Teaching artists from the Washington National Opera will present “Madama Butterfly,” a free workshop for children ages 4-10 and their families, on Saturday. May 23 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. During the workshop, families will be introduced to the story and music of opera by exploring how music communicates plot, character and emotion. Children participate through doing crafts and creative music activities. All families will receive a take-home opera family guide. Space is limited, so registration is required. To register, please go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html or call us at 301-891-7259.
Kids: come on Monday, May 4, from 6:30-8 p.m., to make a couple of simple gifts for Mom, Grandma or any other special woman in your life. We'll provide the craft materials, courtesy of the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library, and you provide the creativity! Registration is required so that we can have enough craft materials for all. To register, go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html or call us at 301-891-7259.
Join us for our monthly Circle Time this coming Saturday, April 25, at 10:30 a.m. Our half-hour program is led by Madame Marie Defeche-Mackler, a native of Belgium, a former pre-school teacher and a doting grandmother. No need to register -- just bring your children and have fun learning some simple French through nursery rhymes and children's songs.
Here are the words to a few of the songs that Madame Marie likes to sing:
Un, deux, trois
ABRACADABRA
Un, deux, trois
ABRACADABRA
Dis bonjour á…
Dis bonjour á …
Dis bonjour á …
Et puis dis-mois bonjour
***
Savez-vous planter les choux ?
Do You Know How to Plant Cabbage?
Savez-vous planter les choux
À la mode, à la mode ?
Savez-vous planter les choux
À la mode de chez nous ?
On les plante avec le nez
À la mode, à la mode
On les plante avec le nez
À la mode de chez nous
On les plante avec la bouche…
On les plante avec la tete…
On les plante avec les pieds…
***
Une poule sur un mur
A Hen on a Wall
Une poule sur un mur
Qui picote du pain dur
Picoti, picota
Lève la queue
Et saute en bas (Et puis s’en va)
***
Je ne suis pas
Un petit chou de Bruxelles
Je ne suis pas
Un petit chou de Milan
Mais je suis tout simplement
Le petit chou de Maman!
***
Ne regardez pas
Le renard qui passe
Regardez seulement
Quand il est passé
***
April is National Poetry Month, so come into the library and check out one of our great children's poetry books. Choose from a couple of hundred different volumes of poetry that focus on everything from baseball to dogs to ogres. We've got something for every taste!
In addition, local poets Elizabeth Rees and Rosanne Singer will lead young participants in creating poetry on Wednesday, April 29, at 7 p.m. Our theme is Spring For Poetry. Liz and Rosanne will work with the kids to write haiku poems about spring, with movement and art to go along with the theme. We’ll finish the evening with a reading of the poetry created during the program. Registration is required for this program. To register, go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html or call us at 301-891-7259.
Thanks to the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library for sponsoring this program as part of our celebration of National Poetry Month in April.
Come celebrate books and kids at our third annual Dia on April 18, from 10:30 a.m.-noon. Formally called El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), this program is part of a national celebration highlighting the importance of boosting literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
As part of our library’s Dia program this year, we’re offering a half-hour Spanish Circle Time at 10:30 a.m., led by Senora Maria Godos-Garcia. Senora Maria leads our Spanish Circle Time each Thursday morning, and her energy and enthusiasm makes it fun to learn Spanish songs and rhymes.
After Spanish Circle Time, we’ll have a simple craft for participants to do, and then every young reader will get to take home a book, courtesy of the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library.
Registration is strongly encouraged, but not required for this program; we’d like to ensure we have enough books and craft supplies for all participants. To register, go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html or call us at 301-891-7259. Hope to see you there!
The idea for Día comes from Children’s Day, a celebration that began in 1925 as a way to draw attention to the importance and well-being of children. In 1996, children’s book author Pat Mora proposed linking the celebration of childhood and children with literacy to create El día de los niños/El día de los libros.
The Library's monthly Bedtime Stories program, scheduled for Monday, April 6, from 7-7:30 p.m., has been postponed until next Monday, April 13, 7-7:30 p.m. because children's librarian Karen MacPherson has laryngitis. See you next Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. for this fun program. No need to register -- just come!