Spring Babies

Are you anxious for spring to begin this year?  Spring officially began on March 20. There are signs that it is on its way:  bulbs peeking through the earth, insects migrating across the snow, geese returning, and spring babies are being born. 

Our Middleton branch is offering a ‘Welcome Spring’ program on Tuesday, March 25 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.  Come and learn how to make a colourful flower arrangement, plant some seeds to take home and see baby lambs and bunnies. There will also be delicious snacks to enjoy. Bring the family to welcome spring and say goodbye to winter!

A very special baby is growing up at the Oaklawn Farm Zoo. He is an African Lion and his name is Obi. Our Youth Services Librarian, Angela Reynolds, and I were fortunate to meet him this week. When entering the kitchen, Gail said “And here comes the lion, you’ll need to put your boots on top of the fridge!”  The Oaklawn Farm Zoo is an incredible destination for families to visit. At this time of year, a belted Galloway calf, a horned Dorset lamb and many other species are welcoming new babies. This year Oaklawn Farm Zoo is opening on April 12.  Check out their website for more information.  Stay tuned for a surprise partnership with the zoo this summer!  You will be as happy as we are to see what we have planned.

Young families can share baby animal storytime with some of these Baby Animal books.

For many more selections for all ages, browse our online catalogue. Reading about baby animals is a wonderful way to get excited about spring.

Wendy Kearnes, Outreach Services Manager

Special thanks to Oaklawn Farm Zoo for allowing us to use pictures from their Facebook page.

GO GREEN - Inside and Out

Being that it is St. Patrick's Day the wearing of the green is encouraged and a toast to your health is mandatory.   In keeping with that there is no better way to take care of yourself than eating green.

We  know the standard ones, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and lettuce.  Remember our parents telling us to eat our peas?  Now there are more choices than ever including one that is getting a lot of coverage and  has gained the title of Superfood – Kale.

Kale by definition is : a hardy cabbage (Brassica oleracea acephala) with curled often finely incised leaves that do not form a dense head; also :  its leaves used as a vegetable.   It is an excellent source of  vitamin K, A, and C among others while also having anti-inflammatory properties.

Kale is not new and was a wartime staple in Britain during World War II, when rationing was in full swing.  Noted for being easy to grow and with a high nutritional  value, it stepped in to keep Britons healthy during that time.

There are newer and tastier versions grown now.  Originally it had much larger leaves and sometimes could  be bitter but now the Kale you see comes in baby, sweet and curly versions.  Kale can be eaten raw, boiled, braised, baked, and also provide the base for a super smoothie.   

Easy to grow on your own and so versatile, there are literally dozens of ways to enjoy this superfood.   Check out our ebook on Kale or borrow  The Book of Kale and make friends with Kale.

March Break @your LIBRARY!

Around these parts, we do March Break right.  While some folks are lucky enough to head for warmer climes, many of us stay right here and find ways to keep busy. There's no lack of snow for snowshoeing and enjoying the great outdoors! Did you know you can borrow snowshoes from many of the local recreation departments? Check in with your town and find out the details. If you want to track how many steps you walk during March Break, you can borrow a pedometer from the library. Or maybe try out a new Wii or x-Box game from the library-- you could learn to Hip Hop Dance this week!

If art is more your idea of fun, we've got a whole slew of art programs this week-- there's cartooning with Mark Oakley, pipe-cleaner art, Art Smart, and painting and collage. Take your youngest to storytime. Check out GirlPower. Play board games. Learn to knit, play Elephant and Piggie games, build something with LEGO, create a robot, or go to the circus. Find all our  programs right HERE and start planning your week!

Of course we've got plenty of books, so if your idea of a vacation is curling up with a really good novel, come see us. We've got DVDs for movie night, we've got audiobooks to listen to while you clean the house or knit, and eBooks to fill your eReaders.

And if our offerings are not quite enough, check out Valley Family Fun for even more ideas how to enjoy your March Break right here at home! And do enjoy your Staycation.

The Best Card Around!

Here at Team AVRL, we think having a library card is pretty sweet. Your library card is your ticket to so much – books, movies, music, and more! 

Throughout 2014, our staff will be showing you reasons why we think you should have (and use) a library card. Watch our Facebook page and and follow us on Twitter @valleylibs every Thursday to see a new reason to have a library card!

We’d like to hear from you, too. Send us a picture** showing why you love having a library card.  Tell us why, in one short sentence. We’ll be posting these on Facebook, FLICKR, Twitter,  and our blog. Share with everyone and let them know why YOU love your library card! Just send your photo and sentence to us at TeamAVRL@gmail.com. Everyone who sends a photo will be entered into our monthly draw for a bag of books. Share on Twitter using the hashtags #bestcard and #TeamAVRL.

**By sending us a photo, you agree to allow us to use it on Facebook, Twitter, and in other media.