Signs of Summer: Praying Mantises, Summer Reading Lists

Students in the Library watch newly hatched praying mantises, a sure sign of the arrival of summer.

Praying Mantises (Finally) Hatch!

As we remember all too clearly, Memorial Day and the days following it were unseasonably cool and rainy.  Still, our praying mantis egg cases hatched by Thursday, thanks to some strong morning sun and rising temperatures.  The little guys have now taken up residence in the North Side courtyard garden.  Here's some video for our students who couldn't be in the library on "hatching day," and for other nature lovers, too. Parents, avert your eyes if you're not particularly fond of little six-legged creatures!

Summer Reading

Speaking of summer, it will be here very soon, and we all know what that means-- time to get out a lounge chair and that pile of wonderful books we've been eyeing all winter! And, there is nothing more important for our students than to keep the reading going until they come back to school in the fall.  With so many terrific books and series out there, the only worry will be what to read first!

The link below leads to a treasure-trove of award-winning and other critically-acclaimed literature listed on the North Side Library Home Page under the section labeled "Book Lists for Summer Reading."  However, just as sure as ice-cream was meant to be savored on a hot summer evening, there are a few "guilty pleasures" in there, as well. Enjoy them all.

North Side Library Home Page

Save a Tree, Save Your Ice Cream Money

Our school library will be closed for the summer, but that's where your local public library comes in to save the day.  Public libraries are once again featuring the New York State Summer Reading Program. Parents, this is a great childhood summer tradition, and a great way to teach your children about community, as well as the importance and joys of reading.  It's environmentally friendly, social, and cost-conscious fun! 

Here's a link to the East Williston Public Library, for starters. If you have a Nassau public library card, you can go there, or to any other library in the Nassau public library system.  Take a look under "Summer Reading 2013." And when you get there, tell them Mrs. Homer sent you!

It's Finally Spring!

Spring is now in full swing, in spite of the temperature.  And in the library, that means there are praying mantis egg cases to hatch!  Sure, they're not colorful like butterflies, or cute like ladybugs. And yes, it's true that their carnivorous instincts can bring the phrase "sibling rivalry" to a whole new level! But praying mantises are a garden lover's best friend, protecting garden crops and flowers from destruction by the insects that feed on them. Each year we predict the hatching date of our little triangle-headed friends, and then we let them go in the North Side Courtyard Garden.

Our students love to observe nature in an "up close and personal" way.  They become very curious about the egg cases as soon as they arrive. They marvel at the fact that there could be up to 400 insects in just one case. They relate story after story about how they saw a praying mantis (or some equally unusual insect) somewhere just yesterday! They giggle at brief video footage from one of our informational databases of a praying mantis climbing up a flowering vine, turning his alien-like head this way and that.  Many of them will borrow a book about insects, gardens, or another animal after reading non-fiction about praying mantises during library time.

There is some wonderful non-fiction for children out there right now about nature.  On the library's Destiny Quest page, there is a resource list called "Studying Nature."  These books are available in the North Side library, but your local public library will have many of these titles, too. Why not take a look at the list for titles to get you started on becoming a "backyard scientist" along with your child?  Click or paste this link to the Destiny Quest home page into your browser's address bar.  On the Quest page, check out the "Resource Lists" box in the center.

http://170.24.128.102/quest/servlet/presentquestform.do?site=100&alreadyValidated=true

 As summer approaches, I hope you'll consider nurturing your child's love of and interest in nature by sharing a good book and a nature walk together-- you don't even have to leave your own backyard!