When things go wrong or don’t turn out the way you pictured them in your head, you just have to go with the best intentions defense. I have a lot of good intentions. — Blake Shelton
I really like this quote by Blake Shelton; lately it has kind of been the way I’ve lived my life. With the “end of the year” this and the “beginning of the year” that, I’ve struggled to maintain the day-to-day activities. One thing in particular that I haven’t been a real go-getter on is the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program. Thank goodness, staff member Sharon Bishop has done some thinking on the matter and has taken action. This program challenges parents and caregivers to share 1,000 books with their child before he or she enters school. Doing so will help their children develop critical early literacy skills from birth that prepares them to enter school.
Sharon has come up with the idea to give parents options on how they want to manage the program. There are apps for iPhone and Android users where they can keep track of the books on their phone. To download book record sheets, go to 1000 Books Before Kindergarten. You can choose just how detailed you want to get with the program. You can download two sheets to write down the first 100 books read or you can download four sheets. The two sheets have 50 lines each and the four sheets have 25 lines each. The four sheets give you much more space for scrapbooking opportunities if you are wanting to make this an amazing keepsake for your child. We will be providing three-ring binders to keep your sheets in as you and yours move through your 1000 books. Eventually, in the very near future, we will have the sheets available on the counter.
We would like for you to visit the library after reaching every 100-book milestone, so that we can celebrate with you. A bulletin board will be set up just to acknowledge those participating in the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program. Give us a call or come in and talk to us if you have any questions.
We have a magazine rack close to the entrance where people can bring their magazines they no longer want and pick up magazines they have not read yet. For the first time since we started it a year ago, it is sitting empty. If you have an excess of magazines sitting around, we would be more than happy to provide the space for you to share them with others!