The Eastern Regional Library Show 29th June 2011

Library staff members Lesley Conway and Pia Butcher run a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 98.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next week for a great show.

On Wednesday's show

 

The libraries are buzzing over the next two weeks, with school holiday activities at all our branches, even the newly refurbished Croydon library which re-opens on 4th July.

 

At the same time, there are still a lot of adult activities, including monthly book chat at Rowville, and two gardening groups meeting, at Rowville on 1st July 1 and Ferntree Gully on 7th July.

 

Further ahead, it is worth noting that the first week in August is National Family History Week. There will be activities in our branches, and in many organisations which support family history research. The Genealogical Society of Victoria is hosting four free talks and an Open Day over the week, covering 'Using Digger software for Australian Births, Deaths and Marriages', 'Starting your family history', 'Using Archive Digital Books Australia' and 'Introduction to Irish family history'. The link to thier web page is www.gsv.org.au.

 

The novel reviewed today was Natural flights of the human mind by Claire Morrall. It is only her second novel, and her first, Astonishing splashes of colour, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. I admire the way she takes two quite unprepossessing characters. The first we meet is reclusive Peter Straker who lives in an abandoned lighthouse and refuses to speak to anyone. The other is Imogen Doody, a dissapointment to her mother, abandoned by her young husband, and dealing with the world through anger and pugnacity. The story gradually reveals details which allow us to feel sympathy, and even liking for these two unlikely aquaintances, and the drama which occurred twenty five years before which has shaped both their lives. Morrall's writing reminds me of the gentle, but perceptive writing of Ann Tyler and Nick Hornsby.

Music today was from Get happy : the best of Judy Garland

---- Lesley

Book into the fantastic July holiday activities at our libraries

I've just uploaded the July holiday activity program and there's a huge amount of cool activities for kids including performances from

• Paul Jameson - The Music Man
• Carp Productions
• Bopping with Bethany
• Wind in the Willows retelling
• Garden fairies

In addition some of the craft activities include:

• Wooden spoon puppets
• Beaded jewellery with Heidi
• Dream catchers
• Wood workshops

Book in quickly to avoid disappointment!

Cheers, Maryanne

Book in for April's holiday activities including a cartooning workshop & junior masterchef

The latest school holiday program is out...view the holiday activity program (PDF 431KB). Book through the online calendar or phone your local branch.

A few of the activities:

Monday 18th April 10:30am at Rowville Library
Monday 18th April 1:30pm at The Station House - Mt Evelyn Library
Cartooning Workshop with Adam Wallace
Create fantastic drawings and cartoons.
BYO greylead pencil! Ages 7-12. Cost $4 per child

Wednesday 20th April 11am
Junior Master Chef Cooking
Chef Stephen Wilson will demonstrate how to make some simple and delicious childrens favourites. Join us for a fun cook up..please bring an apron! Ages 4 plus.
Cost $3

Cheers, Maryanne

Memory boxes, juggling and monsters at the library holiday activities. Book now!

Have you booked your kids into January's holiday activities? Lots of free or minimal charge activities for kids. Activities include:

Memory Box craft creations
Decorate a box for your special treasures. We have some great decorations for you to use! BYO Box.
When: Wednesday 12th Jan 2–2:45pm
Where: Croydon Library, Civic Square, Croydon 92945640
Book into Memory Box craft


Juggling Workshop
Learn to juggle with Pete. Free event
• 1st session at 11am. Age: 5-9 year olds Book into juggling 5-9 years
• 2nd session at 11:30am. Age: 10 plus Book into juggling 10+ years
When: Wednesday 19th Jan (two sessions)
Where: Yarra Junction Library, Hoddle St, Yarra Junction 59671588

Paper monsters & make some slime!
All ages. Free activity
When: Thursday 13th Jan 11am
Where: Ferntree Gully Library, 1010 Burwood Hwy, Ferntree Gully 92948140
Book into Paper Monsters

View and print our holiday program (PDF, 2 pages, 343 KB) | Book into any event

Cheers, Maryanne

Book in now for the January school holiday activities

The January school holiday program is out, so book early! Activities include:

• Paper monsters and slime (FTG)
• Dancing skeletons (Knox)
• Fabric collage (Lilydale)
• Richard Galbraith's Cartoon workshop (Mt evelyn)
• Juggling workshop (Yarra Junction)

Download the holiday program PDF 2 pages, 343 KB

Cheers, Maryanne

Fractured fairytales at Croydon Library this morning

This morning the local parents and their children were treated to a brilliant fairy show provided by Carp Productions. It was loud, exciting and hilariously silly to
boot. We had an overall crowd of around 60-65 parents and kids, with some walk-ins to make up numbers.

Fun was had by all, especially the kings and queens from the audience that got to tell everybody what to do! A big thanks to Carp and a big thanks to Croydon
staff for managing the sudden child influx in the library.

Adam, Youth Services Librarian, Croydon Library

We've got lots of cool actvities on at Eastern Regional Libraries during the holidays so check out the holiday program (pdf, 199 KB, 2 pages) and book online via our calendar.

Cheers, Maryanne

Make suncatchers and snow globes and more at our holiday activities Sept 20-Oct 1

The September/October holiday program has just been uploaded on the website and its packed with lots of amazing things to do - Drumming workshop, Suncatchers, Rocket Snow Globes and Bopping with Bethany. View the holiday program (pdf, 199 KB, 2 pages)
Cheers, Maryanne

Book in now for next week's holiday activities at our libraries

We have a wonderful range of holiday activities in our libraries next week, including door hangers at Lilydale Library, Wild Animal Storytime at Croydon Library, So you think you know Percy Jackson at Knox Library and Newspaper Fish Collage at Ferntree Gully Library.

View the calendar of events and book online now.
Cheers, Maryanne

Book in for holiday fun at Eastern Regional Libraries

Book in for the fantastic holiday activities at our libraries, including wood workshops, collages and a performance by The Music Man, Paul Jamieson.
View the holiday program (pdf, 152 KB, 2 pages)
Cheers, Maryanne

Fun for the kids during January

Holiday activities
Check out the January school holiday program for lots of activities for children, some are free, while others have a small cost. A few highlights:

Croydon Library are having two sessions of Make a rain stick & Mexican bird rattle - Tuesday 12th Jan 11am & 2pm

Mooroolbark Library are having 3 sessions of the Yarra Valley Woodworkers on Wednesday 13th Jan 10am (fully booked), 11:30am & 1:30pm (cost is $6 and kids can make bird feeder, nest box, pencil case, trinket box, plant pot holder, dolls cradle).

Meanwhile Rowville Library is having fun with Scrapbooking. You supply the photos and we'll supply the rest. Monday 18th Jan 10:30am, cost is $2.

View January school holiday program (pdf, 169KB, 2 pages)


Summer Reading Club
Kids can also join in with the Summer Reading Club. Fill out the registration form at your library today and start reading.

Rewards include stickers, temporary tattoos & wristbands.

Return your completed reading record by Friday 15th January to enter the competition for a $100 book voucher. Entrants also go into a State draw for an ipod.

Cheers, Maryanne

January holiday program

Not going away in January? Book the kids into some of our school holiday activities. Events include bedtime storytime, Black Snake Productions, cartooning workshopand Yarra Valley Woodworkers.

View January holiday program (pdf, 169KB, 2 pages)

Cheers, Maryanne

June/July holiday activities

Looking for something to keep the kids occupied these next school holidays? Book in for the fantastic holiday events at our libraries, including an African drumming workshop, paper plane challenge, scrapbooking and Richard Cutler magic show.

View June/July holiday activity program (pdf 2 pages, 160Kb)

Bookings at any of our library branches.

Cheers, Maryanne

The Eastern Regional Library Show 25th March 2009

Library staff members Lesley Conway and Pia Butcher run a radio show each Wednesday 12:05pm-12:45pm on Eastern FM 98.1 called The Eastern Regional Library Show. Tune in next Wednesday for a great show.

On Wednesday's show

School holidays are just around the corner, only ten days away in fact, and this is when we remind you that there is a wonderful range of activities for children at all of our branches. Check out the program on our website.

I am also going to encourage mum's who might have the chance, to sit back and read a book over the holidays (no rushing to get the kids to school, to basketball training and piano lessons for two weeks!).

An author I have thoroughly enjoyed for her humour, light touch with romance and quirky characters, is Victoria Clayton. She began her writing career with Out of love, which compared to the novels which followed, is about unrequited love. Her heroines are always beautiful, but not boring. They are often shy or stubborn or naive, and the course of true love is quite tortuous. What makes these novels really entertaining is the additional cast of very eccentric, sometimes loveable, sometimes hateful characters. Her latest is A Girl's guide to kissing frogs, with Marigold, a young ballerina on the brink of career success having to return to her parents in Northumberland to nurse a broken foot. Between her sweet ageing hippy mother, womanising father, handsome lord of the manor, assorted tinkers, village characters, and a mysterious German bussinesman who is renovating a romantic old house, the relationships take many unexpected twists and turns. If you like to read in correct sequence, you need to begin with Out of love, as a nice touch is that the heroine from each book appears briefly in the next. However, it won't make any difference to your reading pleasure if you don't follow the sequence. Victoria Clayton has an interesting, chatty web site at http://www.claytons.demon.co.uk/

----Lesley

April holiday activities

Monday 6th April - Friday 17th April

Hot off the presses. I've just been sent the holiday activity program for April. Some of these activities will book out fast so you'll need to contact the branch sooner rather than later.

View April holiday program (pdf, 131Kb, 2 pages)

Activities include:

• Make your own marionette puppet (Healesville)
• Decorate a paper Easter egg competition (Mt Evelyn)
• Jewellery making (Lilydale)
• Plaster cast making (Boronia)

Some of the performers include:

• Jo Rothwell, author of the My Adventure books (Yarra Junction)
• Black Snake Reptile Show & The Australian Reptile Show (Lilydale & Ringwood)
• Dinosaurs with Andrew Plant, see Andrew’s fossils & plaster casts (Montrose)
• Italian cooking for kids (Mooroolbark)
• Scott Ryan & Chester the Bear, peforming healthy eating (Ferntree Gully)
• Dream puppets presents Dreamer in the deep (Knox)
• Manga workshops (Knox & Croydon)

Cheers, Maryanne

2nd Annual Teddy Bears Picnic

If you go to Lilydale Lake be sure of a big surprise... it's the 2nd Annual Teddy Bears Picnic @ the Lilydale Lake Rotunda at 10:30am.

Bring your teddy and picnic basket and get ready for teddy fun stories, songs and activities.

Cordial provided. Meet at the rotunda decorated with balloons. The Community House will be open.

When: Friday 23rd January 10:30am
Where: Lilydale Lake Rotunda (entry via Swansea Rd, Lilydale)
Cost: Free event
Bookings essential phone 92943120

Cheers, Maryanne

Scuba diver in a bottle

Create an underwater world and help your diver rise and fall through the water. Experiment with water pressure and learn about science, while making something cool and fun.

Fo ages 4-13 years.

When: Wednesday 21st January 11am
Where: Healesville Library, 231 Maroondah Highway, Healesville
Cost: $2 per child
Bookings essential phone 59624423

Cheers, Maryanne

Richard Cutler - Magician

Magician Richard Cutler will be entertaining the crowd at Croydon Library this school holidays. There are still some places left, don't miss out.

When: Wednesday 14th January 11am
Where: Croydon Library, Civic Square, Croydon
Cost: $3 per child (children under 3 years are free)
Bookings essential phone 92945640

Cheers, Maryanne

Holiday activities

Book now for the September activities at our libraries. A great mix of events including a teddy bears' picnic, how to train and care for your dog, star wands and scrapbooking.

View the holiday program (pdf, 132 Kb)

Cheers, Maryanne

January Holiday Activities

The January Holiday activity program has been uploaded to the website. Book in early for the fantastic activities for kids at our libraries.

View the holiday activity program.

Cheers, Maryanne