TinaB's blog

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Overcoming Obstacles – Life Skills for Teens

Have you ever been the target of a bully or do you lack the self-esteem to fully engage in life the way you would like to? Is fear of failure holding you back? Join us for this motivational program, presented by Debra Wright, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. In her presentation, Ms. Wright challenges participants to not only overcome personal obstacles, but offers ways to use the obstacles as a motivational force. She draws from her own experiences and provides examples of how to overcome daily challenges.

The importance of music and movement in a child’s development can’t be underestimated. The optimum age for introducing music and movement activities to children is from infancy to age six. The most rapid development occurs during these early years. Music and movement activities stimulate both hemispheres of the brain and the importance to cognitive skills has been well documented. In addition to the developmental benefits, participating in music, movement and dance activities is fun for you and your child and it’s a great way to bond!

Are you a teen looking for a summer job but not sure where to look? Do you know how to write a resume? Does the idea of an interview make you break out in a cold sweat?

Summer is great for hanging out and having fun, but wouldn’t it be nice to make some money, too? You wouldn’t have to ask your parents for spending money and getting a job is a big step toward gaining independence and meeting new people.

25 Challenges for Teens

First 4 participants to complete 10 of these challenges will win grand prize (must include one of the following challenges: #4 or 14, 10, 17, 20, or 22).

Prizes will also be awarded to participants who complete at least 5 challenges.

We all like to spend money, but when it’s money you’ve actually earned, are you a little more cautious about wasting it? Most teens are probably not thinking of retirement but wouldn’t you like to have some savings for a rainy day? With planning, you can even have your money work for you!

Get ready for SwampCon at Library Headquarters! Find out what’s new in anime and learn how to draw chibis at Library Headquarters.

For those of you who don’t know what chibi means, it is a term used in anime and manga to describe characters or animals that are small and often used to represent cuteness. For those of you who do know what chibis are, well, then you must already be interested in drawing them, right? So come to the SwampCon promotional program Friday, January 11 from 4:00-6:00 in Meeting Room A. 

What do the Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Thor, the Hulk, Iron Man, and X-Men all have in common? They were written by Stan Lee!

December 28 was Stan Lee’s 90^th birthday. Lee is the legendary comic book writer, editor, publisher, media producer, and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics. In the 1950’s, DC Comics was the comic book industry powerhouse, while Marvel was the scrappy underdog. Stan Lee was given the task to develop a super-team to challenge DC’s success. The result of the challenge was the creation of the Fantastic Four.

Welcome to Hogwarts!

What is more magical than watching one Harry Potter movie? Watching all eight Harry Potter movies! Come join us at Library Headquarters for a Harry Potter Movie Marathon beginning Wednesday, January 26 with The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets. Thursday we will show The Prisoner of Azkaban  and The Goblet of Fire. Friday’s films will be The Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince. We will wrap up the marathon on Saturday, January 29 with The Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2. The movies will be shown from 12:00 – 5:00 pm in the Teen Space. 

Write a letter to your favorite WWE Superstar and you could win a trip to New York City to see WrestleMania 29.

Matthew Holm, illustrator of the Babymouse and Squish series spent three days visiting Library Headquarters and Alachua County Schools. Thanks to the Friends of the Library for generously sponsoring this fun and informative visit!

Celebrate National Responsible Dog Ownership Days in September with the Dream Team, Gainesville's All-Star Dog Performance Team. The Dream Team will show off their skills at Library Headquarters on Saturday, September 8^th at 11:00 am in Meeting Room A.

The mutualistic relationship between dogs and humans goes back thousands of years. Dogs were one of the first animals domesticated by humans and may have played an essential part in the early success of our species.

Imagine how wonderful it would be if your baby could tell you when she was hungry, thirsty, needed a fresh diaper... or a cuddle. Babies begin to utter their first words around 12 months of age, but possess the gross motor skills needed for sign language as early as 5-6 months of age. The potential benefits of teaching babies to sign are huge. Babies who sign experience the joy of being able to communicate with their parents, and experience less frustration over not being understood. 

     What are the only flying mammals whose names conjure up notions of romance and mystery? Bats, of course! All you have to do is mention bats and visions of blood-sucking vampires come to mind, but don’t worry, there will be no vampire bats at the Library!

Do you know the difference between a butterfly and a moth or what a chrysalis is? Find out by joining us April 18 at 10:30 am at Library Headquarters for a pre-school program and butterfly release courtesy of Greathouse Butterfly Farm.

After the butterfly release, we'll have butterfly craft activities with our own Mr. Gerald.

The beauty of nature will be on display at Alachua County Library District. There’s no better way to celebrate Earth Day!

Did you know that some bugs help make a garden grow or that you can plant a garden almost anywhere? Do you know about composting and growing organic fruits and vegetables?