Read Aloud. Change the World – Thursday 1 February is World Read Aloud Day

Thursday 1 February is World Read Aloud Day, because:

We think everyone in the world should get to read and write. Every year, on World Read Aloud Day, people all around the globe read aloud together and share stories to advocate for literacy as a human right that belongs to all people.

When I was in primary school, “Library Day” was one of my favorite days. Every second Friday, the book-bus pulled up outside our school and we  chose a book each. Later that day, we would visit my grandmother and her sister. One of them would gather up the five of us and read our books to us. I loved it, especially if a hard book had been chosen and it had to be read to us. Even when we were old enough to read the library books by ourselves, being read to was enjoyed by all.  The Just so stories and The Arabian nights were popular reads in my grandmother’s house and they eventually became a bit shabby. Reading aloud continued until our grandmother and our elderly aunt could no longer see well enough to read. Then it became our turn to read to them.

When was the last time you read aloud? Was it when your child was little? Was it before they stated to read? Have read to an older child or an adult?

I have read to an older child and we enjoyed it. We were able to share stories and talk about the themes and issues raised by the authors. We were able to share stories that the child didn’t have the literary skills to read alone.  It was a time to chat, share and discuss anything and everything. The result was, the child was exposed to stories, words and ideas that they would not have had exposure to if they had just read the stories that everyone was reading.

I always thought that reading aloud was a good idea. According to Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, reading aloud to a child, puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily reading alouds. Reading aloud obviously improves literacy and everyone in the world should get to read and write. Every year, on World Read Aloud Day, people all around the globe read aloud together and share stories to advocate for literacy as a human right that belongs to all people. Here’s why that’s important:

According to UNESCO, 258 million adults – two thirds of them women – lack basic literacy skills. Among the youth population, female literacy rates have risen quickly, but still three fifths of the illiterate are women. A child who is born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of five than a woman who is illiterate. A literate, educated girl is less likely to acquire AIDS, have a higher income and will have a smaller healthier family than her literate counterpart.

So, borrow some books.
Find a reading buddy.
Visit litworld.org and get ready to read out aloud.

Read alouds

• You can hear stories read aloud at our Babytimes and Storytimes 
  There is a storytimes at Linwood Library at 10am on Thursday 1 Feb (World Read Aloud Day)
• Recommended Read-Aloud Picture Books of 2016

• Great chapter book read alouds for Year Four to Six

• Great chapter book read alouds for Year Seven and Eight
• See our Top read alouds from 1902 to 2009
• Check out  WRAD read aloud suggestions

 

2017 Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day

When I first heard of Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day, I immediately thought of someone heading off in the dead of night with a new poem in one hand and a pot of paste in the other. The poem would then be pasted onto a wall or lamp post for us to read the next day. I was wrong. Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day is a day for everyone from novice and curious to professional poet to have the opportunity to share poetry and revel in its magic. To get involved and explore and share poetry. Discover New Zealand poets, and go on a magical, mystical journey.

National Poetry day is held on the last Friday in August each year. There will be poetry events  in the lead up to Poetry Day, featuring local poets and The School for Young Writers. there will be something for everyone.

This year Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day will be on Friday, August 25th. The organizers are promising us a one-day national poetry-event extravaganza.

I enjoy poetry. I love the way the words swirl in my imagination and form pictures in my mind. I like having poetry read to me. On the 25th of August, I’ll be borrowing a book of my favourite poems and maybe someone will read to me while I close my eyes and relax.

• Explore the National Poetry day events on in Christchurch.
• Find library poetry events on our calendar.
• Visit Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day website for information about their events.
• Read poetry by New Zealand Poets.
• See what I read in my Five Poets Challenge

It’s the year of the Rooster, but I’m a Rat

I was about 20 when I encountered Chinese New Year for the first time. We were holidaying in Hong Kong, which was British in those days and went across the border to The People’s Republic of China.

It was amazing. Bicycles were loaded up with decorations. Everyone was getting readily for New Year. I wished that I was going to be in China for a while longer. I would have loved to have seen it.

During New Year, red is everywhere. It is the colour of luck and happiness. Children receive money wrapped in red paper. Adult exchange poems written on red paper. The Chinese New Year is also an opportunity to remember ancestors, and to wish peace and happiness to friends and family. The lunar new year begins on Saturday 28 January. 2017 is the year of the Red Fire Rooster.

Are you a Rat, a Rooster or one of the other animals? Find out!

The holiday ends with the Festival of Lanterns. In Christchurch, The Lantern Festival will be held on 17-19 February. The best time to see the lanterns is after dark, but if you can’t get there at night, a day time visit is worth while. At night, the lanterns are bright colours in a dark park. During the day, the lanterns are not lit, but are colourful reds and yellows in a green park.

If you are interested in learning Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, We have a collection of books and language courses to suit all levels. We also have Mango Languages. This is an online learning system that will help you learn many languages. It also has lessons for learning English for speakers of Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese speakers. Use at a library or enter your library card & password / PIN.

CINCH is our Community Information Christchurch database. It has a list of a range of religious, arts and cultural organizations that meet the needs of the Chinese community.

• See how the libraries have celebrated Lunar New Year in previous years.
• Take a look at images of the Festival of Lanterns on our Flickr page.

For more information about the Lunar New year:

• Find stuff in our catalogue.
• View our eResources.

Tokelau Language Week – Te Vaiaho o te Gagana Tokelau 2016

Mālō ni. It’s Te Vaiaho o te Gagana Tokelau -Tokelau Language Week from 23-29 October.

Tokelau is a group of three coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean. The population of Tokelau is about 1,000. The language of the Tokelau is related to Samoan. More than 7,100 people of Tokelauan heritage who live in New Zealand. There are approximately 80 people of Tokelauan heritage living in Christchurch.

This year NZ Post are issuing a special set of stamps for Te Vaiaho o te Gagana Tokelau.

If you would like to know more about Tokelau and it’s language, we can help you.

• We have a collection of books for adults and children who want to learn the language.
• If you want to learn more about Tokelau, look in our catalogue or try some tokelau phrases online.
• Do you want to hear some Tokelauan music? Then check our catalogue and our music e-resources.
• Visit the Human Rights Commission website for more information about Tokelau Language Week.

And, don’t forget to say “Mālō ni”.

Adult Learners’ Week – a time to learn something new

If you think that learning is for children or for university students, then think again. Learning is for everyone and it is possible to teach ‘an old 0dog a new trick’.

If you don’t believe me, then think about this: I’m writing a blog on a computer. Computers were around when I was at school, but they were very big, very expensive and not very fast. Blogs hadn’t been invented and if you made a typing mistake, then you either had to start all-over again, or use correction tape. Thank goodness I continued to learn new things.

For those of you who would like to learn something new, Then Adult Learners’ Week / He Tangata Mātauranga is for you. It is supported by UNESCO, the Tertiary Education Commission, and adult education course providers. It takes place from Monday 5 September to Sunday 11 September. It includes International Literacy Day which is held on 8 September.

Lifelong learning not only teaches you new skills, it helps keep the “little grey cells” active and is a way of meeting new people. Our website can connect you with e-resources, books and courses. There will be something just right for you.

International Literacy Day celebrates the fact that literacy is a human right. The library has many tools which can help you improve literacy skills and those aimed at both students and tutors.

To get yourself  started, You will find English language skills collection material in our libraries. This collection includes resources for both people with literacy difficulties and their tutors. We also have Simplified readers. These books are popular titles that have been re-written to cater for people with different levels of reading ability.

When you can’t get to the library to borrow books, try our eResources. You can access these from home with your library card and password / PIN

• Road to IELTS: General  Access a self-study preparation course to help candidates prepare for the globally recognised IELTS exam. It tests English use at a general level.
• World Book Discover  World Book Discover offers access to reference resources for reluctant readers, students with learning difficulties, adult literacy students or those who are learning English as a second language.

For more handy hints, check the following, which you’ll also find on our Adult Learners’ Week page –

• Find education providers and groups in our community directory CINCH;
• Research using free access to computers and the internet;
• Browse our lifelong learning page;
• Improve your library and online service knowledge with our key skills page;
• Discover the full range of library services;
• Explore a world of knowledge at your fingertips through our eResources collection of encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers and other reference sources.

New Zealand Garden Bird Survey: in a garden near you

Are you a Twitcher? Can you tell the difference between a sparrow and a starling? If so, the annual garden bird survey is for you. New Zealand has a number of rare native bird species that are declining in number, but  the population of our more common native and introduced birds is not certain.

It is hoped that The New Zealand Garden Bird Survey will act as an early-warning system if currently common native species start declining.

We have several native species visiting our gardens, including fantail, tui, bellbird, silvereye, grey warbler, and kereru (native pigeon). We also have many introduced species in the garden too. Measuring the population trends our birds is an enormous task, and your help is needed.

The next survey will be held between 25 June and 3 July 2016. During this time, spend one hour noting the feathered friends that visit your garden. You will need to visit the Landcare Research website to download a survey form. If you are like me, and are not to sure what those birds are, either download a poster from Landcare, or borrow one of our bird identification guides.

I usually let flowers run to seed, so I get silvereyes visiting my garden while the fantails tease my geriatric cat. I like the idea of a bird-friendly garden. Do you have birds visit your garden? If you do, you can join in the survey.

   

World Wide Knit in Public Day 2016

Where do you knit? Do you knit in the privacy of your own home? What about in the tearoom at work or the waiting room? Have you knitted on the train, tram, bus or ferry? What about the park? Have you taken your knitting to a café or library?

Saturday, 18 June is World Wide Knit in Public Day and you are encouraged to do just that. Grab your knitting and knit in public. Do I hear you ask ‘why’? I say, ‘Why not’? It is a great way to show the world that knitting isn’t just for little old ladies with grey hair and pink cardigans.

World Wide Knit in Public Day at Central Library Peterborough

Join us at Central Library Peterborough with fellow Peterborough Street-ers Knit World to celebrate World Wide Knit in Public Day. Bring your knitting or crochet and enjoy tea, coffee and a chat on Saturday 18 June from 12 to 2pm. Better living through stitching together! Find out more.

Midwinter Woolfeast at Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre

This year, Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre will be hosting a Midwinter Woolfeast from 10am to 5pm. The Midwinter Woolfeast will have artisan dyers selling their wares as well as a whole series of workshops for knitters.

Knit around the Orbiter

How about knitting on the bus? Knit around the Orbiter!:

Celebrate World Knit in Public Day with fellow knitters and crocheters doing a loop on the Orbiter bus. Then we will pop along to a café. Bring your knitting or crochet and friends. There will be some wool and knitting needles and crochet hooks and tuition available. It takes approx 1hr 40 mins to knit all the way round.

Here’s our blog post on last year’s Knit around the Orbiter event.

More knitting action

If you can’t make it to a Knit in Public Day event, don’t worry, some of our libraries have knitting groups. Just look in our events calendar.

Now if you like the idea of knitting in public, but don’t want to be seen doing it, you could try yarn-bombing, but I think I’d prefer the company of others at a WWKIPD event. I might meet someone new, learn a new technique or introduce someone to the art of knitting.

• Check out our catalogue for books on knitting or knitting magazines
• Find out more about World Wide Knit in Public Day
• Find information about knitting groups in Christchurch

Happy Birthday Dr Seuss!

I loved reading Dr Seuss books when I was a kid. I think my favourite was Green eggs and ham. I also like The cat in the hat and The lorax and let’s be honest. I liked them all. I loved the way he used language and his illustrations are somewhat crazy, and that, I think is what made his books so memorable.

The writer that we all grew to know and love as Dr Seuss was Theodor Seuss Geisel, born on March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

When he was a child, he would practice drawing at the local zoo, where his father was superintendent. All of his children’s books feature crazy-looking creatures that are sometimes based on real animals, but usually consist of such bizarre combinations of objects as a centipede and a horse, and a camel with a feather duster on its head.

He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1925 and subsequently studied at the Lincoln College of Oxford University. After dropping out of Oxford, he travelled throughout Europe. He returned to New York, where he spent 15 years in advertising. His most famous advertising campaign was created for Standard Oil’s “Flit” insecticide. The Dr Seuss illustrations had the slogan “Quick Henry, the Flit”.

Theodor Geisel joined the army and made two Oscar-winning documentaries, Hitler Lives and Design for Death.

On the count of three, everyone sing “Happy Birthday Dr Seuss”. One. Two. Three.

I’m sure your singing was wubberlous.

Do you have a favourite Dr Seuss story? To re-read your favourite Dr Seuss book, or discover a new one, check our catalogue.

Go fly a kite

Do you remember what your first kite was like? Mine was made out of brown wrapping paper. It had a picture of John, Paul, George and Ringo that had been carefully cut out of a magazine stuck on it. It didn’t fly very well at all.

I was not deterred, and over the years I owned many kites that flew. I don’t own a kite at the moment, but I wouldn’t mind having a go at making one and taking it down to New Brighton beach and flying it. Kite Day is going to be on January 30th, and if I don’t get my kite to fly, I will get to enjoy those that do. I love the way that the small kites seem to duck and weave their way between the huge colourful kites.

So if you are like me and love kites, head on down to the New Brighton Beach, south of the Pier, on Saturday, 30th January between 1.30pm – 4.30pm with your kite and join in the fun.

• Look in our catalogue to find books on kite making.
• Browse our page on Te manu tukutuku – Māori kites for kids.
• See photos of previous kite flying days on our Flickr photostream.
• Check out the Summertimes events guide for more summer events.

Streets Kite Day – New Brighton 2015, Flickr 2015-01-24-IMG_4948

Streets Kite Day – New Brighton 2015, Flickr 2015-01-24-IMG_4942

The outdoor art gallery

When I first moved to Christchurch, there were very few wall murals and the outdoor sculptures were just statues of monarchs or founding fathers. For my art fix, I headed off to the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, tucked in behind the museum in the Botanic Gardens. It was a lovely building, full of many wondrous works of art. It was too small and could only have a fraction of its collection on display. I was delighted to visit the new Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu in 2003. My favourite pieces were on display and there were galleries full of paintings I had never seen before.

When the earthquakes struck and the gallery was closed, I thought it would be years before I saw art in Christchurch. I was wrong. It seamed that every smooth wall and every spare space made way for art.

 

The road to Sumner became an art gallery when all the shipping containers got decorated. When I arrived in Sumner, almost every container, fence and wall had been pimped out.

Wongi Art on St Asaph Street, Flickr 2014-12-15-IMG_3940

New Brighton and Lyttelton were the next colourful destinations. What could have been depressing road trips became an adventure. I wanted to see what the locals had in store.

The ruined buildings in the central city became the canvas for many artists, and they made walking through town much more enjoyable that it could have been. The Justice Precinct has copies of works of art on the wall. Copies of paintings are on a wall on Moorhouse Avenue.

Everywhere I looked, there was a mural on a wall. Unfortunately, a mural on Barbadoes Street has almost disappeared because of the construction of a new building. I expect I’ll be waiting a long time to see it in all its glory again.

Re:START Mall is pretty colourful. I think I can count that as a work of art.

Gap Filler created works of art too. They really are almost sculptures. The spaces created were unexpected and made me smile.

 

I have missed the Art Gallery and I am looking forward to wandering through its rooms again. However, when it was closed, I realised one important thing: Christchurch is an art gallery.

• Find out more about public art in Christchurch
• Browse more photos in our Flickr photostream:
  • Street art
  • Wongi and Ikarus art
  • Spectrum Street Art Festival 2015
  • Spectrum Street Art Festival 2015/2016
  • Gap Filler
  • Re:START Mall