Wauwatosa Public Library - Children's Department

This month our Baby Time is happening on a Saturday! Join us August 24th at 10am for an interactive 20-minute program for babies (0 - 12 months) with an adult. Enjoy simple stories, lap bounces, songs, rhymes, and fingerplays together! Older siblings are welcome. https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

We still have some spots available for our Spy School escape room! A great program for kids ages 8 and older who like mysteries--no previous knowledge of the book or graphic novel series is needed. Come have fun working together to discover clues, solve puzzles and decode cyphers! https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Please join us for Mandarin Chinese Story Time on Saturday, August 17th at 10am. Mason's Reading Space welcomes you to this interactive program where Miss Lily will first read a story in Mandarin Chinese, then follow with an activity and a book sharing for ages 4 -10. https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Our last Super STEAMers session for the summer will be on Thursday, August 15th at 2pm. Enjoy hands-on activities designed for kids ages 8-12 that incorporate science, technology, engineering, art and math. This session will be a ball--come learn about chemical reactions and make your own bouncy ball with three household items!
https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Spy School is back! The Academy of Espionage is looking for new secret agent recruits--do you think you have what it takes? Demonstrate your problem-solving skills at this Spy School-themed escape room, as you work together to discover clues, solve puzzles and decode cyphers. Sign up for a 30-minute timeslot on your own or with a group. Junior Agents must be a minimum of 8 years of age, per Academy guidelines. (Please note, this will be the same recruitment testing as last year). https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Did you know today is Book Lovers Day? Since it was International Cat Day yesterday, we'll have this pretty kitty ask you what you've been enjoying!

Happy International Cat Day!

Even the rain couldn’t dampen our excitement for DPW Story Time! Thank you Department of Public Works City of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Government and especially Ms. Jenna and Mr. Angel for explaining how these pieces of heavy equipment are used (who knew a garbage truck driver can pick up trash from over 700 homes in a single shift!) and answering all the children’s questions. Thank you also McDonalds on North and 68th for donating the delicious apple slices that were enjoyed while waiting for a turn to sit inside the equipment.

Thank you to Tatinana's Tiny Zoo for visiting the Wauwatosa Public Library on Monday! The kids had a great time learning about reptile care and getting to interact with different creatures.

See our library website for more great programs this month! https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events

Artsploration is happening next week! This process-based art program is designed for children ages 3-6 to have fun with different materials and techniques, focusing on exploration rather than a specific end result.

This series will feature a different project each day Monday-Friday, repeated at both afternoon sessions; Registration is required for each class. https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events

Join us for Sensory Story Time on Saturday, August 3rd at 9:30am. This program is designed specifically for autistic children, neurodivergent children, or children who find it difficult to sit through our traditional Story Time programs. This 45 minute program is for children ages 3-8 along with their parent or caregiver and includes stories, songs and free-play. https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

A big Tosa Library shout out to Poppy who finished 1001 Books Before Kindergarten today! Currently, Poppy’s favorite book is "Hey, Duck!" and she loves to read her books on Mommy’s bed. When Poppy is not reading she can be found swimming, dancing, playing with her big sister or cousins, and she likes to use Play-doh. Congratulations Poppy!

The Summer Olympics are here, and it's a great time to read more about this wonderful event! Titles like this one are also available on Libby! https://wauwatosa.countycat.mcfls.org/Search/Results?lookfor=olympics&searchIndex=Keyword&filter[]=target_audience%3A%22Juvenile%22&filter[]=availability_toggle%3A%22local%22&sort=relevance&view=list&searchSource=local

Roscoe the therapy dog will be back on Thursday, August 1st! Each 15-minute session is an opportunity for your child to build confidence and practice reading aloud to a registered therapy dog and his handler in a relaxed atmosphere. This program is for independent readers. https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Live reptiles will be in the library with Tatiana's Tiny Zoo on Monday, July 29th at 9:30am! Due to the limited registration, this session is only for children ages 7-12. Session will be held in the Firefly Room, and participants will learn about reptile care, with opportunities to get comfortable handling them! Tatiana will discuss anything from lifespan to diet to enclosure requirements, answer questions, and quell any fears about owning these exotic critters. https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Congratulations to Palmer for completing 1001 Books Before Kindergarten! Palmer's favorite book is 'Going on a Bear Hunt"; she likes it because she "likes the song." 😊 She loves to get cozy in a tent to read with "a really, really soft blanket and really, really soft stuffed animals." Her favorite people to read with are Mommy and Daddy and her friends. When she's not reading, Palmer likes to do puzzles, practice gymnastics, and play in the pool and sprinkler! Great job, Palmer!

New date and time! The next session of Triple P will be Wednesday, July 24 at 2:30pm.

In this session, learn how to help your children become confident and successful at school and beyond, including strategies for having healthy self-esteem, being a good problem solver, and becoming more independent. This series is geared for parents with children 0-12 years of age and presented by The Wauwatosa Children's Library and Triple P Team of Children's Wisconsin.

The next session will be held on August 22, but you do not need to attend all for the series to be beneficial. Wauwatosalibrary.org/register.

Last month, the Library hosted our annual Cupcake Wars for young patrons and, as you can see, it was messy and fun! Teams decorated cupcakes based onbooks they chose and even managed to pivot when a twist was added. They were incredibly creative! Thank you to Metro Market for the donation of cupcakes, frosting, and sprinkles!
Check out our other summer programs: wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

July is Disability Pride Month, and there are a lot of great books that feature diverse disabled characters. Here's a list with some great suggestions: https://www.madisonreadingproject.com/single-post/20-picture-books-to-read-for-disability-pride-month-and-beyond-by-margaret-kingsbury

Super STEAMers is coming up again on Thursday, July 25th at 2pm. Enjoy hands-on activities designed for kids ages 8-12 that incorporate science, technology, engineering, art and math. The next session will feature Crankie Contraptions--create your own story telling machine by assembling the frame, illustrating a story, and rolling it out on the "screen". https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Another special story time this month, with DPW! Staff from the Department of Public Works will tell us how two pieces of heavy equipment are used around the city. We will begin in the Story Room and then move down to a closed section of the parking lot where children will have the opportunity to get up close and sit inside these big machines. https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Thank you Wisconsin Conservatory of Music for the fabulous program on Monday! Ms. Elise and Mr. Ben did a wonderful job sharing their musical talents and engaging even the youngest attendees with fun songs and movement. Mr. Ben then taught the older kiddos the basics of drumming and they all sounded great! Literacy through music and fun for everyone!!

Please join us for Mandarin Chinese Story Time on Saturday, July 20th at 10am. Mason's Reading Space welcomes you to this interactive program where Miss Lily will first read a story in Mandarin Chinese, then follow with an activity and a book sharing for ages 4 -10. There will also be a session on August 17. https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

Next week we will be having Play Time (instead of the usual Rhyme Time) on Tuesday and Wednesday, from 9:30 - 11:00 am. No need to register, just drop by and have some fun! For children ages 0 - 2 with their families.

Calling all ninjas! Sensei Corey Holzman, a 6th Degree Black Belt, Owner of the Black Belt Leadership Academy, and a Top Competitor in the North American Sport Karate Association, will teach children some basic karate skills and put those new skills to the test with fun karate games at two sessions on Thursday, July 18, for ages 4-8 at 1pm and 9-12 at 1:30. Register at https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

We had an extra special guest reader at story time this week: Governor Tony Evers! He shared the book 'Gust' by local author Katie Meyer--and modeled attentive listening when Ms. Sharon shared a story too! The children's librarians got to speak with him and Representative Vining about libraries, early literacy, and the fun of working with children. Everyone had a great time with the visit, thank you all!

Thank you to those who attended our Click, Clack, Who? escape room last week! Based on the popular book series by Doreen Cronin, families worked to solve a jigsaw puzzle, counting and letter games and revealed the missing animal (a pig) that was trapped in Farmer Brown's barn!

In August the we'll have an escape room based on the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs (for big kids). Take a look at the other fun coming up: https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month

The next Sensory Story Time will be on Saturday, July 13th at 9:30am. This program is designed specifically for autistic children, neurodivergent children, or children who find it difficult to sit through our traditional Story Time programs. This 45 minute program is for children ages 3-8 along with their parent or caregiver and includes stories, songs and free-play. https://wauwatosa.librarycalendar.com/events/month