Kid’s Corner: Music CD’s-Favorites from Storytime!

We use music activities in all of our storytimes because it’s fun and because it supports language development and self-regulation skills.  When children listen and move to music it helps them hear the smaller parts of words –phonological awareness. When children stop moving when a song says “freeze,” they are working on self-regulation skills. Here are some of our favorites….enjoy!

      

Two’s Together

If You’re Happy and You Know It-Toddler Favorites or Apples and Bananas Songs for Healthy Families

Row, Row, Row Your Boat-Bob Newhouse- Songs for Wiggleworms – Old Town School of Folk Music

Milkshake Song-Songs for Wiggleworms-Old Town School of Folk Music

    

Preschool and Evening Family Fun

Wiggy Wiggles Freeze Dance-Two Little Sounds by Hap Palmer

Goldfish Song-Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner

Silly Dance Contest-Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes by Jim Gill

Jenny F., Youth Services

The Inside Scoop: Resolutions of Different Kind

Okay, so today is February 1st – one month into the new year. By now most of us have probably given up on those grandious New Year’s resolutions that seemed so perfect after that 4th glass of champagne. I don’t know why we make them, do you? Is it social pressure, or some innate desire to bring new experiences into our lives conveniently attached to this holiday of fresh starts? I think we get slipped up by concentrating on “fixing” something that we think is broken: losing weight, saving money, getting smarter… ugh. Where’s the fun in that? Maybe we are right to abandon ship so quickly! But rather than sinking back down into the sofa cushions I would like to propose a whole new approach. I say go for the joy this year! Find the people, animals, activities, adventures, experiences or projects that get you excited, and run with them. And if you don’t know what that is for you then spend your time looking for it. Get out of your normal habits and routines and be ready to be amazed and inspired. Whether it’s being delighted by pictures of cute animals, awed by the complexity in nature, relieved to discover you have what they want, or intrigued by the possibilities before us – stop fixing and start enjoying.  — Erin

Here’s a few books to send you on your way:  

Relics: travels in natures time machine, by Piotr Naskrecki. Exquisite photographs of some of the worlds oldest and most exotic insects and animals.

Just One Thing, by Rick Hanson. A treasure chest of over fifty practices created specifically to deepen your sense of well-being and unconditional happiness.

Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way, by Dan Buettner. This book tells the stories of people in disparate parts of the world who live joyful lives. By describing their habits and practices, it presents possibilities for all of us to try.

Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom, by Jennifer Holland. Stories and pictures of uncommon pair-ups in the animal world.

Always Hit On the Wingman: and 9 Other Secret Rules for Getting the Love Life You Want, by Jake. Finally an advice book that tells us what we have been waiting to hear – “be yourself – and that is more than enough”! This book is a fun read.

Too Big to Know : Rethinking Knowledge Now That the Facts Aren’t the Facts, Experts are Everywhere, and the Smartest Person in the Room is the Room, by David Weinberger. “This groundbreaking book shakes the foundations of our concept of knowledge—from the role of facts to the value of books and the authority of experts—providing a compelling vision of the future of knowledge in a connected world.” — publisher.

Healing at the Speed of Sound: How What We Hear Transforms Our Brains and Our Lives, by Don Campbell. Great new information on sound and it’s affect on our body, emotions, etc… Discover the perfect soundtrack for your life.

Off the Shelf: Synthesizers & the music artist Diamond Rings

Does the rhythm of the synthesizer bring a smile to your face? Me too! I’ve always been a sucker for the electro-synth, new-wave sound popular in the 80s; especially if made by some slightly-disturbed individual from over the pond. Fortunately that sound has made a comeback. Diamond Rings (the stage name of John O’Regan) isn’t from England, but he is a musician from Canada and he plays a synthesizer amongst other instruments. His first album, Special Affections, is full soft, simplistic sounds reminiscent of Joy Division (only happier.) With lyrics like “Don’t you wait around for me /to decide what I want to grow up to be” it can definitely appeal to the teenager inside you or inside your home (don’t worry it’s more convincing when he sings it.) Even if a synthetic beat doesn’t automatically win you over, I don’t think you’ll regret listening to this album.

-Sarah

The Inside Scoop: You Saw the Film – Now Read the Book!

Attention Anglophiles! If you loved the movie “The King’s Speech”, the book of the same name, written by Mark Logue, grandson of Lionel Logue, will add to your enjoyment. Letters, photos and diaries that are in the grandson’s possession were shared with filmmakers and became the basis for this book. Details of Logue’s ancestry and life in Australia are included, as well as comments about speech therapy over the years. When I watched the movie, I never got a true sense of the timeline of events, as none of the characters aged visibly. The movie covers the years spanning from 1926 through 1939. Logue was summoned to the Palace often when the King was due to give a speech. He spent many Christmas days with the Royal family so that he was present for the annual Christmas Day message from the King that was broadcast live. Their friendship continued beyond the point where the King felt enough confidence to speak in public without Logue at his side and lasted till the King’s death in 1952. The fabulous Mozart and Beethoven pieces that are part of the soundtrack are wonderful to listen to also. Enjoy! -Rita

Blurbs from the Branch: The Best Rock Album You’ve Never Heard

Just like no one heard a giant tree fall in the wilderness, no one heard one of the greatest rock albums of the past decade, the Wrens’ seminal masterpiece The Meadowlands. Most conveniently and lucky for you, a brand new CD copy of this classic has been anonymously donated to the Bethany Branch Library and is now available for checkout.

While not a profitable indie household name like the Strokes or Death Cab for Cutie, the Wrens remain my favorite critically acclaimed underdog band. Like Bruce Springsteen, they hail from the great state of New Jersey, but they never made it big time. After releasing two promising albums in the mid-‘90s, troubles with their record label turned into a lengthy hiatus, during which the band members were forced to get “real” jobs and record an album without the financial support of a label. By the time The Meadowlands was released in 2003, the Wrens’ sound had aged much like a bottle of fine wine.

Starting with the dreamy cricket-infused opener “House That Guilt Built,” the songs pour through the speakers/earphones drenched with failure, described by intensely personal lyrics that read like a painfully honest memoir, complete with deflated egos, tumultuous relationships, endless drama, and commercial success further out of reach. All of this disappointment would be a total downer if the majority of the songs weren’t so catchy, but the infectious melodies and punchy drumming verify the triumph of a band with nothing to lose. Personal highlights include the bittersweet power ballads “Boys, You Won’t” and “She Sends Kisses,” and raucous rockers “Faster Gun,” and “Everyone Chooses Sides;” however, The Meadowlands stands as one of those rare post-mp3 era albums that begs to be experienced, uninterrupted, in its entirety.

-Jeanie