Bye, bye Reading Bugs

This is the reading bug's last post. The reading bug will be flying away shortly to a new library. Thank you all for such wonderful story times over the past three years.

Look for a new season of story times this September

The Lee County Library's "Baby" (ages birth to 2) and Preschool (ages 3 to 5) story times are on vacation and will resume after Labor Day.

Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 10:00 a.m.: ages birth to 2

Thursday, Sept. 9 at 11:00 a.m.: ages 3 to 5

Thanks for a great summer, everyone!

We made a splash with preschool story time this summer!

Summer Story Time at the Lee County Library

Summer Story Time begins the week of June 14

There will be two story times for young children this summer. Our theme is "Make a Splash @ Your Library!"

• Birth to age 2: Meets Mondays at 10 a.m., beginning June 14 and ending July 19. NOTE: The library will be closed on Monday, July 5. These programs are 20 to 30 minutes long and may include stories, fingerplays, action rhymes, movement, and music.
• Ages 3 to 5: Meets Thursdays at 11 a.m., beginning June 17 and ending July 29. NOTE: No story time on Thursday, July 1. These programs are 30 to 45 minutes long and may include stories, flannelboard stories, puppet shows, fingerplays, action rhymes, movement, music, crafts, and movies.

Our themes this summer will be as follows:

week of June 14: Bath Time

week of June 24: In the Water

Week of July 8: Ocean [Note: no story time on Thursday, July 1 or Monday, July 5]

Week of July 15: Boats

Week of July 22: Swimming

July 29 (for ages 3 to 5 only): Beach

Registration is not necessary. All programs meet in the auditorium EXCEPT the program scheduled for Thursday, July 29, which will meet at the fountain in Depot Park (weather permitting.)

Happy Holidays from Story Time at Lee County Library!

We hope you will have a restful, joyful, and peaceful holiday this year and always. Thank you for being a part of our weekly story times--YOU are why we are here and why we love our jobs.

Story time will be on vacation from Friday, December 18 until Wednesday, January 6, when we will resume our normal story time schedule: Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. and Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. Meanwhile, here is a list of holiday books that you can share with your "reading bugs," as well as a fingerplay and a song to sing.

Books
That's Good, That's Bad on Santa's Journey by M. Cuyler
A Pinata in a Pine Tree by P. Mora
Mrs. Wishy Washy's Christmas by Joy Cowley
Eight Days of Hanukkah by H. Ziefert
The Christmas Tree by A. Ada (bilingual)
Clifford's Christmas by N. Bridwell (we have an audio version, too)
Merry Christmas, Merry Crow by J. Goodell
Merry Christmas, Maisy by L. Cousins
Santa's Stuck by R. Greene
Merry Christmas, Space Case by J. Marshall

Santa's Surprise by K. Faulkner (I recently saw this GREAT pop-up book in a bargain bin for $5 at a bookstore, check it out. It's one of our favorites!)

Fingerplay

Here is the chimney (Make a fist and enclose your thumb)
Here is the top (Place your other palm on top of your fist)
Open the lid (Lift your palm off your fist)
And out Santa pops! (Pop up your thumb)

Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!

Song

Hat, Whiskers, Belt, and Boots (to the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes)

Hat, whiskers, belt, and boots
(belt and boots)
Hat, whiskers, belt, and boots
(belt and boots)
Twinkling eyes and a little cherry nose,
Hat, whiskers, belt, and boots
(belt and boots)

Happy Halloween and November Schedule

Halloween brought many costumed participants to story time last week.

Our November schedule will be as follows:

November 4 & 5: Ducks, Dogs, and maybe some dinosaurs too-- Brought to you by the letter D
November 12: Elephants-- Brought to you by the letter E
November 18 & 19--Thanksgiving Story Time--Have a Feast

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE NO STORY TIME ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11. THE LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED IN HONOR OF VETERANS' DAY.

Also, there will be no story time on Wednesday, November 25 or Thursday, November 26.
The Lee County Library will be closed from Thursday, November 26 until Monday, November 30.

Read for the Record on October 8

Help us celebrate the 40th anniversary of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" on Thursday, October 8 at 11:00 in the library auditorium.

We will read the book in English and in Spanish, learn about caterpillars and butterflies, have a colorful craft, and of course--eat cake!

There is no charge for this event, but space is limited. Help us "pump up the numbers" so Lee County will be in the count of the millions of people around the world who will be reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" on October 8.

For more information, call the Lee County Library at (919) 718-4665.

Story Time Begins September 9!

A whole new season of story time will begin on Wednesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday, September 10 at 11:00 a.m.

Story time for children up to age 2 takes place each Wednesday at 10:00.
A program for children ages 3 to 5 is held on Thursdays at 11:00.
All events take place in the library auditorium unless otherwise noted.

Story time lasts between 30 and 40 minutes and may include books, fingerplays, action rhymes, movement, flannel board stories, puppets, music, and crafts. No registration is needed, just drop in!

Our themes for September are as follows:

Sept. 9 & 10: All About Me
Sept. 16: School
[NOTE: no story time at the library on Sept. 17, for more information see below]
Sept. 23 & 24: Friends
Sept. 30 & Oct. 1: Family

Join us on September 17 at the Lee County Fair. Programs will take place at 9:30 and 10:30.

Our "Hello" Rhyme

We've had a request to put our "hello rhyme" online. Here it is:

Hi, neighbor--what do you say?
It's going to be a happy day.
So greet your neigbhor
And boogie down.
Give 'em a bump
And turn around!

And here's our "story" rhyme

If you want to hear a story,
this is what you've gotta do--
You've gotta sit on the floor like the pretzels do.
So find your place,
And clap your hands,
And then we'll know that you understand.
Now zip up your lips,
And turn on your ears,
This is the story you're gonna hear:

February is African American History Month

Join us in story time this month as we celebrate African American History Month as well as Valentines Day.

Wednesdays: Story hour for ages 0 to 3 at 10:00 a.m.
Thursdays: Story hour for ages 3 to 6 at 11:00 a.m.
All programs take place in the library auditorium. Registration is NOT required.

February 4 & 5: African American History
February 11 & 12: Valentines party
February 18 & 19: Construction
February 25 & 26: Slumber party!! Wear your pajamas!!

Don't miss Dr. Seuss's birthday: coming March 4 & 5

Snow

Books
Froggy Gets Dressed, by Jonathan London: Frogs are supposed to sleep all winter but when it snows outside, Froggy just can't wait.

Snowbaby Could Not Sleep, by Kara LaReau: Snowbaby's parents come up with a special gift to get Snowbaby to fall asleep.

The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats: This is the classic tale of a little boy who plays outside in the snow and then tries to bring home a snowball.

Snowballs, by Lois Ehlert: Ehlert's beautiful art and vivid color photographs of "found" objects turn this simple story about a family of snowpeople into a fun guessing game.

Snowmen at Night, by Caralyn Buehner: After people go inside for the night, snowmen gather at the park to play games and party until the sun comes up.

Flannelboard

Five little snowmen, all saying "Hi!"
Each has a hat and a bright-colored tie.
The sun came out and it stayed all day, and one little snowman melted away.
(Continue until there are no snowmen left.)

Fingerplay

A chubby little snowman had a carrot nose (point to your nose)
Along came a bunny and what do you suppose? (hold up two fingers and "hop" bunny)
That hungry little bunny was looking for his lunch (make bunny look around)
He ate that snowman's nose right up: (pretend bunny chomps off nose)
Nibble, nibble, crunch!

Song

I'm a little snowman, short and fat. (squat down, hold arms out to sides)
Here is my broomstick, here is my hat. (hold one arm out stiffly, pat head with other arm)
When the sun comes out I melt away: (Hold arms in circle above head)
Down, down, down, down--(swish arms back and forth)
Oops! I'm a puddle! (touch floor or lie down on floor)

Activity

Blow up some white balloons. Put on some wintry music, such as "Skating" from the Charlie Brown Christmas album. If you have more than one child, they can have a snowball fight with the balloons. If only one child, play a game in which the child tries to keep one or more balloons from touching the ground.

Penguins! Penguins!

Books

Penguins! by Liz Pichon: Some hilarious and amazing penguin photographs show up on a camera after it has been dropped into the penguin's habitat at the zoo.

Little Penguin by Patrick Benson: Pip wonders why she's such a little penguin. She swims in the ocean and makes friends with a little sperm whale named William.

Flannelboard poems:

Six little penguins off an iceberg did dive,
One bumped his beak and then there were FIVE.
Five little penguins swam the ocean floor,
One saw a whale and then there were FOUR.
Four little penguins spun around, wheeeeeee!
One spun off and then there were THREE.
Three little penguins with nothing to do,
One went fishing and then there were TWO.
Two little penguins having lots of fun,
One fell off and there there was one.
One little penguin, when the day was done,
went home to sleep and then there were NONE.

Song: (To the tune of "I'm a little teapot")
I know a little penguin
Who sat on some blocks.
He swam in the ocean
and climbed on some rocks.
He snapped at a seagull, he snapped at a seal
He snapped at a fish--
Oh, what a meal!

If you're a penguin and you know it (To the tune of "If you're happy and you know it")
If you're a penguin and you know it, flap your wings (flap, flap)
If you're a penguin and you know it, flap your wings
If you're a penguin and you know it and you really want to show it
If you're a penguin and you know it, flap your wings.

(Other verses are waddle your feet; bite a fish)

Special Holiday Program for Families!

Get your tickets now for a special FREE holiday program sponsored by the Lee County Library and the Friends of the Lee County Library.

Rags to Riches Theatre will be presenting a performance of "The Gingerbread Boy" on Tuesday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m. in McIver Fellowship Hall at First Presbyterian Church, 203 Hawkins Avenue, Sanford (next door to main branch of the library).

This family-friendly performance is FREE and open to the public BUT you will need a ticket to get in. These will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the front desk of the library during normal business hours. Seating is limited, so don't delay!

For more information, call the Lee County Library at (919) 774-6045.

The library is closed on Thursday, November 27 & Friday, November 28 for Thanksgiving. It reopens on Saturday, November 29 at 9:00 a.m.

Happy Turkey Day!

We were very thankful for Carrie Enyart of the Lee County Cooperative Extension last Thursday, November 20. She showed up with "Tom," an enormous Bourbon Red turkey who was very well behaved throughout the program.

We also made pinecone turkeys, and this is an easy craft for you to do if you're looking for something to keep the little ones occupied. They make great place markers for your Thanksgiving table.

You will need:

pinecones--try to find some that have "open" splines on them. Tightly closed cones won't really work for this activity.
construction paper--red, yellow, orange and one color for the head. (Or, choose your own colors. Psychedelic turkey, anyone?)
googly eyes (or just draw your own eyes)
scissors
glue

Cut out three long "feathers," one of each color.
Cut out a head.
Cut out a yellow beak and a curved red wattle. (This is that jiggly piece of cartiledge-y stuff that hangs down on the turkey's beak.)

Glue the tail feathers together in a fan shape.
Glue the beak and the wattle to the head.
Draw or attach googly eyes.

Insert tail feather section into widest section of pinecone.
Insert head into narrowest part of pinecone.
You can try to glue these in, but it may not help.
If using for place cards, insert name card in middle of bird.

See photo!

And while you're working, you can say these little poems:

I have a turkey, big and fat.
He spreads his wings and walks like that. (Put hands on hips and strut.)
His daily corn he would not miss,
and when he talks he talks like this:
Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!

The turkey is a funny bird.
His head goes "wobble, wobble."
And he says just one word:
Gobble, gobble, gobble.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am thankful for all of you and your beautiful children. I am also thankful for Ms. Delisa Williams, the children's librarian assistant.

Story time will resume on Wednesday, December 3 at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday, December 4 at 11:00 a.m. See you then!

Story time was for the birds. . .and pigs. . .and goats today

What an exciting day at the Lee County Library today! We want to thank our 4-H friends for bringing their beautiful animals to story time. We had Lucky the Goat,(owned by Karen McCaffery) Porkchop the Vietnamese Potbellied pig (owned by Jordan), as well as Mr.& Mrs. Ed Silver Wyandot (black and white chickens owned by Katie and D.W. Heldt).

4-H meets at the McSwain Center/Cooperative Extension Service at 2420 Tramway Road, and they are actively seeking new members between the ages of 5 and 18. For more information, contact Carrie Enyart, County Extension agent, at (919)775-5624 or Brandy Heldt at (919) 353-8914.

Don't miss next week's visit by a real live turkey!

Farm Animals!

This is our story time theme for the week of November 10th, 2008. Just cock-a-doodle-do it!

Books to read
Cock-a-moo-moo, by J. Dallas-Conte
Here a chick, there a chick, by S. McDonald
Click, clack, splish, splash, by D. Cronin
Wake up, Big Barn! by S. Chitwood
Dooby Dooby Moo, by D. Cronin
Farm Flu, by T. Bateman
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash, by Stevenson (?)

Songs & Motions

Old MacDonald (of course!)

Over in the Barnyard (to the tune of "Down by the station")

Over in the barnyard, early in the morning
See the little baby (pigs/chicks/cows/other animals of your choice) all in a row
See the busy farmer scattering their breakfast
Gulp gulp, snort snort (or peck peck, cheep cheep or moo moo moo moo)
Off they go!

Ten Fluffy Chickens

Five eggs and five eggs (hold up each hand)
That makes ten (wiggle fingers)
Sitting on top is mother hen (put one fist on top of the other)
Cackle, cackle, cackle (Clap hands three times)
What do I see? (Open hands wide)
Ten fluffy chickens, looking at me (hold up ten fingers, then make "glasses" in front of eyes)

Story time theme for November 5 & 6: Bears!

Bear Books to read:
My Brown Bear Barney, by D. Butler
My Bear and Me, by B. Maitland
Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear?, by B. Martin
Bear Snores On, by Karma Wilson
Bear Feels Scared, by Karma Wilson
Don't Worry Bear, by G. Foley
Old Bear, by K. Henkes

Songs & Motions

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear (anonymous)

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch the ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear show your shoes
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear now say "boo!"
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear go upstairs
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear say your prayers
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn out the light
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear say "goodnight!"

Goldilocks and the Three Bears (to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching")
from "Songs for the Flannelboard," by Connie Walters, 1989

Oh, here is great big papa bear, uh-huh uh-huh
And here is medium-size mama bear, uh-huh uh-huh
And here is little baby bear, he's the one with the fuzzy hair
And they all lived in the woods, deep in the woods.

Well, papa bear he likes to build, uh-huh uh-huh
And mama bear she likes to cook, uh-huh uh-huh
And baby bear he likes to play, he plays baseball outside all day
And they all lived in the woods, deep in the woods

A little girl named Goldilocks, uh-huh uh-huh
Went knocking on the Three Bears Door, uh-huh uh-huh
She walked into their house that day, no one was there they had gone away
They were walking in the woods, deep in the woods.

The bears came back and found a mess, uh-huh uh-huh
An empty bowl, a broken chair, uh-huh uh-huh
They went upstairs to baby bear's bed, Goldilocks screamed and bumped her head!
And she ran into the woods, deep in the woods!

Story time starts this week!

Be sure to join us this week, Wednesday Sept. 17 at 10:00 and/or Thursday Sept. 18 at 11:00 a.m. for story time at the Lee County Public Library!

Story Time Begins in September

Join us this fall for our toddler and preschool story times, beginning September 17.
Wednesdays at 10:00: for children up to age 3
Thursdays at 11:00: for children ages 3 to 6

Programs last between 30 and 45 minutes and may include books, flannel board stories, finger plays, action rhymes, songs, and crafts.

All programs are free and you do not need to register to attend.

For more information, call the Lee County Library at (919) 774-6045

Scooter Hayes: Story Teller, Story Yeller!!

Join us for an evening of hilarious stories and skits when Scooter Hayes presents "Bug Berserk" on Friday, July 25*

This program is guaranteed to be fun for the whole family, so bring your picnic basket and a blanket down to Depot Park on July 25th at 7:00 p.m. and get ready to laugh your socks off.

FREE and open to the public!

*CAVEAT: In case of inclement or ozone-alert-type weather (temperatures above 90 degrees), this event will be held in the auditorium at Lee County Library. Seating will be extremely limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Questions? Call the library at (919)774-6045 or check our blog at:
www.leesummerreading.blogspot.com