By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Well, 2021 has certainly begun right where 2020 left off: with a lot of tough topics. Even our youngest kids know when big or upsetting things happen in the news. They may not know the details, but they can see and feel the strong emotions of their grownups and that … Read more
This fall, we’ve been sharing some of our favorite virtual activities with our Discover and Explore posts. Have you missed any? Check out this list of great activities to do all year round! Visit museums virtually The National Museum of Mathematics is offering free classes for kids throughout the pandemic to explore the fun side … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Every year, our final Early Bird Reader tip we send via text (Want weekly early learning tips from the Oak Park Public Library? Sign up now for Early Bird Readers ») is to share stories about the year that’s ending. Sharing memories is a great way to practice narrating stories, … Read more
Feeling stuck in your own neighborhood? Let’s visit Mr. Jose as he walks us around his Chicago neighborhood, Belmont Cragin, and shows us some of his favorite places. If you were making a video tour of your neighborhood, what are your favorite parts that you would show off? What other places would you like to visit by … Read more
Introducing Oak Park’s Best of 2020, a librarian-curated selection of titles, featuring some of the titles most requested and checked out by Oak Parkers! See our kids and picture books favorites on this page or browse more using the links below. Adult fiction | Adult nonfiction | Teen fiction | Kids books | Picture booksTV … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian This holiday season is not at all what any of us had planned on. For most of us, celebrations will look different and traditions might have to skip a year. These are sad and frustrating things! Young kids may not have the words to express what they’re feeling or how … Read more
By Hal, Rainbow Services Librarian It’s Transgender Awareness Week, an annual event dedicated to educating our communities about the lives of transgender people. Transgender Awareness Week is celebrated every year during the week leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20), a day set aside to recognize each life lost during the year to … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Miss Jenny and I both love building fun sounds into our storytimes and our videos. Sounds, especially unexpected ones, get and keep everyone’s interest and attention. Will your preschooler understand you if you give them directions using inflections and gestures but only mooing? Yes, probably! And they might even focus … Read more
By Children’s Librarian Shelley Harris Math. Did you just shudder? Or grin? Most people have a strong reaction to math, one way or the other. When I was growing up, one of my absolute must see shows was Square One TV on PBS. I was definitely a book person over a math person, but I … Read more
By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Mr. Andy, one of our past librarians, always used to tell caregivers that he could remember the words to “Sweet Caroline” much better than he could remember how to use and program his remote control. Does that feel familiar? Things set to song are easier to remember! If you have … Read more
