Kids Blog

CHERUB’s a secret group of children working for the British Government as spies. Cool huh? Robert Muchamore, creator of CHERUB, is busy writing more books in the series (there’s going to be at least 12), so that should keep spy freaks entertained for the next couple of years.

 There are other child spies as well… Max Remy is a super spy even, and if you like shorter stories you could read about Jack Stalwart, who travels around the world on secret missions. Sick of all the boys? There’s also Jane Blonde, spylet extraordinaire…

Do you know what is one of the greatest, major, as in super nova problem of the earth is? If you said global warming then you would be correct! Do you know what global warming is? Well it seems that global warming is linked to the amount of carbon and other greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide is now in the atmosphere and it stays in the atmosphere, acting like a warm blanket, holding in the heat which is why we call it ‘global warming’. Where does all this come from you might ask. Everytime we cook, travel, use electricity etc. we unknowingly contribute to the global warming.  Relentlessly we overfill the atmosphere with heat-trapping gases which in turn can cause  devastating changes to our environment.  Examples of this would be we will experience extreme temperatures, rising sea levels and storms of unimaginable destructive fury. Did that get your attention? ALARMING!!! Well all’s not lost yet. Here are some ways you can help and do your share in your own little way. Turn off electrical appliances or lights not in use. Electricity is a major contributor to the global warming. Walk , eat less meat and of course recycle!!!!

To find out more about ways to save the planet from global warming try out this websites:

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/

http://tiki.oneworld.net/global_warming/climate_home.html

Get to it Super Hero!!!!

I came across this funny poem and would like to share it with anyone who’d like to have a smile on their faces.

On and on…
Is a well-wisher someone who wishes at a well?
Is a bad-speller one who casts a wicked spell?
Is a shop-lifter a giant who goes around lifting shops?
Is a pop singer someone who sings and then pops?
Is a pot-holer a gunman who shoots holes at pots?
Does a baby-sitter really sit on tiny tots?
Is a light bulb a bulb light as a feather?
Does an opera buff sing in the altogether?
Does a pony trap, trap ponies going to the fair?
Is a fire-hose, stocking that firemen wear?
Is a scratch team so itchy it scratches?
When a bricklayer lays a brick what hatches?
Is a sick bed a bed that is feeling unwell?
Is a crime wave a criminal’s wave of farewell?
Is the bottom line the line on your bottom?
THE END!

Enjoyed this? What are you waiting for?  Read some more similar stuff! This is from the book The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry or check out this link.

It’s Halloween this Wednesday 31st! So get dressed-up in your spookiest costume and head over to Karori Library for some ghoulish fun. From 3.30-5.30pm the Children’s Area will be transformed into the scariest place in town for a frightenly good time. There will be spine chilling stories, creepy crafts and menacing  fun. So see you there…if you dare

Wow, the most amazing book just came into our library.  It’s called ‘The Gooey, Chewy, Rumble, Plop Book’ and it’s got a REAL TONGUE on the cover, a sticky stretchy one.  It’s a Pop-Up book (but they call it a Plop-Up), and it’s all about digesting your food.  There’s lots of flaps and facts and moving pictures and ‘guess the close-ups’.  It’s heaps of fun!

The book is written by Steve Alton and illustrated by Nick Sharratt, and it’s REFERENCE ONLY which means you can’t take it home with you.     But you can read it while you’re in the library, so ask the librarian if you can have a look – you might discover even more fun Pop-Up books while you’re there!

Have you ever heard of Sue the dinosaur? She is the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton every found, and Sue sold for a cool 8.3 million dollars in 1997. Sue stands 3.6 metres high at the hips and 11.9 metres long from head to tail and is made up of over 200 fossilized bones. Sue’s skull is 1.5 metres long and was too heavy to mount with the rest of the skeleton so is displayed separately while a cast replica of the skull was used. Museum staff spent 3500 hours on cleaning and repairing just Sue’s skull alone. Sue lives at The Field Museum in Chicago  and you may like to check out this great book on Sue we have in the library.

Have you ever stopped to think how long it takes for things to rot or decompose?
· Aluminium cans – 200 to 500 years
· Glass bottles – 1000 years
· Tin cans – 100 years
· Disposable nappies – 75 years
· Plastic bottles/Styrofoam/polystyrene – NEVER!
That is such a scary thought, especially since all of these things (except disposable nappies) can be recycled.

Did you know that heaps of litter ends up in the sea, and can kill or hurt sea animals and birds?  I once heard of a dolphin that ate a tiny piece of plastic, which got stuck in its stomach.  The plastic stopped the dolphin from eating – and this is really sad - he died of starvation.

So make sure you and your family recycle all your paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, and cans – and throw everything else into a bin – DON’T EVER LITTER!

The library has heaps of books and web pages on recycling, just ask a librarian to show you where to find them, or check out 363.72 in the junior non-fiction section of the library.

How many ways can you think of to say ‘vomit’? Well, I had a go and I only got to around 5. A great book to help you find that and other interesting words can be found in the glorious book The Disgusting Dictionary by Tracey Turner. It’s an A to Z of rude and horrid words that you will make your stomach turn with while still be able to make you laugh your head!

It also has disgusting facts throughout it such as – “Snot from a sneeze can travel up to 3.5 metres”. Reading this book you will be sure to wow your friends and family with the wonders of disgusting gross stuff. Just make sure that you pick people with strong stomachs to listen to you or you could end up making them barf/hurl/heave/puke/upchuck…..

Library Girl

Have you ever wondered why New Zealanders are known as Kiwis?

A very long time ago, during the Second Boer War (1899-1902) and the First World War (1914-1918), soldiers wore regimental badges which featured a kiwi, so they were nicknamed ‘kiwis’ by other soldiers. And now kiwi is a common nickname for anyone born or living in New Zealand.

Kiwi are very special birds found only in New Zealand. They can live to be 40 years old; they have nostrils at the end of their beaks for sniffing out berries, worms and insects to eat; their tiny wings are useless for flying, but they have very strong legs for running fast and kicking; they’re nocturnal – which means they sleep all day and stay awake at night. Once the female has laid her egg, which is almost the same size as her body, the male takes care of it until the kiwi chick hatches. Kiwi feathers look rough and shaggy, but they are very soft to touch – I know that’s true because I was once lucky enough to hold a young kiwi.

Kiwi are in constant danger of being killed or badly hurt by stoats, ferrets, weasels, rats, wild cats and dogs. In 1987 a wild dog was known to have killed around 500 kiwi in a Northland forest.  This is why hunters, scientists and Department of Conservation workers have to keep their dogs muzzled when they’re in the forests.

To find out more about kiwi or other birds, check out 598 in the junior non-fiction section of the library, look at the Kids Cat websites or just ask a librarian.

In Shakespeare’s time theatre was their main entertainment, like films and television today. Plays were performed by theatre companies. A company would be supported by a rich patron. Shakespeare’s company was called the Chamberlain’s Men after their patron Lord Chamberlain. In 1603 their patron became James I, the King of England. After that they were known as the King’s Men. The company’s most famous actor was Richard Burbage. Women were not allowed to act in Shakespeare’s time, so all the female parts were performed by boys. From 1599 onwards, Shakespeare’s plays were performed at a theatre called The Globe. It was a huge wooden circle with no roof. The theatre could hold an audience of 3000. The company would do two performances a day.  The plays were put on with fancy costumes, but with hardly any set. Musicians would play for the performances, and actors with small roles often played more than one part. Sometimes if audiences did not like the play they would shout at the actors, or riot!

Take a look at these books to find out more.
Welcome to the Globe: The Story of Shakespeare’s TheatreShakespeare’s Theatre