New apps on our ipad!

We have refreshed our table-mounted ipad to include some different apps.  See what's new!

Pre-K

Toddler apps:
Blue hat, green hat
Bunny Fun- Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Lingo Zoo
Little Stars Toddler Games Sago mini forest flyer
Tino the Triangle


Preschool apps:
Animal SnApp FarmEarth School
Cat in the Hat
Dr. Panda's Airport
Peep House Hunt
Piccadilly's Circus
Three Little Pigs
Toca Train



K-5

Book apps:
Aesop's Wheel of Fables
The Big Word Factory

On Beyond Bugs
Rom and the Whale of Dreams

History/Geography:
History: Maps of the World
State Bingo and Roadtrip
World War I for Kids

Science/Math/Coding:
Bedtime Math
NASA App
Scratch Jr.
Walking with Dinosaurs

Fun/Games/Art:
Kilubu: Magic Potions
Monument Valley

Have you seen our new ipad?

Last week we installed a new ipad in the Children's Department! Located next to the public access computers, this ipad features a wide range of apps for kids of all ages!  Browse through folders of apps for toddlers, pre-schoolers, and fun apps for older kids.

This ipad joins our wall-mounted ipads, which each feature one hand-selected app per week. Check out app recommendations and tips for using technology with children on our Apps page.  Wondering what all of this is doing at the library?  Read more about why we have apps at the Wellesley Free Library!

Some highlights on the new ipad include:

Toca Kitchen

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Come check it out!

Apps for kids @ the WFL

Our new FAQ about Apps for Children at the Library:

Why have apps at the library?

• Part of Wellesley Free Library’s mission is to provide free and convenient access to information through books, media, technology, and innovative

• Touchscreen technology and apps are becoming commonplace in schools and the workplace.

• The Library is an appropriate place to give children opportunities to build digital literacy skills.

• At WFL, we promote technology that is educational, interactive, and engaging. We encourage parents to use technology together with their children.

• Each family and child has individual needs. The decision of how and whether to use the touchscreens is yours. We are happy to provide recommendations and advice.


What resources do you provide to build digital literacy?


• Storytime 2.0 integrates apps and e-books into a story-time for children ages 3-6 with a caregiver. We are proud that our Storytime 2.0 program has been recommended by the Massachusetts Library System as a model for other libraries. Check our website for upcoming dates: www.wellesleyfreelibrary.org.

• Raising “App-y” Readers and Learners Presentations for parents on using technology with children. Check our website for upcoming dates www.wellesleyfreelibrary.org.

• Wall-mounted iPads in the main Library’s Children’s Room. One app per week promotes early literacy skills and general learning. Each app has been selected and recommended by WFL Children’s Librarians.

• Themed lists of recommended apps. Visit our apps page, and find additional research and resources at www.wellesleyfreelibrary.org/childrens/apps.html

Children and Technology roundup: screen time, best apps, and more!

Some interesting things have been happening in the world of screen time research and recommendations for kids!



This article sums up a new report from Zero to Three about screen time and young children, which is based on the last decade of scientific research about screen time and child development


This info-graphic from bostonglobe.com demonstrates how there are many different kinds of screen time, and what the benefits are of each kind.

For those of you with elementary-age kids, get recommendations for great fun and educational apps from a Children's Librarian at the Wellesley Free Library on Friday December 5th.  Sign up here!  http://www.libraryinsight.com/eventdetails.asp?jx=jip&lmx=650349

Wall-mounted ipads in the Children's Room!

Have you seen our new wall-mounted ipads in the Children's Room?

Each week, each ipad will display a different app for you and your child's viewing and playing pleasure!  The ipad near the storytime room will feature apps that promote early literacy skills.  The ipad in the non-fiction will feature educational apps for kids in grades K-5.

This week our apps are:  The Three Little Pigs by Nosy Crow and Weird But True by National Geographic

iPad Story Times at the Wellesley Free Library!

http://littleelit.com/tag/clara-hendricks/

10 in 10 Summer Reading Program for Middle Schoolers starts today!

10 in 10: The Summer Reading Program for rising Middle Schoolers

at the Wellesley Free Library starts today, June 24th!

On your first visit to the Wellesley Free Library this summer, please pick up some book entry forms.  What you read is up to you!  Required reading for school counts!  So do graphic novels, ebooks, audio books, and non-fiction!  Check out the collections in the Quigley Youth Room and our booklists for more ideas. 
For every book you read, fill out an entry form (available in the Children’s and Youth Rooms) and put it in the can on the Children’s Department Desk.  Away most of the summer? You can also submit forms online on the Teens Page at http://www.wellesleyfreelibrary.org/teens_welcome.html or email the information to welmail5@minlib.net. 

If you read TEN books by the end of the summer, you will be eligible for our grand prize drawing for an ipad mini on August 26th! The name will be pulled from those participants who read at least TEN books.  We will also have drawings for smaller prizes every other week, so read early and often! You don’t have to be present to win.

Youth Events at the library this summer:

June 26, July 10 and 23 and August 7
7:00-8:30 pm: Films from Disney’s Vault in the Wakelin Room

Tuesdays July 16, 23, 30 and August 7 and 14
3:30-4:30 pm: Kids Jam Band (registration required)


Friday July 19 
2:00-5:00 pm: Comics Workshop (registration required)

Saturday July 20 and August 17
2:00-4:00 pm: Magic the Gathering Club

Friday August 9 
3:00-4:30 pm: Jeans and T-shirt Crafts

Monday August 26
7:00-8:00 pm: End of the Summer Bash and prize-drawing