Children's Department

The Children's Department is located on the 1st floor of the library. We can be reached at 426-3851. Our Children's Department Home Page has information about programs and a variety of resources for children and parents.

• Children's Program Calendar
• Kids Catalog!
• Story Hours
• Summer Reading Program
• Internet Resources for Kids
• Searching the Internet
• Books and Authors
• Homework and Reference
• Science, Nature and Animals
• Resources for Parents
• Museum Passes

STORY HOURS

Story Hours are offered in consecutive six week sessions four times during the school year beginning in September for children ages 2- 5. Registration for the next session will take place January 19th through January 27, 2010. Registration forms will be available at the children's circulation desk beginning January 19th. No phone registrations will be accepted. Classes begin the week of February 1st, 2010. Children must be a resident of Newtown to be eligible for this free program.

Mother Goose on the Loose is a program of rhymes, music, movement and flannel board activities for children under 2 and their parents that takes place on Wednesday mornings at 10 am in the library meeting room. There is no registration or fee for this program. Limited to Newtown residents only please. Mother Goose will resume from a short break on January 6, 2010.

Mother Goose II is a program designed specifically for 2 year olds, (children 24-36 months of age), and their caregivers. This program uses many of the elements from Mother Goose on the Loose, with the addition of interactive activities and books geared for active two year olds. The program meets Thursday mornings at 10 am in the meeting room. No registration is required, limited to Newtown residents only please. Mother Goose II is on a short break until January 7, 2010.

Story time for 3 - 5 year meet Monday or Tuesday at 10 am or Monday or Wednesday at 1 pm. This 45 minute program of stories, songs, rhymes and a simple craft takes place in the children's story hour room. Parents do not need to stay in the room during the story time, but they must remain in the children's department. Register in person at the children's circulation desk beginning January 19th, 2010. Limited to Newtown residents only.

Summer Reading Program
For more than 20 years the CH Booth Library has encouraged children to read during their summer vacation by sponsoring an independent reading program for children ages 4 through grade 5. Children receive their own reading records and keep track of the books they read over the summer. Participants come to the library to talk about what they have read with our trained young adult volunteers and are rewarded with incentives. The summer reading program begins after school lets out for the year in June 2010.

Internet Resources for Children
Because of the nature of the Internet and World Wide Web, it is possible for a child to access almost anywhere, through a series of links. Parents should take an active role in supervising their children while they search the Net. By working together, parents can help their children make their time on the Internet exciting, fun, educational and safe. Children age 14 and under must have a signed parental permission form on file before they may use the Internet at the library.

Searching the Internet
Kids Click! – Search engine geared for children and designed by librarians

Facthound- Select your grade level and topic. Facthound links you to age appropriate web sites as well as book titles.

Yahoo!KIDS - Get help with homework and much more.

Books and Authors
American Girls Club
Arthur Online!
Award Winning Books
Children's Literature Web Guide

Database of Award Winning Children's Literature

Book Adventure

Monroe County Public Library (Lots of book lists with extensive series information)

Homework and Reference

A to Z Maps Online: is the worlds largest subscription-based database of proprietary, royalty-free world, continent, country, and state maps. Included in the 4,000+ maps are: political maps, physical maps, outline maps, population maps, precipitation maps, climate maps, and other thematic maps. New maps are added to the collection every month.

www.ICONN.org (Connecticut Digital Library) You'll need your library card to log onto these educational databases. Choose the following for resources that are age appropriate for young researchers:

Kids InfoBits: Students in grades k-5 can find information on animals, science topics geography and more. Just click on the Kids InfoBits link and find the information you need.

Junior Edition: Middle School Students

Student Edition: High School Students 

Global Road Warrior: The ultimate guide to the world. Information for the student, traveler or business person. Global Road Warrior provides country facts, society & culture, demographics, points of interest, maps, country flags and much, much more. Search by country or search all countries for a specific topic. Reports are downloadable and include information on how to create citations for school reports.

Grolier Online: Includes four encyclopedic resources: Encyclopedia Americana, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, Lands and Peoples and Popular Science.  There is remote access to Grolier Online from home with a valid C.H. Booth Library card.

Biographical Dictionary - A searchable database with basic facts on over 16,000 famous people. BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper - "If you can't find it here, you just can't find it."

Science, Nature and Animals

Exploratorium in San Francisco - A museum of science, art, and human perception.

Franklin Institute Science Museum - All kinds of neat info about current exhibits and things to learn.

StarChild Project - An astronomy site sponsored by NASA. Terrific!

Resources for Parents

Great Kids Connecticut: A web site for parents devoted to information on parenting education and health and safety.

Family Education: Homework help, expert parenting advice and more!

ALA Great Web Sites for Kids: The American Library Association has put together a wealth of great web sites perfectly suited to children on a wide variety of subjects.

Museum Passes

Admission to select museums are free or reduced with your C.H. Booth Library card and a $50 refundable deposit. Passes are available on a first come first served basis at the children's circulation desk. Passes circulate for 3 days. A fine of $5 per day is charged per day if passes are returned late.