Play Week Aotearoa 2023 – Play is Everywhere

Play Week Aotearoa 2023 is underway from 6 – 12 November! 

Whatever you have nearby – a box, a hose, a tree – then you’ve got play! Play Week Aotearoa is all about celebrating the value play brings to tamariki, whānau and communities across Aotearoa.

Play gives us freedom and chances to take risks. It’s how our tamariki learn to problem solve, get creative, make mistakes, create new friendships, learn skills and build a life- long love of being active. You can be part of it too. Play is Everywhere! Find out more at www.playweek.co.nz.

From neighbourhood scavenger hunts and tafue | jump rope to fort building and balloon games, here are some great play ideas from healthykids.org.nz!

For more inspiration from schools and our communities, check out these play stories from all over Aotearoa!

Here’s a few of our books to help celebrate and spark play!

365 days of play : activities for every day of the year / Butler, Megan Hewes
“This go-to activity book for kids ages 4-8 includes 265 pages of games, crafts, recipes, experiments, projects, jokes, songs, guides, skills, tricks, hacks, challenges, and everything else in the canon of kid”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Wild days : outdoor play for young adventurers / Irvine, Richard
“Perfect for inspiring kids to get out in the fresh air, this brilliant book is crammed full of outdoor activities and fun for children.” (Catalogue)
50 fantastic ideas for found materials / Featherstone, Sally
“Children love constructing models and other objects, and working with found and recycled materials has a firm and continuing place in the early years, encouraging children to be imaginative and creative as they practice their skills in joining, wrapping, bending and cutting. These materials that are often free or low cost, are available everywhere, waiting for imaginative practitioners to find and use them…” (Abridged from catalogue)
image courtesy of syndeticsThe science of swimming.
“In swimming, there are multiple scientific concepts at play, such as density, gravity, momentum, and buoyancy. Readers learn about these concepts and more with this engaging guide to the science behind swimming. Useful diagrams display how to execute the perfect push-off from the wall of a pool, how to swim successful strokes, and how to do a cannonball.” (Abridged from catalogue).

A child’s garden : 60 ideas to make any garden come alive for children / Dannenmaier, Molly
A Child’s Garden offers a wide range of innovative examples showing how to create special places in which children can experience nature on their own home turf… Out-of-the-ordinary sandboxes are pictured, along with paths, mazes, furniture, peepholes, and scores of ideas for creative play areas that fit perfectly into adult gardens.” (Abridged from catalogue).
Playtime : activities for little children that can make a big difference / Richards, Elspeth
“…Playtime explains how children learn and communicate through play, and what easy things you can do to make this a happy and rewarding experience for you both. Whether you’re looking at house numbers whole out walking, inventing a new kind of hat or cutting up a banana together, there are ways to make the most of valuable time with your child. This book includes all sorts of games and ideas for children aged 1-5, as well as babies.” (Abridged from catalogue)

Picture Books: New Releases in October 2021!

Spring is around the corner! Why not spring on down to Wellington City Libraries for some new children’s picture books to keep you amused . So what are you waiting for? Go down to your local branch and borrow the following books:

image courtesy of syndeticsOutfoxed.

“Harold is unlike any other fox. He hates eating chicken, for one thing. He much prefers reading detective novels. When Harold’s father challenges him to catch a chicken as part of his initiation into adulthood, Harold is faced with a dilemma–should he obey his father and endanger the chicken’s life, or do what his heart tells him is right? The latest title from award-winning illustrator Claudia Boldt, Outfoxed introduces a smart, independent-minded character in Harold the fox and is sure to become a bedtime favorite.” (Catalogue).

image courtesy of syndeticsAttack of the Giant Baby.

“This is a book about a baby destroying his sister’s make-believe play from the perspective of the castle’s occupants. A Giant Baby has been spotted in the kingdom! Summon the special advisors. Send out the knights in shining armour. Let loose the monster-size bear!” (Catalogue).

A shelter for sadness.

“A small boy creates a safe space for his sadness, a shelter where it can curl up small, or be as big as it can be, where it can be noisy or quiet, or anything in between. The boy can visit the shelter every day, sometimes every hour and he knows that one day Sadness may come out of the shelter and they will look at the beautiful world together”–Back cover.

image courtesy of syndeticsStop that dinosaur!

“I was in my Granny’s kitchen eating extra-special cake, when the walls began to tremble and the roof began to SHAKE. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Ring! Ring! Ring! Oh MY – a dino’s at the door. And now it’s taken Granny … SOMEONE STOP THAT DINOSAUR! Chase down the GRAN-NAPPING brontosaurus in this rollicking, rhyming, ROAR-some romp. Can you catch the naughty dinosaur and get back to Granny’s house before Mum comes home at six o’clock?”–Provided by publisher.

image courtesy of syndeticsDifferent : a great thing to be!

“This joyful rhyming book encourages children to value the “different” in all people, leading the way to a kinder world in which the differences in all of us are celebrated and embraced. Macy is a girl who’s a lot like you and me, but she’s also quite different, which is a great thing to be. With kindness, grace, and bravery, Macy finds her place in the world, bringing beauty and laughter wherever she goes and leading others to find delight in the unique design of every person.” (Catalogue). Also available as an eBook.


image courtesy of syndeticsBodies are Cool.

“From the acclaimed creator of Dancing at the Pity Party and Roaring Softly, this picture book is a pure celebration of all the different human bodies that exist in the world. Highlighting the various skin tones, body shapes, and hair types is just the beginning in this truly inclusive book. With its joyful illustrations and encouraging refrain, it will instill body acceptance and confidence in the youngest of readers. “My body, your body, every different kind of body! All of them are good bodies! BODIES ARE COOL!” (Catalogue).

image courtesy of syndeticsDon’t hug Doug (he doesn’t like it).

“Doug doesn’t like hugs. He thinks hugs are too squeezy, too squashy, too squooshy, too smooshy. He doesn’t like hello hugs or goodbye hugs, game-winning home run hugs or dropped ice cream cone hugs, and he definitely doesn’t like birthday hugs. He’d much rather give a high five–or a low five, a side five, a double five, or a spinny five. Yup, some people love hugs; other people don’t. So how can you tell if someone likes hugs or not? There’s only one way to find out: Ask Because everybody gets to decide for themselves whether they want a hug or not.” (Catalogue).

Top 6 Picture Books to read this month!

Hey kids! Check out these six awesome picture books in your local library! Featured in this post are picture books about kindness, diversity and acceptance.

Enjoy!

How to Two.

How to two, how to three, how to five, and so on, Learn how to count and work together as a team in this delightful picture book!

Good people everywhere.

A delightful story about good people and all the things they do. A great book to teach children about kindness, mindfulness and gratitude.

Hats are not for cats.

A delightful story about a dog who feels cats should not wear hats of any kind.
Bow-Wow-Meow!

A simple and delightful story about a dog, who thinks he is a cat. A librarian’s choice all the way.

Stardust : we always share the same sky.

Stardust explores the story of a girl and her mother in prison. They are unable to see each on a regular basis, but manage to find a unique way to feel connected through the sky and stars, which creates a sense of safety and love that allows the girl to focus on positive memories she has of her mum.


Day you begin.

A delightful story of two children who despite feeling like outsides come together and realising they are not alone in the world.

 

Top 10 Children’s Fiction October 2016

Conundrums, convoluted doodles and confusion abound in this month’s favourite childrens fiction.

Puzzle books are high on the list where people pitch their skills of against skilled doodlers and designers creating cool adventures.  Detection and deceit are captivating our audience of young readers as they read through some of the great series found on our library shelves.  Great series that didn’t quite make the top 10 were Lincoln Peirce Big Nate and Thea Stilton (penned in her very own hand!)

Top 10:

1. Diary of a wimpy kid, by Jeff Kinney

2. Tom Gates Series, by Liz Pichon

3. Treehouse series, by Andy Griffiths

4. Puzzle Book series, by Susannah Leigh

5. Where’s Wally? by Martin Handford

6. Dork Diaries series, by Rachel Renee Russell

7. Dirty Bertie series, by Alan MacDonald

8. The BFG, by Road Dahl

9. The Secret Seven, by Enid Blyton

10. George’s marvellous medicine, by Road Dahl

Top 10 children’s non-fiction June 2015

Create and build. Online or IRL (in real life) children are loving blocks made of lego/bedrock/sandstone. Excellent resources to find and share at the library!

1. The LEGO ideas book by Daniel Lipkowitz

2. Minecraft hacks master builder by Megan Miller

3. Star Wars character encyclopedia by Simon Beecroft

4. Star Wars by David West Reynolds

5. The LEGO movie by Hannah Dolan

6. Lego Star Wars by Simon Beecroft

7. Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska

8. Minecraft by Nick Farwell

9. Minecraft by Stephanie Milton

10. Lego official annual 2015