Enjoy Memorial Day Weekend–Note the Bridgewater Library is now on summer hours–Closed Sundays. We will also be closed on Memorial Day Monday in observance of the holiday. Now all we need is a little sunshine!

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












Thanks to everyone who made a poster of their favorite Children’s Book for Children’s Book Week. Come check them out on our 
“Favorites” column.  Haven’t made one yet? 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.





We have a winner in our “Library Lion” book raffle.Congratulations to our winner, Ruth Batke!



@ Bridgewater Library: Programs


May 29-31 is the last week of our Spring Session. Storytimes will resume in July (along with lots of other summer programs in our “Dream Big – READ” Summer Reading Club!) Our summer calendar is now available on the website or you can pick up a paper copy at the library. 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 June 13, 20, and 27. Register here for this program. Relax and listen to some stories before bedtime.



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!




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.


After-School Special: 'Happy Birthday Lyle Crocodile' (Children entering Grades K-5) Monday, June 4th  from 4:30-5:30pm Registration begins May 21st


Celebrate 40 years of Bernard Waber’s famous crocodile with a party!  We’ll share his story, then enjoy crocodile games and crafts and have a birthday cake to top it all off!


 
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE
The Book Sale will be held on:Thursday, June 7 from 9:30 AM to 8 PM.  Friday, June 8 from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.   Saturday, June 9 from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  (Pre-sale is Wednesday, June 6 from 4:00 to 8:30 PM – admission required to Pre-Sale)    Free books for non-profits (must bring I.D. or letterhead)  11 AM – 1 PM Monday June 11th.


5th & 6th Grade Volunteers (For students in grades 5-6) Monday, June 11th  From 7-8pm  Registration required
ATTENTION STUDENTS IN GRADES 5 AND 6: Here is your chance to make a difference by volunteering at the library!



Rocket Readers: 'Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor' (Grades 1-3) Tuesday, June 12th  from 4:30-5:30pm Registration begins May 29th.
Amelia Bedelia misunderstands what her employer wants her to do, and ends up campaigning for the office of mayor. 



Imagination Station: 'Art & Geometry' (Students entering Grades K-5) Wednesday, June 13th  From 4:30-5:30pm   Registration begins May 30th.
What is a square?  It always has 4 equal sides and 4 equal angles, but with a bit of imagination it can become anything!


Lego Club (Grades K-6) Thursday, June 14th From 4:30-5:30pm  Registration begins May 31st.  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.
Lego Lovers, check this out: Sean Kenney, Art with LEGO bricks

Sean's on PBS! This 6 minute video explores his work and the growing popularity of LEGO as a creative medium ...

 


Tween Party: After Hours (Grades 4-6) Friday, June 15th  From 6-8pm Registration begins June 1st.  Tweens, grades 4-6, get locked in the library after hours! We'll have a movie, video games, crafts and snacks!  No admittance after 6:15 pm. Advance notice required if tween must leave the program early. 








And stay tuned for details on our DREAM BIG – READ Summer Reading Club which will begin on June 18th…


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:

Teens if you registered to be a summer volunteer at the library, don’t forget you must come to the mandatory training(s).  Dates and times were in the white pages you kept!

Open Mic Cafe Night (Ages 13+) Thursday, June 14th  From 7:00pm – 8:30pm Registration begins June 1st.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 poetry, comedy, 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.  Sign ups will be on a first-come, first-served basis.  Please check back for more registration information.  **You only need to register if you are interested in performing.**

Displays:

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






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






Around the Community:
 

BASF's Kids' Lab: The pHun Factor Saturday, May 26
Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ
ages 6-12; 10:45 am, 11:45 am, and 1:30 pm
free with admission  201-200-1000
This hands-on chemistry experience teaches kids about the pH scale in a fun way--by pairing items such as lemons and vinegar and/or bananas and baking soda! Registration suggested.


Sheep Shearing Day Monday, May 28
Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ
all ages, 11 am-2 pm, free with admission
973-731-5800 
Head to the zoo this Memorial Day as the sheep welcome in the summer by losing their wool coats. The zoo's professional shearer will be doing continual demonstrations in the Essex Farm Petting Zoo area.

In the Somerset County Parks:
BEGINNER TRAIL RIDE Lord Stirling Stable, Basking Ridge
May 27 A one-hour guided trail ride open to Lord Stirling Stable students at levels D-2/Beg. 2 to D-3/Beg. 3. Registration is open from May 14 – 24.
Fee: $28 Somerset County resident/$36 non-resident10am – 11am
908 766-5955
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SUMMER PROGRAMS
June 1 – September 30
Naturalist led workshops, walk, lectures, trips, and related activities for children, families, and adults. After school, evening, and weekend times are scheduled throughout the year. Fees and pre registration for most programs. Conducted at the EEC, Sourland Mountain Preserve, Colonial Park, and Washington Valley Park.  Fees vary  Environmental Education Center, Basking Ridge  908 766 2489
JUNIOR WELCOME TO GOLF  June 2
This program is geared toward younger juniors (ages 12 and under) to give them a first  exposure to the game of golf.  Free  10am – 11am
Neshanic Valley Golf Course Learning Center, Branchburg  908 369-8200
NATIONAL TRAILS DAY  June 2  Come celebrate National Trails Day and help us maintain the beautiful trails of Washington Valley Park. Rain date is June 3rd.  Free  Washington Valley Park, Bridgewater
908 231-0802 ext.22
ROGUE BASS FISHING DERBY June 2  Youth fishing derby for children ages five to 14. Pre registration required. Prizes awarded. All proceeds benefit the Therapeutic Recreation Department.  Fee: $7 per child.
Sourland Mountain Preserve, Hillsborough/Montgomery
908 526-5650
FRAGRANCE IN THE GARDEN  Saturday, June 2, 2012Certain plants have fragrant flowers, scented foliage. Why - because it pays to advertise. Fragrant flowers attract pollinators, while fragrant foliage warns off insect pests. Of all our senses, fragrance is the most evocative. It can trigger memories from long ago that we've forgotten. Yet of all senses, fragrances are the most difficult to describe, and one we cannot record as we do sound and sight. This lecture will explore the diversity of plant fragrances and a selection delightful to add to your garden.  Pre-registration required.
Fee: $12  10am – 12 noon
INTRODUCTORY HORSEBACK RIDE  June 3
This program is geared for people who would like to become more familiar with English style riding. Riders will receive a mini group lesson with one of Lord Stirling Stable's riding instructors, followed by a one hour trail ride. Registration is available in the Stable office from May 21 – 31.
Fee: $35 Somerset County residents/$44.50 non-resident  10am – 12pm
Lord Stirling Stable, Basking Ridge  908 766 5955
MOONLIGHT TRAIL RIDE  June 3
Open to riders 12 years of age or older who can walk, trot, and canter with control on the trails. Fee: $32 Somerset County resident/$40 non-resident. Registration is open from May 21 – 31.  8pm – 10pm Lord Stirling Stable, Basking Ridge  908 766 5955
 

Colonial SpringFest Picnic - June 3, 2012 

Pack your picnic basket (B.Y.O.P) and spend an afternoon with reenactors at Bedminster’s historic Jacobus Vanderveer House!  1 River Road Park, Bedminster, New Jersey Visitors can tour the restored home, where authentically costumed presenters will demonstrate early American crafts and trades, and join reenactors outdoors under a period tent for good old-fashioned colonial picnic.   Participants are encouraged to bring their food in a covered recyclable basket or container, along with a blanket or lawn chair. Learn More & Register Online


The Sky Above RVCC planetarium show for families with children on the Autism Spectrum or with other developmental disabilities.

Sunday, June 3, 2012, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 8, 2012, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 12, 2012, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
All ages are welcome to this one-hour sensory-friendly program. The show will provide a comfortable and judgment-free space that is welcoming to all families. The doors will remain open so that children will be able to come and go. Lights will be left dim and audio will be lowered and at a consistent level. The sky show will include: music, videos, planets, the Moon, constellations and laser lights. Ticket Price: $5.00 per person  Please call 908-231-8805 to make a reservation as we are limiting the number of visitors for each show.

 



Let Your Fingers Do (MORE) Walking:

Homemade Summer Sidewalk Chalk By: Debby Perry, Macaroni Kid Robinson

Check out this recipe.  It's cheap, easy to make and a great science project!   The sidewalk is their blank canvas--let them create!

What you will need:
•    Toilet paper or paper towel tubes(cut paper towel tubes in 1/2)
•    Scissors
•    Duct tape
•    Wax paper
•    Small bucket or disposable container to make the recipe
•    ¾ cup of warm water
•    1 ½ cups Plaster of Paris
•    2-3 tablespoons of tempera paint





Take a look at some of the new books for the season at Imagination Soup.

And just because your kids are off school doesn’t mean their brains need to take a 3-day weekend.  Check out these queries from Wonderopolis.com

Wonder of the Day #592: Why Do Kids Need Braces?

#595: How Does a Hovercraft Work?

Camps:

 

Watchung Arts Center presents Three-Week Summer Art Camp for ages 6-12

Send your budding artist ages 6-12 to Art Camp at the Watchung Arts Center.  Directed by Mrs. Monica Schraiber Otero, Art Camp runs three weeks in July, and focuses on creativity, imagination and ingenuity.  Art Camp offers children unique opportunity to acquire or improve artistic skills, learn new techniques, explore different media and get inspired by famous artists, all while having fun! Students will have the opportunity to  appreciate both Art and Nature as they draw and paint outdoor scenes and have picnic lunches at Best Lake.
The central theme for this year's Art Camp is Modern Art - American and European Masters.  Students will learn about Picasso, van Gogh, Matisse, O’Keefe, Cezanne, Monet, Homer, Pollock, among others, and pieces based on the theme will be created daily, with projects varying every week.  Students will draw using wet and dry media, sculpt with air-dry clay, make masks, paint, build structures using recycled materials, create prints, collages and much more! Workshops in different disciplines are scheduled throughout the week. In each cycle, participants will create a small acrylic painting on canvas boards suitable for framing!
Art Camp culminates with a student show in the Lower Gallery featuring works from all three cycles. Relatives and friends are welcome to attend the opening reception.
Art Camp runs Monday through Friday from 10am to 3pm beginning July 9th.  Cycle I runs July 9-13, Cycle II runs July 16-20, and Cycle III runs July 23-27.  Free T-Shirt for all campers, please bring a bag lunch.
FEES:
OPTION A - All three cycles (Recommended for a complete experience!) - Receive a $132 discount
OPTION B - Two cycles - Receive a $58 discount
OPTION C - Single cycle - $299
Early Bird Discount: $15 for registrations received by June 12, 2012.
For more information and to register, go to www.watchungarts.org.