Okanagan Science Centre

Draven and his uncle enjoyed the same planetarium show, space exhibit, and science centre magic as my family and I, Easter Weekend.  It was great to see you there Draven!

"Space Inventions" - a team-style guessing game about which inventions were made possible by space program technology happens Sat., April 21st.  Check it out!  Link for the Science Centre to the right under "Upcoming Events."

Work Before Play!

Gage reminded us of the above old expression today, and it was our theme during Intermediate library classes.  We discussed how there is approximately 12 weeks left of school (!) and that even though Spring has sprung and energy is in the air, we must do our jobs first (learn, learn, learn) and then reward ourselves with play.  One easy inexpensive way is through string games.  Try out the YouTube links for teacup, Jacob's ladder and more.  Remember to be mindful of the every changing side-bar options on YouTube.  Often what was appropriate one day can be innapropriate another.  Happy Easter! 

Origami @ Parkview Library

Thank you Malcolm for kick starting fun with origami. Participants made paper boxes, butterflies, rabbits & more. Thank you Ivy & Myles for being such great helpers too! Check out the 736 & 745 non-fiction section for more origami and craft type books.

636's, Domestic Pets in the library!

Thanks daughter Kieran for your amazing artistry in making Dewey flash cards. Your animal drawings were so popular, Parkview students requested photocopies. Completed colouring pages are displayed on the bulletin board by the 700-900's section.

I'm trying a post from my cell phone!

Goodness, right or wrong, technology is making it so easy for us to communicate. I hope we remember to have some good old fashioned down time and power down technology daily. In fact give yourself a challenge to survive "Screen-Free Week" April 30th-May 6th. Considering Canadian kids spend an average of 6 hrs a day in front of screens, I think some Parkview students will struggle that week! For more information & the screen time debate read the April, 2012 Owl issue. Andrew Sykes, Revelstoke school district psychologist, is interviewed!

Also, Let's set you up with a pile of reading options for Screen-Free week ... and every day!

Did you know "On average, Canadian kids spend 8.6 hours a day being inactive"? (Owl: 10).

How do I get you to "Follow"?

So have I confused you with the blog background change or was it refreshing?  What information do you like to check on the blog and what do you tend to ignore?  I created this blog to find yet another rich way for us to learn, but is it working for you? 

We're at Parkview (early morning to late afternoon) learning and sharing, but why does our learning have to potentially stop there?  The world is our oyster either through print materials (books) or non-print material: the internet, on-line databases, e-readers, etc..  Well, let's make the Parkview Library blog a place to continue our learning at any time.  Students, teachers, support staff, and parents let me know about themes you want to explore; suggest some WOW books and websites (see Ms. Murrells for templates), and sign up to be a follower to this site.

To follow this blog/site scroll down the bottom right to "Join this Site."  Note, however, that you must have one of the following accounts to join (& that may not be everyone's cup of tea): Google, Twitter, Yahoo, Aim, Netlog, or OpenID.

Spring has finally arrived - hence the Spring background and look to the blog!  See you Wed.!  Ms. M.

Black History Month Draws to a Close

Black History month along with First Nations resources was this month's thematic feature.  From fiction (easy picture books and chapter books), to non-fiction, students signed out some great resources and we had some fantastic discussions about residential schools and the struggles of people who are deemed as different whether that be of skin colour, ethnic backgrounds, abilities, and more.  Please continue these rich discussions outside of Parkview walls and on this blog (respectful writing is our mandate).  Thanks for being part of this important dialog, and awareness.  Together we can be Paperbag Princesses and not Prince Ronald's (Robert Munsch, Paper Bag Princess).

Reading and knowledge are the powers of anyone who choses such adventurous paths.  Ms. M.