Kids’ Update: Tell Your Story

We’re all having a once-in-a-lifetime experience right now. Take advantage of your time together to share family stories. Your parents and grandparents have lots of stories to share. Write them down or create a scrapbook of your family history. The Spark & Stitch has suggestions for Building Resilience with Family Stories.

This is also a great time to start writing a journal. You can write about your experiences and much, much more. Journal Buddies has 10 Journal Writing Tips for Kids for you. If you’ve got writer’s block, ThinkWritten has 300 Creative Writing Prompts to try. Someday, your journal will help you share your stories with your kids!

Check out the world’s most famous journal writer, Greg Heffley, at Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and learn about author, Jeff Kinney, too. You can also get some tips for illustrating your journal at Jeff Kinney’s Cartooning Tips.

The Youth Services Staff at the Chester County Library and Hankin Branch are presenting Virtual Storytimes beginning April 27th. They will be for three different ages groups — 0 to 2 Year Olds, 3 & 4 Year Olds, and 5 & 6 Year Olds. Registration is required via the Events Calendar at https://chescolibraries.org/. Virtual Storytimes are not registered as multi-week sessions; you will need to register for each storytime individually.

Help Support Local Businesses

Currently our local restaurants are not open for dining-in but many are open for take-out meals. Why not support your local eatery by getting take out?  Many have safe curbside pick-up, free delivery or services like Ubereats, Doordash, and even Postmates are still operating during this time. You are practicing social distancing, taking a break from cooking or leftovers, and providing some revenue to a local eatery who needs it.

Teen Update: Focus on Poetry

April is National Poetry Month!  So, now is the perfect time to discover more about the world of poetry. Whether you are interested in learning more about the art of reading or writing poems, here are two great websites for teens:

The Academy of American Poets: You will find poems, recommended reading lists, interviews, advice and so much more.

The Poetry Foundation:  With a focus on engaging and inspiring teens, this website provides a wealth of information. Be sure to check out the “Poetry Out Loud” program which helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.

“Curtis is Here”: Enjoy musical performances from Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music

“Join the Curtis Institute of Music weekdays at noon EDT for a new YouTube video series. Curated around themes that change weekly, the ‘Curtis Is Here‘ initiative features videos of favorite or rarely seen Curtis performances accompanied by welcoming commentary from members of the Curtis community. There’s a new release each weekday, Monday through Friday, and all releases remain online for viewers to explore anytime.”

Visit Curtis’ Watch Online page to sign up to receive “Curtis is Here” weekly schedules via email, and to learn about additional online viewing opportunities.

Curtis also welcomes you to explore “recordings from our extensive archive, from highlights to full concerts,” shared via their YouTube channel.

Kids’ Update: Fun with STEM

If you’re looking for something to do today, why not explore STEM right in your own kitchen? There are lots of experiments and projects you can do with materials in your home. Here are some links to exciting and fun experiments for you to do:

Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids

STEM Activities for Kids

Daily STEM Resources

After you’ve solved some science mysteries, read about another kind of mystery with Private I. Guana!

The Youth Services Staff at the Chester County Library and Hankin Branch are presenting Virtual Storytimes beginning April 27th. They will be for three different ages groups — 0 to 2 Year Olds, 3 & 4 Year Olds, and 5 & 6 Year Olds. Registration is required via the Events Calendar at https://chescolibraries.org/. Virtual Storytimes are not registered as multi-week sessions; you will need to register for each storytime individually.

Kids’ Update: Happy Easter!

  • Easter is a Christian holiday. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to Christian history, Jesus was crucified on a Friday and rose three days later on Sunday.
  • Since 325 AD, Easter has been held on the first Sunday after the full moon, after the 21st of March, which is the Equinox. This means that Easter can land anywhere between the 22nd of March to the 25th of April.
  • The holiday’s name comes from a “goddess” named Eastre. Her symbols were the rabbit and the egg. This symbolism is especially fitting for a holiday that signifies rebirth.
  • The first Easter baskets given were meant to imitate a bird’s nest when eggs were placed inside.
  • We’ve all dyed Easter Eggs, but Ukrainian Easter Eggs, or Pysanka, are by far the most beautiful.
  • Each year nearly 90 million chocolate bunnies are made for Easter. In the ranking of kids’ favorite Easter candy, red jellybeans come in first place.
  • Peeps are made in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Here are some great craft ideas for Easter — Easter Crafts for Kids.

The Youth Services Staff at the Chester County Library and Hankin Branch are presenting Virtual Storytimes beginning April 27th. They will be for three different ages groups — 0 to 2 Year Olds, 3 & 4 Year Olds, and 5 & 6 Year Olds. Registration is required via the Events Calendar at https://chescolibraries.org/. Virtual Storytimes are not registered as multi-week sessions; you will need to register for each storytime individually.

Kids’ Update: Dav Pilkey at Home

Dav Pilkey at Home , a collaboration between the “Dog Man” and “Captain Underpants” author and the Library of Congress (LOC), offers with free activities, including how-to-draw demonstrations, read-alouds, and resources from the LOC’s collections. On Fridays at 8 a.m. EDT, new video content created by Pilkey will be released. More videos and content, including downloadable activities, discussions about books, and tips to create characters or act out scenes from the “Dog Man” series will be added periodically throughout the week.

The Youth Services Staff at the Chester County Library and Hankin Branch are presenting Virtual Storytimes beginning April 27th. They will be for three different ages groups — 0 to 2 Year Olds, 3 & 4 Year Olds, and 5 & 6 Year Olds. Registration is required via the Events Calendar at https://chescolibraries.org/. Virtual Storytimes are not registered as multi-week sessions; you will need to register for each storytime individually.

Collaborative music for you to enjoy, virtually!

Local musicians and musicians around the world are coming together virtually to create some beautiful music. Here are three collaborative performances for you to enjoy.

True Colors – Camden Voices (self-isolation/virtual choir cover)

The Weight | Featuring Robbie Robertson and Ringo Starr| Playing For Change | Song Around The World

Virtual Choir “Va pensiero” (“Nabucco” by G. Verdi) – International Opera Choir