Stop by or check out our online catalog.

There are other exciting things going on this month as well. We'll be having a very special Biscuit storytime on Friday, September 25th @ 11:30 AM. Biscuit himself will be dropping by to read, dance, and take pictures with the kids- don't forget your camera! For a full list of programs and events, check out our online calendar.

Happy back-to-school!

Miss Juli

Junior Battle of the Books

Congratulations to our "Junior Battle of the Books" team! After fierce competition, the girls placed 2nd and we're so proud of them and their coach, our own Miss Juli.


Check out the Scranton Times article!

Can You Believe It?

It's July already and the first month of summer is already over! Still, there's plenty of time to register and log books for Summer Reading Club. Thanks to a number of generous sponsors, we've collected some great prizes you can enter to win- and you earn raffle tickets just by participating in the program. Those of you who are already registered have logged thousands of books so far- great job and keep reading!

June was a busy month; we kicked off the Summer Reading Club with a number of great programs. Some highlights were the Cold Stone ice cream party, Uncle Pete's musical performance, Houdini magic show, and a visit from the Binghamton Zoomobile. Click on the pictures below to view more photos from each event on our library's Flickr account.

July is also packed with great events- check out our calendar to see everything we have scheduled! I'm especially looking forward to Happy Faces of Scranton coming to do face painting at the library, and Robert Smith's amazing juggling program. We also have Mini Olympics going on at the end of the month for children ages 8 and up (it's going to be outside on the lawn, so the rain date is scheduled for August). These programs have limited space so be sure to call the library at 207-0764 if you'd like to participate!

Looking forward to seeing you all around! :)

Miss Juli

Welcome Summer!

Hello Friends!

It's been awhile, hasn't it? Things have been very busy here at the Green Ridge Library over the past few months. We've hosted some really hopping programs, including a Green Fair in April and a Pirate Party in May. Now it's the beginning of June and we're excitedly preparing for Summer Reading Club! The theme of this year's SRC is Be Creative @ Your Library for children birth through 6th grade, and Express Yourself @ Your Library for young adults from 12-18 years old. Participants in these programs who register and record the books they read online will earn prizes! Additionally, all children will have the opportunity to earn raffle tickets over the course of the summer by continuing to read beyond the completion of the program and attending library programming. These tickets will be placed in a raffle for weekly prizes, or for grand prizes we'll draw at our ending party in August which include an iPod, Nintendo DS, and gift certificates to area businesses! Registration begins June 8th and all children need a valid library card to participate, so stop by, call the library, or check our website for more information and to sign up!

Programming Sneak Peek:

We have lots of great events going on this month to greet the summer! Check our online calendar of events to learn more about our Cold Stone Ice Cream Social, a very special musical performance by Uncle Pete, a visit from the live animals of the Binghamton Zoomobile, a spectacular Houdini Magic Show, and much, much more! Also, stay tuned for our July calendar- I can promise you, it's going to be jam-packed with great stuff!

Green Ridge in the News:

The Scranton Times-Tribune published an article about our library on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009. Check out the text and pictures here!

It's going to be a GREAT summer- can't wait to see you all around!

Miss Juli

Under the Sea Craft, May 27th, 2009
For more program photos, check out our Flickr!