The Children's Room

Twosies

Calling all two-year-olds: it's time to sign up for our Twosies program, which will run from 11-11:30 a.m. each Wednesday in August. Join us for a program that includes songs, fingerplays, stories and a simple craft. Note: young participants must be between the ages of 24-36 months. Space is limited, so registration is required. To register, go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html or call us at 301-891-7259.

SummerQuest Campfire

Join us for our annual SummerQuest "campfire" on Monday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m. We'll do a craft or two, then gather around our "campfire" (real logs and a tissue paper fire) to sing songs and hear a story. Each participant will leave with a goodie bag containing the makings for s'mores. Craft materials and s'mores makings provided by the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library. Registration required; to register, go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html or call us at 301-891-7259.

Banned Books Club

Middle-schoolers: come join our award-winning Banned Books Club on Monday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. Copies of the book are available for check-out, thanks to the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library. Space is limited, so registration is required. To register, go to www.takomapark.info/library/registration.html or call us at 301-891-7259.

Bedtime Stories

Babies, toddlers, preschoolers and your grownups-- join us on Monday, July 6, from 7-7:30 p.m. for our monthly Bedtime Stories program. Come in p.j.s, bring your stuffed favorites and get ready for some fun. We'll sing songs, read a few books, and do some fingerplays, starting out with lots of energy and then winding down as the program goes on. No registration necessary; just come!

Moliere for Kids

Thirteen middle schoolers in the Traveling Players Ensemble will present a rollicking version of The Bourgeois Gentleman,, a comedy by the French playwright Moliere (a.k.a. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) on Thursday, July 16, at 7:30. The play will be performed in the Azalea Room in the Takoma Park Community Center (right next to the Library at 101 Philadelphia Ave.). The Bourgeois Gentleman focuses on a rich man who dreams of improving his social standing and goes to ridiculous lengths to do it. The 45-minute performance is best for ages 6 up. Adults also are most welcome to attend. Registration is NOT required (contrary to information in the July edition of the city newsletter).

]]> The Traveling Players Ensemble, based in Great Falls, Va., presents comedies by Moliere and other classical playwrights to summer camps, libraries and hospitals. The group chooses humorous plays as a way of introducing young audiences to some classical playwrights. As Toby Mulford, the Ensemble�s associate artistic director puts it: "A perfect blend of heightened language and low-brow humor, the plays are short on windy speeches and long on laughs."

Circle Time THIS Saturday

Because of a last-minute schedule change, we will be offering Circle Time (in English) this Saturday, June 6, from 10:30-11 a.m. (It had been scheduled for next Saturday, June 13). No need to register -- just come if you've got a baby, toddler or preschooler and we'll have fun doing fingerplays, rhymes, songs and a story. Hope to see you there!

Circle Time Rhymes

Circle Time regulars have asked that we post some of the rhymes on this blog, so they can practice them at home. Two springtime favorites are: Here Is a Bunny and Here Is a Nest for a Robin.
For Bunny, take the index and middle finger of one hand and fold the fingers down slightly. These are your bunny ears. Take the thumb and index finger of the other hand; this is your bunny's hole.
The rhyme goes like this:

Here is a bunny with ears so funny
And here is her hole in the ground.
When noises she hears, she pricks up her ears (straighten your index and middle fingers)
And jumps in her hole in the ground! (Jump your bunny in the hole of your other hand.)

For the Robin's Nest rhyme, read on.

]]> To do the Robin's Nest rhyme, first cup your hands -- this is your nest. Then clench one fist and cover it with the other; this is your beehive. Your bunny's hole is formed by making a circle with your thumb and index finger, while your house is created by touching your fingers together to create a triangle shape.

Here's the rhyme:
Here is a nest for a robin.
Here is a hive for a bee.
Here is a hole for a bunny.
And here is a house for me.

Shakespeare Circus

Tomorrow evening, Wednesday May 27th, at 7 p.m., we're hosting a homeschool drama troupe called Shakespeare Circus, which is putting on their own production of Twelfth Night. The performance, which runs for about 45 minutes, is perfect for children who are elementary--school-age and older (i.e. 5 and up). The Shakespeare Circus troupe was created in 2006 by Daniel Riker, who had performed Shakespeare for several years and wanted to try directing a play. Twelfth Night is the 4th production mounted by the troupe, which is composed of actors ages 6-17. Since this production is a very last-minute addition to our library schedule, registration is not required. Just come and enjoy a unique performance of one of the Bard's most entertaining works.

Hope you can join us at this production, which includes music, juggling and lots of comedy! Any questions, just give us a call at 301-891-7259.

Comics Jam rescheduled

We've had to reschedule the Comics Jam program at the Takoma Park Maryland Library (101 Philadelphia Ave.) for Friday, May 15 from 4-5 p.m. (It was originally scheduled for tomorrow, May 8). Our monthly Comics Jam program, led by Library Assistant Dave Burbank, is like a comics book book club for kids except that you don't have to read the books ahead of time. Instead we read them together, using our new ELMO projector. We usually read bits and pieces of various comics, graphic novels and manga -- Dave is particularly great at coming up with different voices for each character! Kids are invited to bring in their favorite comics for us to read; Dave also will share some of his own favorites and introduce some of our newest comics. No registration required; just plan to come next Friday, May 15, from 4-5 to join us at this unique book club!

Any questions, just give us a call at 301-891-7259.

"Madama" Butterfly

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.

Mother's Day Crafts

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.

Bienvenue!

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 �
Dis bonjour � �
Dis bonjour � �
Et puis dis-mois bonjour
***

Savez-vous planter les choux ?
Do You Know How to Plant Cabbage?

Savez-vous planter les choux
� la mode, � la mode ?
Savez-vous planter les choux
� la mode de chez nous ?

On les plante avec le nez
� la mode, � la mode
On les plante avec le nez
� 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
L�ve 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 pass�
***

Spring For Poetry

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.

Celebrate Dia!

Come celebrate books and kids at our third annual Dia on April 18, from 10:30 a.m.-noon. Formally called El d�a de los ni�os/El d�a 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 D�a 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 d�a de los ni�os/El d�a de los libros.

Bedtime Stories Postponed

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!