Kids Blog

I found this fantastic new book in the library the other day. It’s called Inside you: How your body makes it through a very bad day by Richard Walker. Come and explore with Nanocam (a tiny camera, smaller than a full stop) as it travels through your body and watch how you react to events such as bee stings, body bugs, sneezing, being cut by a knife and other unpleasant things. This book also as a CD Rom which has 3-D pictures in graphic detail on how your body gets through the day. You will love reading this book and learn heaps along the way.

See you soon

DJ  

If you’re in Wellington over the holidays make sure you check out these exciting holiday programmes at the Karori, Cummings Park and Wadestown libraries.

Karori 
January 9th to January 31st: ‘Publish a book’ write and illustrate your own book to display in the library. Introductory session on Wednesday 9th January, 11am. All materials provided.

Cummings Park  
January: ‘Publish a book’ write and illustrate your own book to display in the library. Pick up a pack from the library during the holidays to work on in the library or take home. Book launch Wednesday 16th January 11 am. All materials provided.

Wadestown
Friday 21st December 10:30: Christmas storytime and crafts

If you want to find out about other holiday programmes that are happening, check out the what’s on page.

If you’re in Wellington over the holidays make sure you check out these exciting holiday programmes at the Tawa and Johnsonville libraries.

Tawa  
Monday 24th December 10:30 to 11:30: ’Christmas storytime and craft’ Making the finger puppets and other activities.
Wednesday 16th January 10:30 to 11:30: ‘Kiwiana beach party’ Come dressed in your beach gear and enjoy a Kiwiana beach party with us! Craft, games and music.

Johnsonville  
Friday 21st December 10:30 to 12: ‘Christmas time’ Music craft and stories
Tuesday 29th January 11 to 12: ‘Calendar making’ Come and make your own calendar for 2008

If you want to find out about other holiday programmes that are happening, check out the what’s on page.

Have you been to the ‘Whales Tohora’ exhibition at Te Papa? It’s brilliant and it’s free for children.

Some whale facts:
Did you know that whales have the largest brain in the animal kingdom?
From one single breath, a mature blue whale could inflate up to 2000 balloons (that could be very useful for birthday parties!)
Whales are mammals; they breathe air and give birth to live babies, just like humans.
Pods of Orca are often seen in the shallow basin of Wellington Harbour, and Humpback whales commute through Cook Strait each year.

If you want to find out more about whales, check the junior non-fiction section of the library – 599.5 – or take a look at Kids Cat.

Have you ever wondered where inventors get their inspirations from? How they are able to think of various things to invent? Wonder no more! Nature has given inventors big clues on how to make their inventions work.

• dandelion seed floating to the ground……parachute
• birds and flying fish……..aeroplane
• wasps building nests from chewed wood…..paper
• rose thorns…..barbed wires
• centipedes with joined sections……trains
• beaver…….dam building
• rattlesnake’s rattle…..alarm

Is your brain in an inventing mode by now? Find some tips and hints from the book “Whose Crazy Idea Was That?” in the children’s non-fiction section of the library. Sometimes an idea that doesn’t work can lead to an idea that does. Keep trying as who knows, the world might need it in the future!

Have you ever wondered who gives out the presents at Christmas?
In New Zealand and England it’s Santa Claus or Father Christmas; in France it’s Pere Noel; in Germany it’s Christkind; in the Netherlands it’s St Nicholas; in Italy it’s La Befana; in Spain and South America it’s the Three Kings; in Russia it’s Babouschka and Grandfather Frost; and in Scandinavia it’s a variety of Christmas gnomes (one is called Julenisse).

I hope you get lots of cool presents for Christmas…

Find out more about Christmas here.

Want a good laugh? Then check out these goofy jokes.

There were three men standing under the umbrella and none of them got wet. How could that be?It wasn’t raining of course!

Knock-knockWho’s there?
Omelette.
Omelette who?
Omelette smarter that I look.

Where do tadpoles change into frogs?
In the croakroom

What do you call a man with no arms and no legs floating out at sea?
Bob

And last but not least,
What do you find up a clean nose?
Fingerprints
Yuk

Funny, goofy and ridiculous but always good for a laugh. Check out Kids Cat for more jokes and comics.

Some people have really unusual pets, for example Julius Caesar, Emperor of Rome had a giraffe; Ramses II, Pharaoh of Egypt had a lion; Nero, Emperor of Rome had a tigress called Phoebe; Charlemagne, Emperor of France had an elephant;King Charles V of Spain had 7 seals; King Louis IX of France had an elephant and a porcupine; King Henry III of

England had a white bear and an elephant; and Empress Josephine of France (the wife of Napoleon) had an orang-utan who sat at the dinner table, wearing a coat. If you would like to know more about pets check out the junior non-fiction section of the library – 636 – or ask a librarian for help…

First mentioned in Greek and Roman mythology, Satyrs were said to be half-beast and half-man, and red in colour. Their top-half was human, with a bearded human face, and horns. Their lower half was covered in hair, and goat-like with cloven hooves, but sometimes they had human feet with three toes. They had tails like those of horses. Satyrs lived in woods and mountains, herding cattle and hunting. They were easy to capture, but difficult to keep alive in captivity. They were often shown carrying a club or an axe. They were said to carry stores of food in bags under their chins.
Satyrs were also said to be followers of the Roman god of wine, Bacchus, and were often pictured holding wine cups, and playing reed pipes. Find out more in Questionable Creatures.

The race begins! There is chaos everywhere as the crowd cheers! But wait disaster happens as the leader of the race is snatched up by a bird! Well that’s what usually happens when snails are racing! It’s just one of the wackiest races that is becoming popular. Thanks to the internet,  snail racing became popular when an online gambling site took bets on a race in 2000. The fastest garden snail can cross the finish line at 20cm a minute. Then there’s camel racing with robot riders. Yep! You read it right, robot riders. Jockeys for camel racing were boy slaves as young as six years old so there was an uproar and it was made illegal to use them. So now some camels are ridden by robot jockeys controlled by the trainer following the race in a car! Brisbane, Australia hosts the world’s oldest coackroach race since 1982. Then there’s the frog race in California, USA where 2,000 frogs compete once a year to beat the 1986 record of 6.55 meters! Let’s not forget the ostrich racing in Arizona. These big birds cannot fly but they sure can run at 40 miles per hour! Whooossh! Hold on to your hats! See more amazing sports facts in the book “Would you believe..the losers were killed in Mayan football? and other perilous pastimes” at the children non fiction area of the library.