Back to School

The holidays are over, the kids are back to school - and for some, this means beginning year one, taking the first exciting steps into "big school", and wading a bit deeper into the refreshing waters of lifelong reading!

To help your child have the best chance of learning success at school, give them lots of opportunities to read aloud at home. Inspire your young reader to practice every day! Reading Rockets has put together some tips for parents of first-graders that offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader.

Try a new tip each week, and see what works best for your child.

Don’t leave home without it.	-	Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor’s office. Always try to fit in reading!
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Once is not enough.	-	Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.
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Dig deeper into the story.	-	Ask your child questions about the story you've just read. Say something like, “Why do you think Clifford did that?”
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Take control of the television.	-	It’s difficult for reading to compete with TV and video games. Encourage reading as a free-time activity.
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Be patient.	-	When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind your child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.
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Pick books that are at the right level.	-	Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.
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Play word games.	-	Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.
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I read to you, you read to me.	-	Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.
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Gently correct your young reader.	-	When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter.
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Talk, talk, talk!	-	Talk with your child every day about school and things going on around the house. Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation, and build on words you’ve talked about in the past.
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Write, write, write!	-	Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home. When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he or she is learning at school.

Visit www.ReadingRockets.org for more information on how you can launch a child into a bright future through reading.

A Midsummer Knight's Read : Fairytales at the Library

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Come along to the Busselton Library for a school holiday storytime full of fairytales both classic and twisted!

Stories read will be suitable for ages 5 and up (though younger kids are more than welcome too), followed by a fairytale-themed craft activity. The entire session will last about an hour.

Where:	Busselton Public Library
	Stanley St, Busselton
Date:	Wednesday 18th January 2012
Time:	10.00am - 11.00am
Cost:	FREE!

The Busselton Library runs regular storytime sessions throughout the year at 10.00am, every second Wednesday. For more information call the library on (08) 9754 1588 or email.

Children's Laureate Winners

Congratulations Alison Lester and Boori Monty Pryor for being honoured as the first ever Australian Children's Laureates. The two incredibly talented children's authors will share the inaugural appointment for 2012 and 2013. During their appointment Alison and Boori will act as national and international ambassadors for Australian children’s literature and will separately visit every state and territory inspiring young people to share and write their own stories.

You can search for books by Alison Lester and Boori Monty Pryor on the Busselton Libraries catalogue, or for more information on the Australian Children's Laureate click here.

A Midsummer Knight's Read at Busselton Library

The annual Summer Reading Club program will once again be taking place at the Busselton Library throughout the summer holidays.

This year the theme is A Midsummer Knight’s Read, exploring medieval history and classic fairy tales, as well as contemporary stories with familiar characters such as knights, princesses and dragons with a new twist. The program will promote reading as an enjoyable experience and encourage children to seek out new places to read, along with celebrating familiar reading spaces.

The Summer Reading Club is promoted primarily to children from 4 to 12 years of age, offering a variety of engaging creative writing activities, arts and crafts activities and games which encourage a love for books and reading as well as literacy and computer skills.

At the Busselton Library, Summer Reading Club activities run from Thursday 15 December, 2011 until Wednesday 25 January, 2012. Children and young people can register for free at our library and will receive a participation pack with library information and an activity booklet.

Last year the Summer Reading Club was a huge success with over 880 books being read by Busselton kids. This year, with the help of your family, it could be even bigger and better!

Research demonstrates that children who read for pleasure are the best readers and that families that read together provide the strongest model for future readers. The Summer Reading Club is an excellent program to support reading over the holidays across the community.

For more information contact the Busselton Library on the (08) 9754 1588 or email.

Kids' Reading Guide 2011-2012

Summer's just around the corner - want to find a good read for your kids?

The Australian Bookseller's Association has published a Kids' Reading Guide for 2011-2012, full of great titles chosen and reviewed by children’s specialist booksellers and suitable for toddlers to teens and all kids in between!
Flick through the interactive catalogue, or have a go at the sliding puzzle game!

For more info and to view the guide, click here.

Design a Cover for Alphabet Soup Magazine!

Using any materials you like, design a cover for Alphabet Soup magazine. Your artwork must be on one side of a sheet of white A4 paper. Make sure the paper is portrait orientation. Do not include the Alphabet Soup logo.

You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry must have a competition entry form with the declaration signed by the artist (aged 12or under), AND a parent. Entry forms and rules are available from the website

The winner's artwork will be used as the cover of the summer 2011 issue. The winner will also receive one copy of the summer 2011 issue, and art supplies worth $20.

The theme for the cover is: MEDIEVAL
Entries close 16 September 2011.

Visit the Alphabet Soup blog for some design-a-cover tips!

Words of Wisdom from Dr Seuss

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."


^{- Dr Seuss (1904-1991) -}

The Busselton Library has plenty of Dr. Seuss' books for you and your family to enjoy,
so come in and have a look!

Busselton Public Library Opening Hours:

Monday	9.30am	to	5.30pm
Tuesday	9.30am	to	5.30pm
Wednesday	9.30am	to	5.30pm
Thursday	9.30am	to	7.00pm
Friday	9.30am	to	5.30pm
Saturday	9.30am	to	12noon

Fun With Words

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

The image below is a word cloud taken from the text on this blog!

Check it out here.

^{(click to enlarge)}

This Little Pig went to the Library...

...because this little pig didn't want to stay home...
This little pig wanted to make something,
and this little pig wanted a song...
And this little pig said "Read it again!"
All the way home!

Trot into the Busselton Library at 10am on Wednesday 13th April for another free storytime session... this time it's all about PIGS!

Storytime sessions at the Busselton Library are aimed at children 3 to 5 years of age, and no bookings are required - contact the Busselton Library on (08) 9754 1588 for more info.

Tips for Sharing Books With Your Child

It has been shown that the single most important activity in building knowledge for future success is reading out loud to your child.

Pick the best time. Choose a time to read when you and your baby are happy and content and can enjoy this special time together. Any time when your baby is settled but not sleepy or tired is perfect.

Show your baby the book. Talk and read in a cheerful voice, point to the pictures as you read and talk about them (do this even with tiny babies). This adds to a baby’s vocabulary and shows them how conversation works back and forth.

Be aware of what your baby wants. Don't worry if your baby is restless and is not interested in the book – stop if they are upset.

Read aloud with your child every day. Choose books that you and your child enjoy. If your child chooses the same old favourite over and over again, this may be boring for you but it will please your child and they may even begin to recognise some words.

Take books with you when you go out. You might have to wait somewhere and have a few spare moments to read.

Have Fun! Sharing books together creates a special bond between parents and children.

Toddler Time at Busselton Library

Join Kate and her orangutan every four weeks at 10.00am on Friday for a fun workshop especially for toddlers.

Held at the Busselton Library on Stanley Street, each session lasts for around half an hour and includes songs and rhymes siutable for active little ones.

Participation is free, and bookings are not necessary.

The next Toddler Time session will be at 10.00am, Friday 1st April at the Busselton Public Library.

Visit our Parenting Programme Calendar for upcoming session dates, or phone the Busselton Library on (08) 9754 1588 for more information.

Storytime at Busselton Library

Regular Story time sessions are held at 10.00am every second Wednesday at the Busselton Library.

The sessions usually run up to forty-five minutes, and contain stories, rhymes, songs and a craft activity, which is centred on a special theme chosen for each session.

Participation is free, and bookings are not necessary.

The next Storytime at the Busselton Library will be held on Wednesday the 2nd of March, and the theme will be... SHEEP!


Is your child one of the hundreds that count Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox as one of their favourites? Come along to the Busselton Library to hear this and other fantastic sheepy stories, followed by a wonderfully woolly craft activity, suitable for children 3 to 5 years of age.

Better Beginnings for Families

This programme has been developed for families with children aged 0-3 years. The aim is to encourage the development of literacy and a love of books and reading. Further information is available through your local library, health nurse and the State Library of WA, or by going to the Better Beginnings website.