Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

Day #2 of Summer Reading and I am so thankful that I get to sleep in and close the Library tomorrow. Today looked like this: STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) Tuesday, K-5th grades: *Working in teams of 5-6, the kids had 10 minutes to build structures with 50 toothpicks and 100 mini marshmallows that would withstand an earthquake; earthquake simulated by placing structures in an aluminum foil pan full of jello and me shaking the bejeezus out of them. I was surprised how creatively the kids built the structures; we talked about what strengthens structures and what kind of buildings would handle the shock an earthquake better than others. Lots of laughter and lots of fun! Vision Screenings STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) Tuesday, 6th-12th grades: *Tweens/teens made compost bottles--creating the beginnings of a compost pile in 2 liter pop bottles; discussed composting process. Family Storytime : Theme was growth/plants; books: Compost Stew Mary McKenna Siddals, The...

A recent storytime was COMMUNITY HELPERS: Music/Movement : “Shake Your Sillies Out,”   #13, Raffi’s More Singable Songs Rhyme/Flannel Board: “Ten Fire Fighters” Book 1: Lola at the Library , Anna McQuinn Rhyme: “What Do You Do?” w/pictures of each profession (see below) Music/Movement: “The Freeze,” #10, Greg & Steve’s We All Live Together, Vol. 2 Prop Story: Kitten Red Yellow Blue , Peter Catalanotto w/die cuts of all the different colored cats Book 2:   My Mother is a Doctor , Simon Charnan, Patrick Girouard illus. Music/Movement: “Bean Bag Rock,” #3, Bean Bag Activities & Coordination Skills “What Do You Do?”   Teacher, Teacher, What do you do? I teach you reading And writing, too. Doctor, Doctor, What do you do? I help when you're sick With a cold or the flu. Firefighter, Firefighter, What do you do? I help fight fires That might hurt you. Officer, Officer, What do you do? I help you stay safe In all that you d...

Sometimes life at the Farm can feel a little like the Norman Rockwell painting, "The Gossips."  Last week we received a gentle reminder of how gossip in community, like wild fire, spreads fast and can do damage--luckily in this case, just hurt feelings. Gossip among the staff is bound to happen since our worlds are so entangled with each other; working and living in a small radius leads to a lack of conversation on much outside of community sometimes, as we get so wrapped up in our lives here. But, I would rather focus instead on the benefits of community chatter. How when you are out sick, friends and neighbors hear and check on you, or ask after you; how when something exciting (i.e. being accepted into grad school) happens, friends and neighbors pass along their congrats; or in today's case, when babies are born, the entire community hears about it and seems to swell with pride together. Two community members who met here, married not far from here and both s...