Blog Entries

Colorful Crayons Storytime-At-Home!

Home all day self-isolating can be a challenge, and missing your regular activities with library storytimes doesn't help. The Handley Library System's Youth Department is committed to helping our young patrons make this as enjoyable as possible and this week's storytime is perfect for some at-home enjoyment! We'll be celebrating National Crayon Day with a look at crayons and all the stories they have inspired. 

We'll be building a storytime-at-home that has some creative expression built right in, and includes some wonderful digital resources available with your library card,...

Read Full Post

Making Messes Storytime-At-Home

The youth library staff here at Handley Regional Library really misses all of our young patrons during this temporary closing. For this reason, we've been working to bring you content to enjoy at home. 

Head over to our Events section of our HRLS Facebook Page and you'll see them listed under "Upcoming Events". 

Ms. Donna and Ms. Cheryl recorded a very silly storytime last Wednesday and there was a lot of laughing as Silly Willy messed up his big performance. Watch it below!

Ms. Gina posted a Storybook Yoga to find here. 

For this week'...

Read Full Post

Tumblebooks Available for Free!

TumbleBooks, a world leader in online children’s book databases, announced today it will make its family of online libraries available for free to all public libraries until at least August 31.

Its flagship product, TumbleBooklibrary ( www.tumblebooklibrary.com) is a collection of animated talking picture books, read-alongs, ebooks, quizzes, lesson plans, and educational games which is used by thousands of schools and public libraries in over 100 countries across the world.

TumbleBooks’ databases are easy to use, and feature unlimited access from home! Your can read as m...

Read Full Post

Virtual and Live Programs for Kids & Teens

Our Youth Services team has been hard at work planning to bring the library world to you! 

Follow us on all social accounts (Facebook and Instagram are @handleyregional) and join us for the following programs:

Tuesday, March 31 at 2PM on Instagram Live

Kid Lit Reviews: Want to know what you should read next? Hear from kids your age that have sent in reviews in their own words of their favorite reads!

Wednesday, April 1 at 11AM on Facebook Live

Storytime and Puppets: Colorful Crayons is the theme this week in storytime. Join us ...

Read Full Post

Three Things To Love About Hoopla

If you haven’t discovered Hoopla yet, you’re in for a real treat. We've added Hoopla streaming to our already abundant digital library options for patrons to access. With more than 300,000 movies, television shows, ebooks, audio books, music, comics, and more, your digital world just got enhanced by leaps and bounds!

1.  Have you been waiting patiently for that next book in a series or a book everyone has been talking about? Need a certain book for your book club? The latest music album? Well, wait no more! There are no holds, so you can have your instant access to your item ...

Read Full Post

Being Green Storytime-At-Home!

The theme for early childhood programs this week is Being Green!  Although we won’t be gathering to share the stories and songs, we do have some great online resources to share, as well as songs you can use to build your own special story sharing time together. 

Our newest online resource, Hoopla, has some great options, including the following "Green" books, available just in time for St. Patrick's Day celebrations! 

You can check out How to Catch a Leprechaun through Hoopla, including the audio book, and a read-along movie. 

If you're look...

Read Full Post

Stuck at Home? Your Library is Here to Help.

For families of all ages, a global pandemic can be alarming and confusing. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been spreading throughout the United States now, specifically, and has led to school and public closures. The uncertainty of this national and global situation can induce more anxiety in our kids. However, learning how to talk about what is going on and what to do next can be the first step that grown-ups can take to lead to better understanding for families with kids.

Your public library can be a source of trustworthy information and educational resources if you and your fami...

Read Full Post

Shapes and Numbers Storytime

It's shaping up to be a great week at Storytimes at HRLS, and we're counting on a number of fun activities! Head over to any of our three branches and explore some shapes and numbers through stories, rhymes, music, and more. 

Look up the tag: #shapesandnumbers for some books to bring home while you're visiting. 

Five Little Books
Five little books, sitting on a shelf,
Look inside, and see a little elf.

Four little books, all in a row
Look inside, see it start to snow.

Three little books, still on the shelf.
Can yo...

Read Full Post

All About KidSTEAM

All About KidSTEAM!

 

KidSTEAM is Handley Library’s monthly program for ages 2-5. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. STEAM activities encourage active learning that builds from a child’s natural curiosity. According to the Fairfax County Office for Children, toddlers participating in STEAM projects gain: 

 

Observational skills Spatial awareness Beginning math skills Prediction skills Sensory awareness

 

Using a short book as a starting point, we explore fun-filled topics wit...

Read Full Post

Seussapalooza Storytime!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

The Handley Regional Library System will be welcoming in the Cat in the Hat, opening our hearts and ears to Horton to hear his Who friends, enjoying some green eggs with a side of ham, and celebrating all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters this week as we wish a Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss! 

Head over all week for Seusstastic books, rhymes, and music making. We'll shake our sillies, read some books, and celebrate one of our all time favorite authors. 

Shake My Sillies Out
Gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out
Blog Type: Kids

Leap Year Leaping Storytime

Once every four years in February, we LEAP into an extra day! This week at HRLS Storytimes, come hear some books that will get you ready for some jumping, hopping, and leaping through the calendar. 

You can find more books by typing in the tag: #leapyear into our library catalog, and enjoy some songs to get you ready to bounce into our extra day. 

Leap Year Poem
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone,
And that has twenty-eight days clear
And twenty-n...

Read Full Post

Movers & Diggers Storytime

Big construction machines are a fascination for most young children and we'll indulge and encourage this love all week at Handley Regional Library Storytimes! Head over to one of our three locations for a storytime event and pick up some great construction books while you're there. If you'd like a few ideas to get you started, type the tag: #let'sbuild into our online catalog search from any computer. 

As always, we'll enjoy some songs and activities to bring the storytime theme alive. Here are a few tunes to get you moving and digging into some great construction fun. <...

Read Full Post

I Love You Storytime

Skidamarink a dink a dink, Skidamarink a doo. I love you!

Although every day of the year is a great day to remind your child how much you love them, the approach of Valentine's Day gives us a wonderful opportunity to explore all the many ways we love one another. No commercialization, no gimmicks, just some great stories to share. The library has a bunch of love-filled books you can check out for free and read together! 

Head over to our storytimes the week of February 10th for some wonderful stories, songs, and more! Search the catalog for the tag: #ilove...

Read Full Post

Dental Smiles Storytime

Say CHEEEEEESE! This week the storytimes at HRLS will discuss all things teeth! We'll look at everything from dentists to brushing, and even those wobbly loose teeth. Head over for some fun stories to teach children more about their pearly whites and search our catalog for the tag: #pearlywhites to bring some great books home!

Here are some "teethrific" tunes and rhymes to help reinforce dental health. 

This Is The Way
(Tune: The Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we brush our teeth,
Brush our teeth, brush our teeth
This is the way we brush o...

Read Full Post

We Love Our Juvenile Easy Readers!  

 

February means Valentine’s Day, so we’re showing our love by celebrating our wonderful collection of easy readers! We have all of your favorite series, from Pete the Cat to Elephant and Piggie. We also have several collections of easy readers that we are sure you’ll enjoy.

 

Rookie Readers - Rookie Ready to Learn Readers are grouped by themes such as First Science, I Can, and Animals.These mainly fictional books feature activity pages that include matching games, songs, and word lists. The small size fits easily into little hands! For a list of Rook...

Read Full Post