Check out “New Jersey Rocks” at Bridgewater Library this Saturday -- Spend Time Outdoors at Duke Farms Grand Re-Opening This Weekend or Doing an Autism Walk -- See the play “Mur Mur” at RVCC or “Diary of a Worm” at the Growing Stage -- Take a Family Trip Through Art History in Princeton–Attend a Manga Convention at the 4H Center

Programs at the Bridgewater Library and Around the Community for children, teens, and families.







Kids -- Have a favorite Children’s Book? Teens/Adults – Do you remember your favorite from your childhood? Make a Poster (up to 11x18”) and we’ll display it on our “Favorites” column. We have paper available for your use at the Children’s Desk or you can use your own. Please put your name & phone on the back if you’d like to have your artwork returned.
Thanks to all those who submitted their votes to the 2012 Children’s Book Week contest! The national winners, announced on May 7th, are posted on our bulletin board by the reshelving area and can also be found online here.

Enter to WIN! Visit the library during Children’s Book Week (through 5/19) and fill out a raffle form for your chance to win a hardcover copy of Library Lion.









@ Bridgewater Library: Programs

New Jersey Rocks with Mr. C (Ages 6-12) Saturday May 19, 2012 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Registration required With a silly sense of humor and a warm teaching style, New Jersey photographer and author Walter Choroszewski, 'Mr. C,' entertains and educates young audiences about New Jersey.

Sing-a-Long: You & Me and Family (Families with children of all ages) Monday May 21, 2012 at 10:00 AM. Midway between Mother’s and Father’s Days, we celebrate families with a slew of songs. No registration required.




Lego Club (Grades K-6) Monday May 21, 2012 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Registration required. Hey LEGO fans, here's a club just for you! Get together with other LEGO-maniacs, share ideas and tips on building, and have a great time! Library LEGOS will be available for building, so you do not need to bring your own. Please Note: Parents are welcome to stay; however, younger siblings cannot be permitted to join this program.


Rocket Readers: 'Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House' (Grades 1-3) Tuesday May 22, 2012 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Registration required. The tree house seemed perfect, but it was missing something! What fun is a tree house without your best friend? Join us as we discuss the book, and enjoy an activity or craft!




Chapter Book Club: 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (Grades 3-4) Wednesday May 23, 2012 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Registration required.  Young Charlie Bucket can't believe his luck when he finds the very last of Mr. Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets inside his chocolate bar. He wins the trip of a lifetime, a magical tour around Mr. Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory. Once inside, Charlie and the other four winners witness amazing wonders: rainbow drops, lickable wallpaper, and even a chocolate waterfall. But what happens when the children, one by one, disobey Mr. Wonka?
 





Companion Dog Training -- 'Ask the Trainer'  Registration required.  Tuesday May 29, 2012 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Presented by Iris J. Fryzel and her canine companion Mindy   Learning Positive Dog Training Methods  This program will include a Q & A period!
 

 
Join us each week for stories, songs, finger plays, and a short film. Family Story Time (ages 2-6) Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Toddler Time (18 mo.-3) Wednesdays at 10 & 11 a.m. and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m and 11:30 a.m. Clapping and singing, rhymes and books….introduce your toddler to the beginnings of story time! Infant Lap Sit (birth to 18 months) Thursdays at 9:30 Clap your hands and stamp your feet and let you baby feel the beat of stories, songs and rhymes. No registration required. Looking for an evening storytime? Bound Brook Library is offering a Pajama Storytime (Ages 3 - 6) Wednesdays at 7:00 pm on May 2, 9, and 16 June 13, 20, and 27. Register here for this program. Relax and listen to some stories before bedtime.

And for Parents of Children with Special Needs:
Advocacy: SPAN's RTI and Early Intervening Services Workshop Thursday, May 31st  From 7-8:30pm  Registration required

Presented by Nicole Pratt from the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN). This workshop will provide information on the use of Response to Intervention for students struggling academically and/or behaviorally, including a discussion on using RTI to make determinations of eligibility for special education and related services for a student with a specific learning disability. Information on Early Intervening Services (EIS) under IDEA including the circumstances under which EIS must be provided will be discussed.   Please register here: www.rtisomerset2012.eventbrite.com.

There are also LOTS OF PROGRAMS at other system libraries for children & teens…find their online calendars under the “events/programs” tab on our home page.


@ Bridgewater Library for Teens:


Open Mic Cafe Night (Ages 13+) Thursday, May 17th From 7:00pm – 8:30pm   Think you’ve got what it takes to get up on stage in front of your peers with nothing but your voice and guitar? Want to share your most well-crafted poetry or original music? Then this is your night! Join us for this one of a kind experience, and help local musicians and writers get their voices heard. Depending on registration, artists will receive 10-15 minute slots to play music or recite poetry. Registration required. You only need to register if you are interested in performing.** Sign ups will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Please check back for more registration information.


Displays:

Celebrate Reading & Writing – under the Children’s Book Week Bulletin Board in the Reshelving Area







Remembering Maurice Sendak, who died this month at age 83, with a display of his wonderful works.





It’s a Beautiful Day – Get Outside & Play! (Books about all the wonderful things you can do outdoors) – above the Magazines






Around the Community:

Duke Farms Opening a New Orientation Center and miles of trails on Saturday, May 19. Click HERE for the Grand Opening Schedule of Events

Located on 2,740 acres in Hillsborough, the mission of Duke Farms is to be a model of environmental stewardship in the 21st century and to inspire visitors to become informed stewards of the land.
Beginning on May 19, Duke Farms will be open six days a week, Thursday through Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed on Wednesdays). Inside the orientation center, visitors may learn about and register for programs, tour a gallery of educational and interactive exhibits, view a nine-minute film about the history and mission of Duke Farms or obtain a trail map.
Visitors may walk then walk or hop aboard a two-carriage tram that will take them to the core area of the property north of Duke Parkway West. The tram will stop at three locations: the Old Foundation, which was to be the site of a mansion for the Duke family that was never completed; the Orchid Range, a conservatory renovated to LEED gold standards that houses a southeastern coastal plain garden and tropical orchids; and the Great Meadow, a once manicured expanse of lawn that is now a native wildflower meadow.
From these sites, visitors will now be able to explore 18 miles of trails through woodlands and meadows, and past lakes and waterfalls. Along the way, more than two dozen interpretive signs and audio tours explain the history of the property, the significance of the native habitat and the stewardship practices in use.
Duke Farms offers four miles of paved lanes that are wheelchair accessible and stroller-friendly, and cyclists will be welcome to bike more than 12 miles of paved and gravel paths.

LAST WEEKEND FOR "THE DIARY OF A WORM" @ THE GROWING STAGE

Diary Of A Worm, A Spider And A Fly Book, music and lyrics by Joan Cushing
Based on the books by Doreen Cronin and illustrations by Harry Bliss
WHEN: April 27 to May 20 with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 4:00 PM
WHERE: The Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, located in the Historic Palace Theater on Route 183 in Netcong, New Jersey
TICKETS: $18 for adults, $14 for children and seniors, with group rates available. Tickets can be purchased at www.growingstage.com.
Is Spider getting too big for his own skin? Will Fly find her superhero powers in time to save her Aunt Rita from peril? Will Worm learn to stand on his own two feet…even though he doesn’t have feet? You are invited to take a look at the world from a bug’s perspective. Perhaps you’ll see that their lives are not all that different from yours. This world première musical captures all of the droll humor and whimsy of the wildly popular books. Here’s a review of the show.

ACROBATIC CHOREOGRAPHY TELLS THE TALE OF A WALL @ RVCC THIS FRIDAY

RVCCArts presents  MUR MUR  (The Wall) by DynamO Theatre
Recommended for ages 8+

WHEN: Friday, May 18 at 7 PM
WHERE: The Theatre at RVCC, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg
A wall, with its graffiti and its secrets, alternates as a playground and a refuge from the world for five characters. It echoes the whispers and murmurings of earlier times.

The Wall speaks of the friendships among two teenage couples and a pesky and incorrigible younger brother. With humor and sheer innocence, these five characters are swept up in an air-bound acrobatic ballet. Telling of quarrels, shared schemes and stolen kisses, the acrobatic choreography allows the performers to unleash the eloquence of movement with the use of very little dialogue.








Saturday, May 19th  Born to Be Shorn  Cooper Gristmill Chester, NJ
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Meet the baby lambs and watch the hand- shearing of sheep. Families will enjoy seeing how fleece is processed and made into garments. They will also be able to participate with hands-on activities such as weaving and spinning and can make crafts to take home. The suggested donation is $3 adults, $2 seniors, and $1 children. For information, please call 908-879-5463 or visit www.morrisparks.net.

IT’S FOOD REVOLUTION DAY @ FOSTERFIELDS THIS SATURDAY

STAND UP FOR REAL FOOD!
WHEN: Saturday, May 19, 11 AM-4 PM
WHERE: Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, Morris Township, NJ

Morris County Park Commission is hosting Food Revolution Day in conjunction with The Jamie Oliver Foundation. It is a global initiative to stand up for real food. “Thousands of people worldwide will participate in events to raise awareness on preventing diet-related diseases, and to arm people with the knowledge and tools to make healthier food choices.”  Enjoy fitness classes, listen to lecture topics ranging from Genetically Modified Organisms to benefits of a raw vegetarian diet, and observe a variety of cooking demonstrations. Come and join the movement!
Enjoy cooking displays, demonstrations, snack ideas, physical fitness playtime and special lectures by Dr. Christopher Bump of Integrated Healthcare, and learn how you can eat better and be happier with entertainment for the whole family!  For more information, please call 973.326.7645  or visit www.morrisparks.net.


FAMILY PROGRAMS SATURDAY OUTDOOR ADVENTURES --
Trailside Nature & Science Center452 New Providence Road, Mountainside, NJ 07092
Hours: Noon to 5 p.m., 7 Days a Week, Free Admission
E-mail: trailside@ucnj.org | Phone: 908-789-3670
Trailside Nature & Science Center is Union County’s Environmental Education Center, located in the Watchung Reservation, a 2,065-acre preserve containing woodlands, fields, lakes, streams and more than 13 miles of hiking trails.
Families with children of all ages are invited to take part in weekly theme hikes/nature related talks. Programs last about 45 minutes.
Dress appropriately for the program and the weather. Donations appreciated.

May 19 Explore Your Senses - Investigate the out-of-doors to search for a shrub that smells of lemon, listen for the call of the cardinal and look for tracks of local wildlife. 10 AM.














Sunday, May 20 | 2:00 pm for Children & Families Chinese Music, Dance & Opera Performance Tickets: $10 Members | $12 Non-members
As spring transitions into summer this program celebrates transitions with a blending of young artists and traditional styles and art forms. Performers include Celadon Youth Plum Ensemble Group, Chinese Harp Ensemble, Celadon Youth dance group, and Chinese classical opera singers. Please call 973.971.3706 for tickets.


TAKE YOUR FAMILY ON A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME AT THE PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM MAY 19

Thanks to Macaroni Kid of Hillsborough & Warren, njfamily.com, njartsmaven.com, and njfootlights.com for some of these listings.

For more information about local events follow the links in the “useful links for families” section on the right side of this newsletter (If you are receiving this by email, clicking on the headline will open to our bookcase format -- the “useful links” are on the right side of the page.) We’ve been including info. on local summer camps, review the last few issues of this newsletter and check out the “Camps” section on the right side of this newsletter.

Let Your Fingers Do (MORE) Walking:

Looking for some great new early readers & easy chapter books?  Check out these picks from Imagination Soup!

Wonder of the Day #591: What Is a Lenticular Cloud?

Is that a cloud or something from outer space? Find out today in Wonderopolis!
Have you ever wondered…

• What is a lenticular cloud?
• What are some other nicknames for lenticular clouds?
• How do lenticular clouds form?

And Try it out!
Ready to make your own cloud? That’s right! You can make your very own cloud with nothing more than some warm water, an empty two-liter bottle and some matches.
You will want to get an adult’s help with this fun science experiment. For step-by-step instructions, just jump online and check out the Cloud in a Bottle experiment.
Still wondering?
Use ReadWriteThink’s Lonely as a Cloud: Using Poetry to Understand Similes lesson to identify similes in poetry and gain experience in using similes as a poetic device in your own work.