Library Blog
Posted on Tue, April 21, 2020 - 08:00pm
Are you a comic lover? Check out these 19 webcomics that you can read right now!
A personal favorite from this list is Heartstopper by Alice Osman. This graphic novel is available in physical form, but for up to date chapters visit https://tapas.io/series/Heartstopper. A new chapter is published…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Mon, April 20, 2020 - 08:00pm
In our virtual storytimes this week, we talked a little bit about our essential workers, from grocery store employees to mail carriers to healthcare workers. You can honor them by encouraging your children to take on these roles in dramatic play!
You’ve probably heard that play is a child’s work.…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, April 19, 2020 - 08:00pm
We’re all missing our annual April break library tea party, but you can host your own tea party at home! There are usually three parts to our tea party: games, snacks with tea, and planting a seed.
First, dress up in your best tea party clothes! Find your fancy necklace, bowtie, gloves, or hat, and…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, April 16, 2020 - 08:00pm
Welcome to the second episode in Ames Free Library's new video series, “Stepping Out.” These short, Library-produced nature videos will, we hope, enrich your outdoor experiences and increase your understanding of the local environment. In a time of social distancing and significant stress, walking…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Thu, April 16, 2020 - 08:00pm
Using these really fun cards from Barefoot Books, take the following elements to write a story of your own! Work on your writing skills by creating a story (make sure it has a beginning, a middle, and an end!), or share a story out loud with the whole family as a bedtime story!
Better yet, have one…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Wed, April 15, 2020 - 08:00pm
Babytime is LIVE on Zoom starting in November 2020! (And in case you missed them, you can also catch Miss Alyisha's special October storytimes, S'More Stories.) You'll find all of our storytimes on our Story Time Events page. You can still enjoy our previously recorded sessions below.
Babytime is…
Category: Story Times Online
Posted on Wed, April 15, 2020 - 08:00pm
Storytime break! We are taking a break from posting new Stories and Songs, but you can still enjoy our previously recorded sessions below.
Be sure to tune in for our other LIVE Zoom storytimes starting in November 2020! (And in case you missed them, you can also catch Miss Alyisha's special October…
Category: Story Times Online
Posted on Wed, April 15, 2020 - 08:00pm
Wiggle Worms is LIVE on Zoom starting in November 2020! (And in case you missed them, you can also catch Miss Alyisha's special October storytimes, S'More Stories.) You'll find all of our storytimes on our Story Time Events page. You can still enjoy our previously recorded sessions below.
Best for…
Category: Story Times Online
Posted on Wed, April 15, 2020 - 08:00pm
Family Storytime is LIVE on Zoom starting in November 2020! (And in case you missed them, you can also catch Miss Alyisha's special October storytimes, S'More Stories.) You'll find all of our storytimes on our Story Time Events page. You can still enjoy our previously recorded sessions below.
Come…
Category: Story Times Online
Posted on Tue, April 14, 2020 - 08:00pm
Need some more study tools while you're stuck at home? WGBH has created a Distance Learning Center that has multiple lessons for grades 9-12 including Science, English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Math. Check them out here. If you’re working with limited internet access, you can watch many of…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Mon, April 13, 2020 - 08:00pm
Writing is part of early literacy – but it takes a lot of coordination, fine motor skills, and even shape recognition to write! None of those skills are possible until children are older, so let’s focus on the pre-writing skills… all babies have to start somewhere, and scribbling is the first step…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, April 12, 2020 - 08:00pm
Have you been curious about the library’s Pokémon Club? Always wanted to come, but aren’t sure how to play? Check out the Pokémon Trading Card Game online! You can create a login and jump right in to playing, but if you need help getting started, you’ll also find a series of YouTube videos…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, April 09, 2020 - 08:00pm
Spring is here! Take a deep breath and enjoy the fresher air and fleeting moments of sunlight… and notice the little bugs that have come out of hiding! We can’t bring you a Take & Make kit, but we can suggest this fun buggy craft that the whole family can get in on!
Use an inkpad and blank…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Tue, April 07, 2020 - 08:00pm
Teen author Angie Thomas was born in Jackson, Mississippi. She is an American author, best known for writing the young adult novel The Hate U Give. This book was made into a feature film released in 2018, which made $34.9 million at the box office. Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was…
Category: Youth Services, Teen
Posted on Mon, April 06, 2020 - 08:00pm
Of course literacy has everything to do with reading… but your child can do a whole lot of literacy learning before they can actually read! The best pre-reading activity you can do with your baby or toddler is to enjoy a book together, whether you read all the words or not. Making books and reading…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, April 05, 2020 - 08:00pm
Are you working on 1000 Books Before Kindergarten? Keep going! This program is still running even if the library is closed, and you can count absolutely everything anyone read with your child – even ebooks!
New to the 1000 Books program? Click here to find out more. The idea is to read 1000 books…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Sun, April 05, 2020 - 08:00pm
The battle is on! Just because you’re not in school right now doesn’t mean the Richardson-Olmsted Battle of the Books can’t continue! In collaboration with your 4th grade teachers, we are presenting the RO Battle of the Books online.
This year, due to our special circumstances, the Battle is open…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, April 02, 2020 - 08:00pm
Bored yet? Try board games! Playing board games is a great way to spend time with kids… and work on literacy, math, and social skills in the process! Reading cards or spaces, counting die pips or spaces moved, and taking turns are all useful skills. Take a break from the screens and spend some…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, April 02, 2020 - 08:00pm
The Ames Free Library is introducing a new video series entitled, Stepping Out. These short, library-produced nature videos will, we hope, enrich your outdoor experiences and increase your understanding of the local environment. In a time of social distancing and significant stress, walking…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Wed, April 01, 2020 - 08:00pm
This entertaining concert will consist of a variety of songs including ballads, up tunes, patriotic songs and perhaps some sing-a-longs too!
NoteAble Blend is a women's barbershop chorus located in South Easton, MA.
They sing a wide variety of familiar songs in four part harmony a cappella style…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Wed, April 01, 2020 - 08:00pm
a riveting evening with author Roberta Gately, who as a nurse and humanitarian aid worker, has worked in war zones and sensitive areas across the globe.
Her books, including her latest, Footprints in the Dust, as well as Lipstick in Afghanistan and The Bracelet have been described as "…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Wed, April 01, 2020 - 08:00pm
Author Ian Kahanowitz as he speaks about his recently published book: Baseball Gods in Scandal: Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and The Dutch Leonard Affair. "An absorbing tale that's part detective story, part baseball yarn, involving two of game's all-time greats. The Black Sox and Pete Rose top the…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Wed, April 01, 2020 - 08:00pm
Randy Ross is a Somerville-based writer, lecturer, and performer. His comedic novel, "God Bless Cambodia," was published in 2017 by The Permanent Press. His one-man show "The Chronic Single's Handbook" has been featured at theater festivals in the U.S., Canada, and Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2007, he…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Wed, April 01, 2020 - 08:00pm
After 28 years of wedded bliss, John Reilly really needed something special to commemorate his wife Carol’s 55th birthday. But what hadn’t he done for her before?
This loving husband will describe his odyssey to persuade Buckingham Palace, Jodi Picoult, singers, famous folks, family and friends to…
Category: AFL Videos
Posted on Tue, March 31, 2020 - 08:00pm
Looking for something to do while stuck inside? Need something to read? Check out Teen Book Cloud, an online database with ebooks, audio books, and even graphic novels! Including classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, and numerous Shakespeare plays.…
Category: Youth Services, Teen