Franklin Visits the Library

Mz. Shannon with Franklin
Originally uploaded by thomas ford memorial library

Franklin the Turtle visited our Library for two fun filled days.

We use Costume Specialists from Ohio for many of children's literature costume needs. The costume is used and then returned to the company. A low cost, and low impact program that is a direct connection to our collection. This service is available to libraries and bookstores at very affordable rates.

In our program we read Franklin stories, looked at turtle books and learned information about the parts of a turtle, their diet and types of turtles. Don't forget a turtle dance with a glittery turtle craft to top off a great program!

A WOW Science Show from Mike Offutt

We received a great patron response from our hosting of Mike Offutt and his Ultimate Science Show. Mike received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1993 from the National Science Foundation. His rapport with students is clearly evident as he engages his students on many levels.

His show featured demonstrations, audience interaction and lots of WOW. We were pleased to see that he actively discussed ecology and environment to fit right into our Earth Rocks theme.

Into the Rainforest at Thomas Ford

We welcomed master puppeteer Marilyn Price to our Library for a Saturday puppet show. She performed her "Into the Rainforest" show, an ecological treasure chest of stories told with recycled puppets featuring the plight of the Rainforest as well as local opportunities to save and protect this world.

Stories included included: I Shot My Arrow in the KanKan Tree, Guara Diva Saves the Trees, and The Kapak Tree.

We were most pleased to receive a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. They provided partial funding for this wonderful cultural opportunity.

More pictures are available on our Flickr site. Enjoy!

Rhonda Telfer Author Visit

We enjoyed a visit from our very own local author Rhonda Telfer. Her book, Grandpa's Treasure, fit right into our theme of earth appreciation. Rhonda read her books and showed us an exciting barn display featuring elements from her story. You can visit her site at Visual Generation to learn more about the story and see a few of the beautiful photographs.

Rhonda read and discussed her story, and then we played "Beat the Author" in a corn shucking contest. Rhonda will be sorry to say that she lost. Rhonda also brings a barn display and sample feed corn for the children to touch and shred.


We tempted kids with fresh steamed corn to taste, and many parents were surprised to see their kids reaching for more! Recipe: Take knife and saw off the top of an ear of corn while keeping the husk on. Just only gently peel away straw pieces of the outer husk. Put 2-3 ears in the microwave and turn on high for about 12 minutes. The corn steams itself in the husk and and you just simply peel it once slightly cool. Yum!


We also offered fresh local strawberries, cheese and milk to sample a few products that might grow on a farm. Throw in an Ellison barn craft, hay gluing and a little square dance music and you have a program to remember! We had about 50+ kids in and out of the program and parents were raving about how much fun it was.


Hint to Illinois: Rhonda loves to visit schools and libraries!


Other books read/discussed in the program included Cows in the Kitchen (Crebbin) and Barn Dance (Martin).


Please visit our Flickr site to see other updates! It is an exciting summer.

Decorating Ideas & Update

This year we've tried a few new tactics to decorate for our program in a cost effective manner that would still be low enviro impact.

Our art volunteer has created a set of beautiful window paintings using Simply Washable Tempura paint from Colorations. This paint can be used on paper and a variety of other surfaces. It will wash off easily from glass using a vinegar based cleaner or similar product. The paint averages $1.69 each color and comes in a recyclable bottle.

We have several window displays and other pictures from our Children's Department on our Flickr Site. Check it out!

We have registered over 900 children from our program, and the response has been excellent concerning prizes and decorations.

Mark Dvorak at Thomas Ford

Mark Dvorak performed at Thomas Ford this Thursday June 20th. He provided a terrific show of music, movement and fun for patrons of all ages. Several of his songs touched on themes of using what we have, and Use it Up, Wear it Out!

Registration for our program started at the beginning of June, and response has been excellent. So far we are at 786 registrations and going strong. We usually break 1,000 every year, so after that point we begin to cheer.

Patrons have really been enjoying the theme. We've decorated with live plants, had an artist hand paint a mural, paint with washables on windows and overall we've tried to reduce our impact with simple decorations and such. The kids are very excited about getting to plant a plant, and the Garden Club donated soil and seeds!

I'm taking notes on how to reduce our impact next year. Our weakness seems to be in use of paper, packaging and snacks. Shipping is also of concern with a great deal of our items.

You can visit our Flickr site for picture updates.

Summer Recycling Drive

This summer we are going to do a variety of recycling and product drives in order to highlight ways to think beyond just one use. Though the ultimate goal is to reduce the amount that we use, recycling is a wise choice for the benefit of our earth.

You can see our decorated boxes rarin' to go, and we have an Eagle Scout volunteer set to box, deliver or ship our collected items. Though our program doesn't officially begin we've already collected about 100 eyeglasses, two pounds of crayons and 20 old phones. Each box was designed to fit neatly on the end of a shelving unit so it is visible yet out of our traffic paths.


Recycle Crocs
Croc shoes will be recycled through SolesUnited. This is unique program that recycles Crocs into a new product then distributed to countries in need (Haiti for example) for free. You may bring Crocs that you would like to recycle to the Library and place in the appropriate bin. Please note that shoes must be washed and clean before place in the bin.

Recycle Electronics
We will be collecting phones, PDAs, and other small electronics through Collective Good. Proceeds from our efforts through Collective Good will be donated to the Captain Planet Foundation, dedicated to creating environmental programs for children in grades K-12.

Recycle Glasses
We will be collecting eyeglasses to recycle through the Lions Club International. Glasses will be recycled and used to aid people in developing countries that have little or no access to eye care.

Recycle Crayons
Bring us your tired stubby nubs of crayons yearning to live again. We will be collecting crayons to send to a crayon recycling company called The Crayon Bin. For every pound of crayons we recycle we will receive a unique set of molded crayons that will be given away as a prize. Crayons are made from paraffin wax, a petroleum product. The less in landfills, the better!