Mar 30

Written by: Joe Longo
Monday, March 30, 2009 

The sixth annual “Niagara Falls Family Literacy Event” will be held Saturday April 4 from 9:30am to 1pm throughout the MacBain Community Centre.

Our Library will once again participate as we have every year since this event was first held at the Victoria Avenue Library before more space was needed.

This year’s theme is “Build it with Books: Dig into Reading” . Everything is free with a free book for every child while supplies last , a free family swim at 1pm and a free live performance by Dan the Music Man.

Enjoy the Early Years play centre, story and craft programs, the popular children’s book sale tables and free refreshments. Meet Clifford the Big Red Dog and Geronimo Stilton.

For more information call 905-357-2398 for event details.

Pick up our library’s spring children’s program brochure at any of our four libraries and register in person or online at www.nflibrary.ca.. Programs start the week of April 6.

Register now for Bouncin’ Baby Time ( 4-11 months), Baby Time (12-23 months), Toddler Time (2 year olds) and Story Time (3-6 years). Attend some of our wonderful Saturday craft programs from egg decorating to Mother’s Day crafts.

The next Funtastic Family Story Time will be held at the Victoria Avenue Library at 6:30pm on April 30. Parents and children of all ages come together for stories, songs, rhymes, games, a craft and a short film.

Promoting literacy, books, numbers and creative play to parents and young children is vital to fully develop current and future skills.

Children’s library collections include board books, picture books, ABC books, shapes and numbers books, learning-to-read books, phonics readers, easy-readers and children’s fiction and non-fiction, as well as books on tape and CDs with books. Children’s magazines are borrowed each month.

Non-fiction library books for children provide helpful information about a variety of difficult subjects with easy-to-understand text and colourful illustrations. The public library has an obligation to provide children and parents with easy access to materials to better understand and communicate ideas. Children need to satisfy their curious requests for information.

Parents and grandparents bring children to the library because they wish them to develop reading abilities, interests, vocabulary, language and comprehension. They point children down a road of independent, self-directed reading, learning and discovery. They visit the library often to improve their children’s intellectual fitness so they will be better prepared for school and for life.