Activities

The Summer Reading Challenge Continues!

Stephen Clothier

Another year begins, and our Summer Reading Challenge continues! If all the book reviews you’ve been writing are anything to go by, you guys have been reading like absolute machines all throughout this beautiful Wellington summer. It has been wonderful reading all of your reviews and hearing about what you’ve enjoyed (or not so much!) about the books you’ve been reading.

It’s not too late to get involved! The Summer Reading Challenge is still running, and will keep running until the 31st of January 2021! There are heaps of prizes to be won just by reading books from our Summer Reading Challenge booklist — just see the photo below for a teensy tiny glimpse into our instant prize stash! Massive thanks to our friends at Unity Books, Marsden Books, and the Children’s Bookshop in Kilbirnie for their generous support.

Several piles of brand-new children's books, including picture books, fiction, nonfiction, and comics

This is just a small sample of the awesome book prizes that you can earn — just by reading and reviewing books from our collection!

But, reviewing books isn’t the only way to earn prizes. If you turn over your Summer Reading Challenge booklet, you’ll find a plethora of fun challenges to complete as part of our special Book Bingo challenge. Once you’ve finished off all 9 of the challenges, take your booklet in to your local library to earn a special prize.

A hand-drawn and vibrantly-coloured Dora the Explorer sits beneath the original art from the book.

This beautiful drawing of Dora the Explorer by Aarvi from Johnsonville Library was completed as part of the Book Bingo Challenge! Ka rawe, Aarvi!

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get reading!

Dive Into Online Activities with Your Favourite Authors!

Sue Jane

As we move into Level 3 of the nationwide lockdown, I was curious to know what some authors were doing with their time. I decided to do some online searching, and it was fascinating! Not only are there some very creative authors out there, but I also kept getting side-tracked by all the other groovy stuff that’s being created and shared online at this time. It reminded me of diving into a very deep swimming pool of creativity.

Maybe you could “go swimming” yourself, with a parent or caregiver on hand to keep you safe online of course!

Here’s some of the great activities and webpages I discovered, so this might be a good place to start your swim:

Dav Pilkey – author of Dogman and Captain Underpants books and so much more has created a fantastic lockdown activities page, Dav Pilkey At Home, on the Scholastic Books website. This page is chock full of videos, activities, and things to draw, read and write to keep you occupied during lockdown. While you’re checking out Dav Pilkey At Home, why not read Dav Pilkey’s books online through our eLibrary?

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Fifi Colston is not only an amazing NZ children’s author, but she’s a wonderfully creative artist as well. Check out her Fifi Colston Creative Pandemic Resources page for a huge range of really creative craft activities you can do with stuff you find at home. For example, see below for an incredibly cool project you can do with nothing but empty toilet paper rolls and a couple of other bits and bobs

Image credit: Fifi Colston – Pots of Love

Finally, don’t forget to check out local school websites as well. Wellington’s Raroa Normal Intermediate School library website has a very deep pool of at-home resources and activities to swim amongst, and it was here that I really started to swim down some side streams and waterways! They’ve aptly named their page Rāhui Resources.

Here are just a couple of pages I freestyled my way into from Rāhui Resources:

  • New Zealand Geographic magazine have put together an awesome Together at Home page with something new to explore in this beautiful country of ours for every day of lockdown.
  • And life just wouldn’t be complete without a few comics to enjoy. SJL.com (School Library Journal) have put up some free kids and teen comics for you to enjoy including the popular Cucumber Quest, Ozy and Millie and Wormworld Saga comic books.

Finally, just because… if you’ve got an iPad at home, why not try your hand at some blackout poetry:

Here’s my blackout poem using this Stuff News KEA Kids News article

Celebrating in lockdown,
Special day, cake, video chats
A happy family wish to you.
Our planet healthier
Growing native plants
In this unusual time.

Keep safe, and remember — wash your hands!

Family Lockdown Challenge: Bubble Scavenger Hunts!

Merritt 2 Comments

Are you looking for something to fill in a spare hour at home? Or maybe you need an activity to do on your daily walk around your neighbourhood. Have you considered a scavenger hunt?

An example of a scavenger hunt you could make at home!

A scavenger hunt is so much easier than a treasure hunt, because you don’t have to make any clues or hide any treasure! You just create a list of things to find, then get searching.

When you’re creating your list you can be as vague or specific as you like, from a red leaf or yellow flower, to something that makes a noise or something you use at school. You can give your scavenger hunts different themes too, from things inside the house (if it’s a rainy day!), to things out in your garden, or even things connected by a theme such as technology, pets, or colour. If your theme is colour, you can use the same list for every colour of the rainbow!

If you’re doing your scavenger hunt within your bubble at home, then of course you’re free to gather together all the objects you find. If you’ve created a scavenger hunt to complete while you’re out on a walk, picking things up and carrying them around isn’t the best idea at the moment. We suggest you just tick off or write down what you see, or you can turn it into a photo challenge and take pictures of all the things you find. Or you can join in the nation-wide Bear Hunt, and count how many Teddy Bears you can see in your neighbours’ windows.

Another idea is a literary scavenger hunt! Challenge yourself to read books on different subjects, by different authors, and about different characters. Can you read a book with a bear in it? How about a turtle, or one by a New Zealand author?

If you want some inspiration, check out the scavenger hunts that we’ve created to inspire you:

So get to it! Challenge yourself, or send one off and challenge your friends. We’d love to see what you come up with, so show us what you’ve been up to on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

Things to do with Dad

debbie

If you are into climbing trees, flying kites, skimming stones or playing tricks on someone then have a look at Things to do with Dad by Chris Stevens, call number J790.121 STE. This book is full of fun and exciting things that I’m sure your Dad got up to when he was a young boy. So grab those Dads and have a go at making your own golf course, send a message in a bottle, or have a finger football match. Lots of great ideas for having fun.

April Holiday Events

admin

Hey guys!

 

The school holidays are almost here. Whew! We’ve got some great events planned to celebrate and give you guys something fun to do!

Pop along to your local library to rediscover some old adventures. We’ll be dusting off the classic stories that have inspired movies and children all around the world. You’ll be surprised at how many of them you know!

 

We’ve got heaps of stories and activities to keep you entertained, and it’s all free! Don’t forget to bring your library card too! Here’s where they’re at:

 

Khandallah Library

‘Where the Wild things Are’

Wednesday 15th April, 10.30am

 

Karori Library

‘Peter Pan’

Wednesday 15th April, 11am

 

Ruth Gotlieb library (Kilbirnie)

‘Peter Pan’

Wednesday 15th April, 2pm

 

Wellington Central Library

‘Alice in Wonderland’

Monday 20th April, 11am

 

Mervyn Kemp Library (Tawa)

‘The Velveteen Rabbit’

Monday 20th April, 11am

 

Brooklyn Library

‘Treasure Island’

Tuesday 21st April, 10.30am

 

Newtown Library

‘Treasure Island’

Wednesday 22nd April, 10.30am

 

Miramar Library

‘Puss in Boots’

Wednesday 22nd April, 11am

 

Cummings Park Library (Ngaio)

‘Peter pan’

Wednesday 22nd April, 11am

 

Island Bay Library

‘Treasure Island’

Thursday 23rd April, 10.30am

 

Johnsonville Library

Fairy Tales – Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm

Thursday 23rd April, 11am

 

 

 

Wadestown Library

‘Peter Pan’

Thursday 23rd April, 11am