Jugglemania!

International juggler Rhys Thomas will provide an interactive comedy and amazing circus tricks that are entertaining AND educational.  Come see him on Tuesday March 1st at 6:30 p.m. in the Burgess Community Room.  All ages are welcome to attend.

February LEGO® Construction Zone!

Drop in to work on making your own LEGO® creations with other builders.  We'll supply all the building blocks; you bring the creativity! This month we'll play on Sunday February 28th at 1:30-3:00 p.m. in the Puett Room. Kids ages 5 and up are welcome to attend.  Come and play for a few minutes or play for the whole 90 minutes.  The choice is yours!

Imagination in a Box!

"With nothing more than a little imagination, boxes can be transformed into forts or houses, spaceships or submarines, castles or caves. Inside a big cardboard box, a child is transported to a world of his or her own, one where anything is possible." - National Toy Hall of Fame

We are on a story time break this week, but that doesn't mean you can't bring the whole family to the Puett Room any time during open hours for some open-ended, Imaginative box play February 22-26! The Puett Room will be filled to the brim with boxes of all shapes and sizes just waiting for you!

Unstructured play with cardboard without an end result builds creativity, imagination and resourcefulness. It's inexpensive fun that will keep your child and you engaged for hours and hours of mindful play!    

Story Time Break, February 22-26

We are on a story time break this week, February 22-26.  But that doesn't mean you can't come visit the library this week!  We will have TONS of boxes of many shapes and sizes ready to be played with in the Puett Room.  This will be a great opportunity for youngsters to practice their imaginative play.  Stop by and play, then come back for story times next week, beginning on February 29th!

Hi! I'm an Engineer. What Do You Do?

In honor of Natinal Engineers Week, introduce your inner engineer to the world. Design and build a bridge with paper, build a tower with toothpicks and gumdrops, give software coding a whirl with Scratch, Jr. on an iPad, and program a little robot to go through a maze. Join us this Sunday, February 21 between 1:30 and 3:00 in the Puett Room.

Calling all newly registered Kindergartners!

The Tigard-Tualatin School District has already begun kindergarten registration for the 2016-2017 school year.  Is your soon-to-be kindergartner registered?  Did they get a cute red t-shirt saying that they've registered?  If so, have your child wear their TTSD shirt into the library and they will get a special prize!!!  This special prize is specifically put together just for newly registered kindergartners.  The prizes are comprised of activity folders that include stickers, pencils, make-your-own puppets, and lots of other age appropriate activities.  Only one prize folder per child, please!  If you have questions, please contact the children's desk at 503-718-2656.

Tigard's First Egg Hunt

The City of Tigard will be holding its FIRST annual Egg Hunt! Rain or Shine!

It's happening on Saturday, March 26, 2016, 9 a.m. to Noon

at Cook Park, 17005 SW 92nd Avenue

 

REGISTER HERE!

Rain or shine, registration and check-in will begin at 9 a.m.

Children ages 0-10 are welcome to participate. Come gather at the Cook Park Shelter #2 to get a chance to meet the bunny, do crafts and enter a raffle to win prizes!

Bring your own basket!

Free admission with pre-registration! Free registration closes on March 23. $5 per family (cash only) after online registration closes.

For more information, visit the City of Tigard's Parks and Rec page

Vroom Your Child's Brain Building!

Science tells us that the more we engage with our children, especially ages 0-5, the better they'll do later on in school and in life.  That's why SINGING, TALKING, READING, WRITING, and PLAYING with your child is so important to build early literacy skills.  Needing some extra suggestions to go along with these five early literacy practices?  Vroom is a mobile app you can download onto your phone that provides you with daily activities that you can do with your child to help build their brain!  You are the number one teacher in your child's life...and Vroom will help give you easy ideas and suggestions that you can incorporate into your daily schedule.  Go to http://www.joinvroom.org/ to sign-up for the FREE app today! 

School's Out Drop-in Mondays, February 15

Looking for some fun on a day with no school? 
 

Stop by the library February 15 from 2-4 for some Origami fun for Everyone!

Try your hand at Japanese paper-folding.  Members of Tigard High School's Japanese National Honor Society will show you how to make simple, fun origami pieces.

 

Valentine Workshop!

Do you want to share the love with your favorite people? Come to the Puett Room this Saturday afternoon, and make valentines to your heart's content. You can make little boxes filled with sweet treats, soft felt pillows you stitch yourself, and fancy paper cards. 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 13th!

Developing Problem Sovling Skills

As adults, we have come across many problems throughout our lifetime and have developed skills to deal with them.  What about children who face a problem for the first time?  This can be difficult for us adults as we see a child we love struggle.  How do we help kids overcome this challenge?  The Search Institute has developed a list of useful tips when dealing with children who face a problem.  Use these tips to help you think about how you support youngsters in solving challenges they encounter.  To learn more about the Search Institute, visit this link.

1. Encourage "playing with" the problem. Encourage young people to throw out lots of ideas, make conjectures, and consider many different possibilities--even some that are outlandish. Look at the problem from many perspectives. This flexible thinking is an important skill for forming better solutions than the first that come to mind.
    
2. Guide the young person to break a big problem into its parts. Then focus on aspects of the problem that the young person doesn't understand or that seem like they have more potential to be solved.
    
3. Ask the young person to work through the problem out loud. Not only does this help you coach the young person, but it also slows down the thinking process.
4. Model and talk about the problem solving process, rather than focusing on getting the right answer. Talk through the steps you take and ask the young person to do the same so that it's easier to learn.
    
5. Have the student work through the problem on her or his own. Give only as much assistance as you need to when the young person is really stuck. And when you do so, limit your guidance to questions or suggestions that will help the young person move through a specific issue without solving the whole problem for her or him.
    
6. Ask open-ended questions. Instead of, "Do you think that will fit in there?" you might ask a more open-ended question, such as, "What do you think it will take to get everything to fit inside?" Ask follow-up questions that encourage the young person to articulate their problem-solving process. This not only helps you learn and guide, but it reinforces the skills.
        
7. Give positive reinforcement when young people overcome an obstacle or master a new problem-solving skill. Be specific in highlighting what they have done or learned.

Super Bowl 50

Come watch the 50th annual championship football game on the library's big screen in a family-friendly, alcohol-free environment.  Enjoy pizza while you follow the action.  Come to the Burgess Community Room on Sunday, February 7th, 3-7 p.m.

This event is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Tigard Library

We Love our Library!

During the month of February, everyone is invited to share their thoughts about the library by making a Valentine heart to place on the bulletin board in the Children's Room. 

Once you've made your heart just take it to the Children's Reference desk.  Then we can hang it up and you will receive a Valentine sticker to take home!
 

It's Annual Survey Time!

It's time for the 2016 Tigard Library Annual Patron Survey!

We’ve Got the Questions!  You’ve Got the Answers!
What do you think of the library?  How can we serve you better? Are there any programs or services you would like the library to provide? Take the Tigard Library’s annual survey and let us know.  
We value your perspective.  The library has surveyed its patrons for more than 20 years.  Your feedback has moved the library to make many changes over the years.  Some of these changes include:  

• Re-opening on Thursdays
• More programs for kids on weekends
• Longer loan periods to three weeks for most DVDS
• Greater variety of computer classes.
• Self-pickup shelf for reserved books.
• And much more! 

The survey will be available in both English and Spanish.
La encuesta estará disponible en inglés y español.

 

Other ways to take the survey:

• On paper inside the library at the table near the new automated check-in return (Sunday, January 31 – Saturday, February 13, 2016)
• Online throughout February
• In the February issue of Books and Bits, the library’s e-newsletter
• In the February issue of Cityscape, the City of Tigard’s e-newsletter
• On Facebook and Twitter

Let us know what you think!