Hurray for Hats!

The Port Library is pleased to be displaying a selection of hats. These hats are from various members of the community, and are available for viewing in the reading room. The display will run through the end of this week.

Come and See!

The posters of the revised plan for the new building are now on display at the Port Library!

There are three views: an outside, top-down view, an outside view looking at the front of the proposed building, and a floor plan. All three views are in color and the floor plan has labels. The plans are poster board size and are on display in the reading room of the library, or smaller versions are also viewable through the picture window at the entrance to the library. You may view the plans in the reading room during normal library hours, or through the picture window any time you like.

The vote for this new library plan is Tuesday, April 1st, but advance voting begins Wednesday, March 12th.

If you have questions about the plan, are unsure of our hours, or wonder when to vote, don't hesitate to call the library at 738-3936.

Story Port Activities

(Don't forget you can click on any underlined text for a weblink to a related webpage. The book titles will take you to their Amazon.com listings, while other links will take you elsewhere. Explore and have fun!)

Story Port has been fun the last few weeks! We have 5 kids signed up this semester. Most of them are around kindergarten age. Here's what we've been doing the last few weeks:

1. The first week we read The Great Turtle Drive by Steve Sanfield. For our activity, we made stained glass turtles by melting crayon shavings between to pieces of wax paper. Here's a couple of pictures:

2. The second week we read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. The Houghton Mifflin website has wonderful activities posted for use with this book. We used a few of them.

3. The third week we listened to a CD of the author reading Lu and the Swamp Ghost by James Carville. We fingerpainted pictures of our own versions of swamp ghosts. The recipe for fingerpaint was found online and can be made at home from ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard! Here's a picture of my fingerpainting:

4. The fourth week we read The Hungry Thing and The Hungry Thing Returns by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler. We did an activity page created especially for this book. If you missed this week and would like to have a copy of the activity page, contact the library.

Spring 2008 Session of Story Port

The Port Library is pleased to offer the spring 2008 session of Story Port. Enrollment is open to kids aged 4 through 5th grade. This free after school reading program is scheduled for Wednesdays from 3:45 to 4:15 PM, starting February 6th, and ending May 7th. Parents may register their children at the Port Library beginning now and through the first session of Story Port.

This semester we will be revisiting some popular classics such as Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and The Hungry Thing, as well as new picture books like Beauty and the Beaks: A Turkey’s Cautionary Tale, and Diary of a Fly. Parents may pick up a full reading list at registration.

Each Wednesday program will include a reading time with the Youth Services Librarian. Some weeks there will be a craft and activity time, and some weeks a second book will be read. At the end of each program will be an opportunity to check out books with assistance from the librarian. Parents or guardians may stay for the duration of the program and enjoy other services the Port Library has to offer.

To attend Story Port, parents and guardians can register their children in person at the Port Library beginning now and ending February 6th. Or, parents may download the registration form using the link below, and bring the completed registration to the library. At the bottom of the registration form is a printable bookmark with a reading list. The program is limited to 15 participants, and registration status is guaranteed only after a completed form is turned in.

The first program is February 6th, and parents are encouraged to enroll before the start of the first program. If you have any questions, call the Port Library at 738-3936, or stop by 311 W. Main in Beloit.

Spring 2008 Story Port Registration Form