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Get ready for two fantastic fall contests! The Teen Stop Motion contest is a great opportunity for young creatives in grades 6-12 to make short movies to share, with a competition for cash prizes, provided by the Friends of the Library. Online submissions will be accepted 10/1-10/15. Get ready for the contest--or just enjoy a movie night--with a showing of The Pirates! Band of Misfits, hosted by the Teen Council at Howell Branch on 9/24.
Builders of all ages can enjoy designing and crafting a trebuchet--a medieval siege engine--that will compete against other designers in an annual LAUNCH IT! contest to see how far and/or how close to the target their missiles will land! The challenge happens Saturday, 10/3, on the field of Gayle Middle School. Read all about it HERE.
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! Whether you have misplaced your own card through the years or know someone who would benefit from all the Library offers, take the opportunity to get this all-access ticket for fun learning opportunities. There is a special incentive for kindergartners! Throughout September, schools will be sending home library card applications for kindergarteners or sharing a link to an online form. Through November 30, bring your kindergartener into the Library to try out their card and receive a new book to keep!
Students in grades K-6 are welcome to join Fabulous Friday classes with fun themes, such as a Harvest Fair on 9/18 and 10/9, Games of All Sorts on 10/2, and Animal Rescue and Fairy Tales on 10/16.
Those in grades 6-12 can enjoy a night out with games, crafts, and more at the Library with Teen Game Nights, held at Fredericksburg, Howell, Salem Church, Montross, and Porter branches.
On 9/23, adults can enjoy a fascinating talk by local author and emergency room physician Dr. Ashely Alker, as she shares her experiences in the ER and as a Hollywood consultant. She'll be signing her book, 99 Ways to Die and How to Avoid Them, and there should be time for audience questions and answers.
Raspberry Pi is a delightfully named, single-board, versatile computer, originally designed for computer science education and now the best-selling British computer of all time. Come to IdeaSpace on 9/24 to try easy (and fun!) projects with Raspberry Pi, including using it to make gaming machines and media players.
Adults can nail down some very important life skills with a series of monthly classes taught by the Virginia Cooperative Extension Agency. On 9/21, the class will tackle Budgeting Basics. Basic Cooking Skills will be taught on 10/19, and Decluttering Basics will be the focus on 11/16, just in time for the holidays. All classes take place at Snow Branch.
This is a great season for exploring the Library's online learning options, and all are available to you with your library card. LOTE4Kids has more than 4,000 digital picture books and audiobooks in more than 65 languages and includes English translations, along with optional activities and quizzes.
Speaking of languages, both Mango Languages and its Spanish-language version, Lenguajes de Mango, are interactive language-learning systems that focus on real-world conversations, practical vocabulary, and grammar insights to help you build everyday speaking skills.
Teens, yes, there is a good (and relatively easy) way to stay on top of what's going on in the world for the inevitable social studies discussions or just to satisfy your own curiosity. America's News Hot Topics: Current Events is a feed that draws from 4,000 newspapers to keep you up to date on issues, from the environment to health topics.
No matter how few (or how many!) birthdays you've celebrated, the Library has reading challenges to keep you on track for lifelong learning. In addition to the all-ages Year-Round Reading Challenge and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, special challenges available this autumn include Fall Into Reading (9/1-9/30), Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15), and Hallow-Read (10/1-10/31). Once you sign up for one or more, each book read will be counted for all of your enrolled challenges!
Wishing you a happy fall, full of books and fun!
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