Connect with Kids Champions

This month, Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families (APCYF) celebrates people who have made a difference by connecting with kids and teens, with a display at Central Library, and a reception on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Did you know that having 3 or more positive, non-parent adults in his or her life will increase the chance that a young person will make healthy life choices? Unfortunately, only half of Arlington teens have 3 or more of these adults in their lives.

Luckily, anyone can connect with kids! Find a teen and start listening. You’ll be amazed at what it can do – for both of you!

The Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families has also produced a series of videos, for parents and non-parents, who are looking for new ways to connect with kids and teens:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Lior3G9wOHU[/youtube]

Feeling inspired? Here are some of the places where you can get involved too:

• AHC Inc. – Tutoring and mentoring young people
• Arlington 4-H – Lead or help with interest-based clubs such as nature, science, cooking, etc.
• Arlington Parks and Recreation – Assist in after-school programs, children with disabilities, family events, etc.
• Arlington Public Schools – Read, tutor or just eat lunch with school kids.
• Arlington Soccer Association – Coach a soccer team, or assist a coach.
• Arlington YMCA – Coach a sports team or tutor children in an afterschool program.
• Boy Scouts of America – Mentor young men as a troop leader or assistant, or as a merit badge counselor.
• Girl Scouts – Mentor young women as a troop leader or assistant.
• Girls on the Run – Mentor and coach young women through running.
• The Reading Connection – Read aloud to groups of children.
• Wesley Housing Corporation – Tutor and mentor young people.

He may be fast and tough on the ice but Capitals forward Eric Fehr is the new king of storytime at Westover Branch Library.

No. 16 stopped by Monday night for a reading of his new children’s book, “The Bulliest Dozer,” and scored plenty of new friends and fans as he signed books, hockey sticks, seat cushions and even an Arlington Public Library card (nice going Leon).

Proceeds from the book benefit Playworks DC, part of a national non-profit that focuses on school recess to teach valuable social skills such as empathy, fair play and inclusiveness.

Capping a stellar night in Westover was the weather, at least for Fehr. Rain and temperatures in the 30s is the perfect season for shorts according to the British Columbia Manitoba native.

Just the same, we’ll stick with hockey season and storytime season for now. Go Caps!

And thank you Eric Fehr and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/bUPHK_ZH-18[/youtube]

Recorded Feb. 4, 2015 at Central Library, by Allan Yankosky / 1411 Media.

Presented by John Glowacky, certified Medicare counselor with the Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program of Arlington County.

Video of the “Presidential Picture” author talk at Central Library on Nov. 24, 2014.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFpB9JFOYm0[/youtube]

Presidents can stay only eight years but veteran photojournalists like Dennis Brack have spent decades documenting First Family life and fresh history in the White House “fishbowl.”

Having created a museum’s worth of images for the Black Star agency, Brack has written the book on his craft, “Presidential Picture Stories: Behind the Cameras at the White House.”

Packed with historic photos and filled with stories from dozens of acclaimed colleagues, Brack charts a history that goes back to Matthew Brady and Lincoln–and shows how the most unforgettable shots are the result of that close and sometimes tense relationship between press and president.

Dennis Brack is a former president of the White House News Photographers Association who averaged a picture per week in Time magazine for 23 years. He’ll speak at Central Library Auditorium on the joys and ordeals of such high-profile, high-pressure work.

From JFK to Barack Obama, Brack has known them all and can vouch for the unique temperament of the men and women President George H.W. Bush called his “photodogs.”

Special thanks to Arlington TV for the recording.

And Did We Pick the Official Winner?

Nope.

This year the American Library Association gave the Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children to:

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
written and illustrated by Dan Santat

This is the beautifully illustrated story of an imaginary friend, who waits for a long time to be imagined by a child and given a special name. Eventually he gets tired of waiting, and sets out on a quest to find his perfect match in the real world.

The winning book in our Mock Caldecott contest was:

My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I Am Not)
by Peter Brown

Bobby thinks his teacher, Ms. Kirby, is horrible, but when he sees her outside of school and they spend a day in the park together, he discovers she might not be so bad after all.

Students in Randolph and Barrett Elementary’s Caldecott Clubs also chose “My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I am Not)” as their winner, as did the students at Campbell and Jamestown.

Long Branch and Taylor Elementary students chose “Blizzard,” by John Rocco, along with the students at Tuckahoe.

Which Other Books Got Your Vote in the Library’s Mock Caldecott?

• Shoe Dog by Megan McDonald – 5 votes
• The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee – 4 votes
• The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall – 3 votes
• Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett – 3 votes
• Buried Sunlight by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm – 3 votes

They Underestimate the Chaos of Parenting…

Rachel, a Youth Services librarian and mother to now 10 month old Louis, shares the experience of learning to practice what she preaches.

These are all pieces of advice that I’ve frequently given to the parents of new babies:

“Sign your preschooler up for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten!”

“The AAP recommends that parents start reading with their children at birth.”

“Reading out loud with babies introduces important early literacy skills that will help them be ready to learn to read later on.”

But last spring I had to put my words into practice…

I was expecting my first child. Images of snuggling on a blanket in my yard, a splay of colorful board books surrounding us while I read to a happily cooing baby filled my daydreams. I had plans to sing nursery rhymes to a baby gently sliding into a peaceful slumber. We’d have our own storytime, just my son and me, and he’d grow up loving the fingerplays and bounces that are so popular in our Baby Steps programs.

All you experienced parents can stop laughing now.

Obviously, these daydreams were just that – dreams. The reality of first-time motherhood was much different: the crying, the diapers, the feedings, the lack of sleep (sigh, remember sleep?), the navigation of new responsibilities with my spouse – all of this left little time for the serene, literacy-growing interactions that had starred in my earlier plans. Not to mention the fact that my little nugget was, well, just a very loud, very insistent blob who showed no indication that he was interested in books.

I had failed. After all, I’m a librarian – reading and literacy is what I live and breathe! If I couldn’t practice what I preached, how could I keep preaching? Things were looking pretty bleak. Little Nugget would never learn how to read. He’d think books were boring. I’d have to shutter him away so no one would ever know that the librarian’s child was illiterate. My husband would have to pretend to be a teenager to take his driver’s license test for him. It would be a little tricky, but we could make this work.

Thankfully, it did get better.

A few weeks in, when the dust began to settle, suddenly there were moments when I found myself with a book in my hands. The dreaded tummy time sessions were actually the perfect time to distract him with nursery rhymes and songs. I cut out paper shapes and taped them to the wall next to his crib. I set up a small mirror at baby level next to the changing table. When he wasn’t interested in staring at himself, I opened a board book and propped it there instead. I read out loud from my own books while he slept (bad words and all). All of those tips and tricks that I had nonchalantly uttered to other new parents were coming back to me: I started describing the trees and street and trash on our walks, reading the shampoo bottle in the bathroom, spelling out letters on his belly during baby massage time.

The truth is, while my idea of how reading and literacy skills would be incorporated into my baby’s routine was incredibly idealized, it’s possible to do those things that the experts recommend.

It might not happen right after you meet your baby at that most fateful of blind dates. It might not happen days, or weeks, or maybe even months after that. But it will.

So take a deep breath, and try to relax – you will get through this essential time with your new baby. I did!

Brother and sister team, Sarah and Benjamin Gold, took away the Grand Prize for the Library’s “Dewey Decimators” Fantasy Football program.

When asked how they did it, they answered in unison, “We had first draft pick and were the only team to end up with an A grade from Yahoo!” and Sarah added, “It came to fruition.”

A little more questioning drew that the duo researched the field prior to the draft and used an Excel spreadsheet to help them sort players.

Sarah said that along the way, “We traded with no one. We’re hard bargainers.” According to the siblings, Benji was the risk taker and Sarah was more conservative, and they think it is “fun to do stuff together.” They both said they want to play again next year and co-own a team.

Sarah says, “Benji knows stuff; we balance each other out.” Benji added, “And I don’t want to get frustrated if I were to lose to Sarah.”

Typical of most Fantasy Football teams, this one had its ups and downs – they started off winning, then hit a losing streak before winning again. So for those who may be timid about entering the fray next year, take heart – the ups and downs could swing in your direction!