Back to School @ the Library

While you're squeezing in that last-minute Back-to-School shopping, drop by Candor Free Library and pick up a library card. Our library may look like a building filled with books - but we're really a portal to a vast network of resources for parents and students. 

You can start by exploring our links to Resources for parents, teachers, and homeschoolers - located over in the far right column. They include literacy, math, and science. 

Here are more back-to-school resources you can check out at our library:

For young children:

Story hour – every Tuesday mornings from 10:15 to 11-ish. There are stories, finger plays, and activities for fun and learning. More info here.

Literacy-on-the-go backpacks – brightly colored backpacks contain books, puzzles, games and an activity book. Plus there’s a parent “field guide” filled with lots of ideas for helping your 4 - to 6-year old learn reading and math skills.

Check out picture books to read aloud at night.  Hearing stories helps children of all ages build their vocabulary – which helps them do better in school.

TumbleBooks - an online collection of animated, talking picture books which are created from existing picture books. More info here.   

Homework help for kids in school:

Your library card gives you access to databases from your home computer. All you need to do is log in. Just click on the library database link (over in the column to the right under Candor Library Links) and then hit the “Homework Help” link  - your hotline to helpful resources:

Kids InfoBits – a database for students in kindergarten through grade 5. It features a kid-friendly graphic interface with full-text content from elementary reference sources and magazines. Kids InfoBits covers geography, current events, the arts and sciences, people, government, history, and more.

eLibrary Elementary (ProQuest) -  a general reference resource for students in grades K-5 with access to more than 200 magazines, newspapers, reference books, images and more. Includes the DK Eyewitness series, Biomes Atlases, Biographies for Beginners and many other high quality resources.

Grolier Encyclopedias – with full-text access to Amazing Animals of the World (reference and media materials on 1200 animals); America the Beautiful (State-by-State geographical, historical and cultural reference); Encyclopedia Americana; Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia; Lands and Peoples (great for country and state reports); The New Book of Knowledge; and The New Book of Popular Science

Opposing Viewpoints in Context  - a comprehensive social issues database providing pro/con viewpoint articles, reference information, statistics, journal and newspaper articles, images, and web links to develop and enhance critical thinking skills for everything from social studies projects to debate preparation.

Learning Express – an instructional database that can help your high school student prepare for  the SAT, GED, ASVAB or even civil service exams.

Need extra help with Spanish? We’ve got you covered there, too. Mango Languages is an easy to use online language-learning system teaching actual conversation skills for a wide variety of languages.

 

24-hour Wi-Fi @ the Library

Candor Free Library is now a 24-hour wireless hot-spot - even when the library is closed. In good weather, you can sit on the bench in the small garden near the front door and catch up on the news, check email, finish downloading that ebook, apply for a job, or access the library catalog to see if the book you want is on the shelf. During library hours there are tables inside where you can set up your laptop, and three public access computers for anyone to use.

Summer Reading Program ends Aug. 16

Thanks for joining us for the Summer Reading Program! Remember to turn in all your reading tickets by the end of next week so you can be included in the end-of-summer drawing.

And keep on reading! Did you know that books make great travel companions for back-seat reading during that last "before school starts" trip? But you don't have to go anywhere to enjoy some vacation reading - just pitch a tent in the back yard or cover the dining room table with a blanket to make an indoor tent... and read away.

Bounce!

Tie on your lab apron and pull on those safety goggles. Today we're cooking up bouncy balls. You probably already have this stuff around the house: glue, cornstarch, borax powder, glitter, and some food coloring.

Here's what you need to make a ball:

• 1 T. white glue or clear glue
• 1/2 tsp borax powder
• 1 T  cornstarch
• 2 T warm water
• food coloring & glitter

You also need a couple of plastic cups Here's what you do:

1. Combine the borax and water in one of the cups. Add a few drops of food coloring if you want. Label this cup "Borax Solution".
2. Pour the glue into the other cup.
3. Add 1/2 tsp. Borax solution to the glue. Add the 1 T of cornstarch Do Not Stir - instead, allow things to interact on their own for 10 - 15 seconds.
4. Now stir everything to mix well. When it becomes impossible to stir, take the mix out of the cup and knead it in your hands. It will be really sticky at first.
5. When the stickiness is gone, the ball is ready to bounce!

Have fun! Read good books! and play around with science! Remember to turn in your reading tickets for the drawing.