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Did you know that sensory play lays an important foundation for your child’s learning? It encourages brain development, open-ended thinking, fine motor skill building, and even language learning. We’ve rounded up three of our favourite sensory activities to help preschoolers explore sounds and engage their sense of hearing — all you need are a few household objects. Besides, who doesn’t love making some noise. 1. Egg Shaker Matching GameThis fun and simple activity turns listening into a game and helps preschoolers refine their sense of hearing while promoting problem-solving skills.What you’ll need:Six plastic eggs in two different colours for a total of twelve eggs (e.g. six purple, six orange) Small objects that make noise. Some good options include: Small jingle bells Buttons Pennies Dry beans Rice Cheerios Broken crayons Paper clips What to do:Fill pairs of eggs with different items so that there is one egg of each colour filled with the exact same noisy object. For example, there should be one purple egg with rice and one orange egg with rice, and so on. Tape the eggs shut to prevent peeking or spilling. Have your preschooler listen to an egg of one colour and try to find its match in the other set of eggs. For example, have them listen to one purple egg, then try to find its match in the orange eggs. This game can also be done with siblings to encourage social-emotional skills and negotiation. 2. Rain MakerThis craft is easy to make at home with a few household supplies and creates a beautiful rain maker that preschoolers love to tip back and forth.What you’ll need:Cardboard paper towel roll Paper bag Aluminum foil Tape 1 cup corn kernels, uncooked rice, or a mix of both Paper Markers What to do:Cut out a circle from a paper bag that's slightly larger than the circumference of your paper tower roll. Trace the paper towel roll in the middle of your circle. Then, cut out about 4 equally spaced slits from the edge of the paper bag circle to your traced circle. Fold up your paper bag circle over your cardboard roll. Use masking tape to attach your circle to your cardboard tube and seal off an end. Rip out a sheet of aluminum foil that's about three times as long your tube. Scrunch the aluminum foil into a long snake (your child can help with this fun task). Then, fold it back and forth, creating a bunch of kinks in a zigzag (this will slow down the fall of your rice or corn to make it sound more like a real rain stick). When you're done, slide the foil snake into your tube. Pour the rice or corn (or a mix of both) into your cardboard tube. Then seal the other end following the same directions found in steps one and two. Now it's time to decorate your rainmaker. Cut out a piece of paper that will cover your cardboard tube. Doodle a design, tape it around your tube, and you’ll have a lovely rainmaker that creates a soothing pitter-patter sound. 3. “Guess the Sound” JarsA simpler version of the plastic egg activity, you only need one container for this fun guessing game that will engage your child’s sense of hearing.What you’ll need:Opaque jar or container, like a yogurt tub Variety of small items (e.g. beans, salt, jewelry, rubber bands, coins, buttons, rice, bouncy balls) What to do:Fill your jar with a small object that makes noise when you shake it. If you have more than one container, you can set up multiple containers with different objects. Ask your child to guess which object is making noise. Then hide a different object in the container and repeat as many times as they’re willing to guess. This is also a great opportunity to expand vocabulary if you and your child try to describe each sound with words like rattling, ringing, loud, soft, etc. Enjoy this fun game together with your preschooler! Learning is fun with these simple but engaging sensory activities. Want even more great early literacy activities you can do at home? Be sure to check out Your Library at Home for more resources like these.Not yet a member? Sign up for your free Library card.Sources:https://playtolearnpreschool.us/sound-matching-game/http://www.pinkstripeysocks.com/2015/09/how-to-make-cardboard-rainmakers-preschool-craft.htmlhttps://handsonaswegrow.com/easy-sound-sensory-jars-to-make-play/
Read more about "Stories Three Preschool Sensory Activities that Explore Sound"When it comes to learning the alphabet, preschoolers benefit from repeated exposure and varied practice with letters. If you’re looking for fun ways to incorporate the alphabet into your child’s day, these simple indoor games are easy to replicate at home and provide a variety of ways to engage with the alphabet.You’ll find both calm, quiet activities to keep them occupied, and more active games that will help them burn off energy. Ready? Let’s have fun with letters!Alphabet Connect-the-DotsThis simple activity promotes letter recognition and gets little bodies moving.What you’ll need: A long roll of art or butcher paper, or sheets of paper taped together, and crayons or markersWhat to do:To start, choose five or six letters to focus on (aim for a mix of letters they know well and letters that are more of a challenge). Using a long roll of paper and some crayons or markers, write the first letter you’ve chosen in random spots on the paper. Then move on to the next letter and do the same thing, until all the letters are written. Each letter should repeat about eight to ten times on the paper. Hand your preschooler a crayon and ask them to draw a line connecting the letters which are the same. For example, they may choose to start with the letter “G” and connect all of the “Gs” they see with their crayon. Source: Hands On As We Grow website Secret LettersWho doesn’t love receiving a secret message? This exciting activity combines the delight of revealing a hidden message with letter recognition practice. What you’ll need: White paper, white crayon, watercolour paint (or homemade paints made of jello powder or fruit juice), and a paintbrush What to do:Use a white crayon to write hidden letters or words on the paper. Hand the note to your child to paint over with watercolours. As they paint, the white wax of the crayon is revealed. See if they can read your message or tell you what letters they see appearing. Note: the message can be adapted to your child’s age and reading level. For toddlers, pictures and squiggles are fun to discover, while older children may be ready for words, phrases, or sentences.Source: Busy Toddler website At-Home Alphabet HuntLetters are everywhere: the cover of a book, a bottle of dish soap, the side of a box. This simple activity reminds little learners that there are letters all around them and promotes everyday reading. What you’ll need:Marker, pad of paper, pencil What to do: On a pad of paper, write out the entire alphabet with a marker in the style of a grocery list, with one letter on each line. Pass your little one the pad and pencil and go on a hunt around your house (or even your neighbourhood) together and have them check off the letters they find on their search. Can they find them all?Source: No Time for Flashcards website Fishing for LettersThis engaging activity fosters the imagination and helps preschoolers learn to recognize letters outside of their alphabetized order. What you’ll need: alphabet fridge magnets, extra magnet, string or yarn, cloth or fabric to act as “water," popsicle stick or wooden spoon, baking sheet (optional)What to do: Create a pretend fishing rod by tying an extra magnet to a piece of yarn at the end of a popsicle stick or wooden spoon, so that the magnet dangles like the hook on a fishing rod. Spread alphabet magnets over some cloth (using blue fabric is a fun touch to represent water) and go fishing for magnets! Tell your child to “stay on the shore” and pick up magnets without walking on the cloth. Each time they “catch” a letter, say the letter out loud together and put it on the fridge or a baking sheet. Once all the letters are caught, see if they can arrange them in order. Writing TrayWriting trays are a wonderful way to help children learn to write letters and practice fine motor skills.What you’ll need:Cookie sheet or a large, shallow container, flour or sprinkles, writing tool such as a spoon or cotton swab (optional)What to do:Spread a layer of flour or sprinkles over the tray and have your child write letters in the tray using either their fingers or a writing tool. Gently shake the tray to erase the letters and start again. This activity also works well for drawing shapes and numbers — or simply let them be creative and draw all kinds of pictures! Musical LettersThis activity is perfect for burning off energy while promoting gross motor co-ordination and quick letter recognition. Plus, who doesn’t love dancing to great music?What you’ll need:Painter’s tape, paper or card stock, marker, music your kids will dance toWhat to do:Using your painter’s tape, create letters on the floor in a random pattern. You don’t need to include every letter but can pick and choose which ones to focus on. Next write out the same letters individually on pieces of paper or card stock. To start, play the music (choose a song that will get your child dancing). As the music plays, let them move around the room and dance like crazy! Stop the music and hold up a letter. They must run to find the letter on the floor that matches the letter you’re holding up. Play the music again and repeat. Source: No Time for Flashcards website Have fun with these wonderful alphabet-learning games! Want even more great early literacy activities you can do at home? Be sure to check out our Library at Home section for more resources like these.Not yet a member? Sign up online for your free Library card to get access to the Library's online activities and Digital Library immediately.
Read more about "Stories Six Fun Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers"Three beginner camps in Blackfoot, Cree, and Michif, the language of the Métis people, are being offered this fall in partnership with the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary.Language is a crucial part of a culture, and these sessions are intended to help revitalize language within city limits. Teneya Gwin, Indigenous Service Design Lead at the Calgary Public Library, says she hopes people will see it as an opportunity to build community.“The Library is a place where all people are welcome,” Gwin says. “Indigenous people have the chance to reconnect to their language, and non-Indigenous people are introduced to the language.”The camps were full within a few weeks of registration opening, and having a wait list speaks volumes, Gwin says. They had heard from the community that opportunities like this were wanted, and the Library was fortunate to partner with the Aboriginal Friendship Centre on this initiative.“Language is so connected to culture,” Gwin says. “Language is a huge component of who you are as an Indigenous person, and a lot of Indigenous people are at risk of losing their language.”There’s plans to offer intermediate-level gatherings starting in January for Blackfoot, Cree, and Michif, and Gwin says she hopes to be able to offer more Treaty 7 languages in the future.Register for camps like these or view more Library programming at calgarylibrary.ca/programs, accessible with your free Library card.
Read more about "Stories"Eager to learn something new? With your free Library card, you can learn a new skill, take on a new hobby, or expand your existing knowledge with hundreds of free courses in our Digital Library. World Languages Always dreamed of learning another language? With Rosetta Stone Library Solution choose from 30 languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Hindi, Italian, and Japanese. Pronunciator features lessons, pronunciation analysis, live tutoring, and quizzes for adults and children in 80 languages. Gale Courses also offers a course in Interested in American Sign Language.Business Amaze your coworkers with your Microsoft Office skills after taking a course on Lynda.com. Improve your proficiency in Microsoft Excel, learn to more effectively manage projects, and even develop the skills to rise to management positions. You get a certificate of achievement for every course you complete, so you can also add the experience to your resume. Car Repair Bet you didn’t know you could teach yourself to be a pro mechanic at the Library! Study up on valuable automotive information, including consumer reports, reviews, recommendations, and trends using ConsumerReports.Org + Cars Best Deals. For car and truck repair and maintenance info, browse AutoMate. This resource also includes service bulletins, electrical wiring diagrams, and diagnostic troubleshooting aids. Music Make your rockstar dreams a reality with ArtistWorks by RBDigital. Get hands-on music instruction from greats like Grammy-nominated Paul Gilbert, or blues guitar legend Keith Wyatt through step-by-step videos. Choose your instrument of choice — everything from piano and voice to mandolin, harmonica, saxophone, and hip-hop scratch — and work your way up from beginner to pro at your own pace. On Gale Courses, you can learn guitar basics or take an online certificate in music therapy. Lynda.com also offers lessons beginner chord progression and learning to monetize your sweet tunes. Writing Whether you’re interested in facts or fiction, Gale Courses can help you master the written word. Learn to plot a novel, edit effectively, and make money from your writing. Classes are interactive and instructor-led online, with six-week instruction periods, so you’ll have plenty of time to review and practice everything you need to know to become a bestseller. The Library helps people learn new skills and try new things every day. Check out all our online resources to discover for yourself.
Read more about "Stories Learn Something New from Home with Your Library Card"Eager to learn something new? With your free Library card, you can learn a new skill, take on a new hobby, or expand your existing knowledge with hundreds of free courses in our Digital Library. World Languages Always dreamed of learning another language? With Rosetta Stone Library Solution choose from 30 languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Hindi, Italian, and Japanese. Pronunciator features lessons, pronunciation analysis, live tutoring, and quizzes for adults and children in 80 languages. Gale Courses also offers a course in Interested in American Sign Language.Business Amaze your coworkers with your Microsoft Office skills after taking a course on Lynda.com. Improve your proficiency in Microsoft Excel, learn to more effectively manage projects, and even develop the skills to rise to management positions. You get a certificate of achievement for every course you complete, so you can also add the experience to your resume. Car Repair Bet you didn’t know you could teach yourself to be a pro mechanic at the Library! Study up on valuable automotive information, including consumer reports, reviews, recommendations, and trends using ConsumerReports.Org + Cars Best Deals. For car and truck repair and maintenance info, browse AutoMate. This resource also includes service bulletins, electrical wiring diagrams, and diagnostic troubleshooting aids. Music Make your rockstar dreams a reality with ArtistWorks by RBDigital. Get hands-on music instruction from greats like Grammy-nominated Paul Gilbert, or blues guitar legend Keith Wyatt through step-by-step videos. Choose your instrument of choice — everything from piano and voice to mandolin, harmonica, saxophone, and hip-hop scratch — and work your way up from beginner to pro at your own pace. On Gale Courses, you can learn guitar basics or take an online certificate in music therapy. Lynda.com also offers lessons beginner chord progression and learning to monetize your sweet tunes. Writing Whether you’re interested in facts or fiction, Gale Courses can help you master the written word. Learn to plot a novel, edit effectively, and make money from your writing. Classes are interactive and instructor-led online, with six-week instruction periods, so you’ll have plenty of time to review and practice everything you need to know to become a bestseller. The Library helps people learn new skills and try new things every day. Check out all our online resources to discover for yourself.
Read more about "Stories Learn Something New from Home with Your Library Card"Everyone deserves to feel the love on Valentine's Day, but what about every book? We were wondering which materials in our collection might be feeling a little left out on this special day. One particular read, Cousin Bette by Honoré de Balzac, hadn’t been taken off the shelf in a long while. We couldn’t let this phenomenal read continue to gather dust, so we did what any bibliophile would do. We signed it out for the day and took it on a Valentine’s Day adventure it would never forget!Here's what we got up to on our date with our loneliest Library book.We signed out this read from Alberta’s oldest Library, Memorial Park. Initially, we could see why someone might be hesitant to take this book out on a date. A tale of catastrophe, hatred, and revenge, Cousin Bette doesn’t come across as the most compassionate companion. Could we trust this book to not break our hearts? Well, you know what they say — nothing ventured, nothing gained. We’ve been scorned by many a cliffhanger and plot twist in the past, but we couldn’t let our hopes be dashed and give up on finding our one true book love.We spent some time getting to know each other in the Create Space, checking out all the community crafts and engaging games together. Then we played a couple of board games – Bette’s big vocabulary came in handy when we brought out the Scrabble board.It turns out this classic tale is a fan of classical music, so we signed out a few of the available instruments in the Library’s music practice room and serenaded them.As a token of our affection, we offered Cousin Bette a rose. They promised to treasure it always, even though a rose is not a bookmark.We ended our day with a tour of Central Library, sipping on hot chocolate from the café on the second floor. We could have read Bette for hours in the cozy reading nooks throughout the building.But like all good dates, this too had to come to an end. We walked Cousin Bette to the Central Library book return, knowing Library staff would make sure they got back home to Memorial Park Library safely. They gave us their ISBN number in case we ever wanted to hang out again. Speaking for ourselves, we’d be into a second borrow.Want to romance a book of your own this Valentine’s Day? Search for your perfect match among staff-curated lists on Library shelves, and on Libby.
Read more about "Stories The Loneliest Library Book"The new year is a popular time to set goals for the months ahead. Let the Library help you make those resolutions stick! With hundreds of free resources, programs, and books at your fingertips, we’re confident that you can crush this year’s goals.Get activeIf taking better care of your health is on your list this year, but you know you won’t follow through with a gym membership, join us for some fun, free exercise at the Library. Put your best foot forward at Swingin’ Sundays or loosen up with Yoga at Central Library. Learn some easy new meals from our Eat Clean booklist, and research ways of improving your wellness using Health Source.Watch your walletIf money is on your mind after an expensive holiday season, sign up for free finance programs to learn how to take control of your money, curb your spending, and grow your wealth. Staff-curated titles can also help you Tighten Your Financial Belt.Learn a new languageOn Rosetta Stone, you can learn over 30 languages, including Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, and Persian (Farsi), for free with your Library card, or improve your English skills with interactive lessons. If you prefer in-person instruction, stop by an ESL Coffee and Conversation meeting, or visit the Indigenous Languages Resource Centre. Treaty 7 Language Books are also available to sign out at several community libraries.Make some memoriesLooking for a new way to spend quality time with loved ones this year? Free drop-in programs like Chess in the Library, Crack the Code, and Firefighter Storytime are fun for every age, while little learners in particular will love exploring our Early Learning Centres. Back at home, have a free movie night with selections from Kanopy. You can also check out Ancestry for free during your next Library visit to learn about the family you didn’t know you had.Read moreWe knew you would ask — and we’ve got tips to help you fit more books into your busy schedule. Can’t decide what to read first? Check out our staff-curated booklists to get some ideas to suit your interests. Make reading an event by joining a Book Discussion Group or signing out a Book Club in a Bag with friends. Save some money and cancel subscriptions — you can turn your mobile device into an eReader and audiobook player all in one with Libby and take your book everywhere you go.Sign up for your free Library card to get started!
Read more about "Stories New Year, New You with Library Resources"If you are searching for a job, considering a career shift, or want to improve your job and career skills, Job Desk can help. Calgary Public Library partnered with Bow Valley College to provide one-on-one personalized career and job search guidance. Job Desk is available to anyone with a free Library membership.Book a 25-minute appointment and meet with a career coach online to address your specific questions. Coaches can help you identify where to search and apply for employment, review your resume or job application, or guide you through a career change. They can also refer you to other services that will help you continue your job search and career path. If you are new to Calgary’s job market or simply overwhelmed and not sure where to start, an appointment with Job Desk can help you get started.Here’s what to expect when you meet with the Library’s Job Desk.Professional career coachesYou will meet with a career coach from Bow Valley College. Their training and experience mean they come with broad job search and career building knowledge. Ask them anything! A few areas they specialize in include employment for newcomers and identifying your personal employment goals.Personalized guidanceJob desk appointments are one-on-one, which means the discussions, referrals, and advice are just for you. Coaches want to know about your personal job and career situation. They can work through a specific question or topic, or if you aren’t sure where to start, they can help you develop a personalized plan to move forward.Booking an appointment is easyOnce you book an appointment, you will get confirmation details with information on how to sign in to your appointment online. If you have documents that you would like to discuss in your appointment, the appointment confirmation also includes an email address where you can send your resume or other documents ahead of time for the career coach to review. If you aren’t able to send those documents ahead of time, don’t worry! Have them available for your appointment and your career coach can review them with you during your session. Book the next available appointment or schedule one as far in advance as you would like. You can see available time slots in the online calendar.How to prepareMeetings are 25 minutes long, so it’s helpful to have an idea of what you would like to work on to make the most of your time. That could be a specific job application, reviewing your resume, improving your interview skills, or advice on career transition. Your initial meeting can also be an introduction to the Job Desk. The career coaches will work with you to get you started.If 25 minutes won’t be long enough, you can book the meeting right after for an extended session. You are also always welcome to book another appointment later to continue the discussion or get coaching on something new.More job and career services at the LibraryCareer Basics online programsWorkshops for resume development, networking, interview skills, and career transitions are offered each month in partnership with Bow Valley College. Each session is 1.5 or two hours and you can sign up for as many or as few as you would like.Register nowDigital LibraryOur Digital Library has several tools that are specific to job search and careers. They are all free to use with your Library membership. A few of the resources are Career Cruising with interactive education and career planning tools, Choices Explorer to help plan for the future, and Job & Career Accelerator to explore career options. LinkedIn Learning and Gale Courses also offer training and certificate programs for those looking to upgrade their skills.Funding for Job Desk provided by the Government of Alberta.
Read more about "Stories How the Library’s Job Desk Can Help Advance Your Career or Job Search Book an online appointment with a career coach now."MEDIA RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 18, 2019Calgary Public Library is proud to host Red Dress Day at Central Library on Tuesday, November 19 in partnership with Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society. The day is to raise awareness of the ongoing national crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Event attendees will have the opportunity to meet with Awo Taan staff and community advocates with a personal connection to MMIWG and be invited to take part in a Red Dress Workshop."This event will bring people from across all cultures to engage in meaningful conversations and promote awareness,” says Josie Nepinak, Executive Director, Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society.A Red Dress Workshop invites Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to sit and create a small felt doll with a red dress. Each red dress is made is to represent a missing or murdered love one. A red dress can also represent one’s support of immediate action to address this crisis. The red dress dolls are part of a growing exhibition that will be displayed at select Calgary Public Library locations in 2020.“The Library strives to be a safe space where meaningful conversations take place and community happens. I applaud Awo Taan for their Red Dress Campaign and we are proud to partner with them on this event in the hope that it will promote cross-cultural awareness, provide healing and comfort, and help fight racism,” says Mark Asberg, CEO, Calgary Public Library.Event Schedule11:00 am Opening Prayer and Remarks12:00 – 2:00 pm Red Dress WorkshopRed Dress Day at Central Library is a free, drop-in event. While the event is all-ages, there may be some sensitive subject matter. Emotional support staff will be on-site and trained facilitators will lead the workshop. Event details are available here.For more information on the Red Dress Campaign, visit awotaan.org.About Awo TaanThe Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society is dedicated to supporting the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual healing and wellbeing of women during their time of crisis and beyond. The shelter offers a full range of in-house crisis and outreach crisis, healing, prevention programs, Youth programs, Parent Link, Family wellness centre. Awo Taan provides wholistic support and guidance to women and children and families from all cultures.About MMIWGMMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and Girls) is a national crisis that requires the public’s awareness and engagement. Indigenous women and girls are at higher risk and over-represented in sexual exploitation and trafficking compared to non-Indigenous populations.The plight of Indigenous women and girls in Canada has gained international attention and in 2015, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women called on Canada to launch an inquiry and noted its “failure to provide adequate and effective responses” to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.An RCMP report, released in 2014 determined there were 1,017 homicides of Indigenous women between 1980 and 2012, revealing a rate of about 2.6 deaths a month. However, the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls noted that the 2014 RCMP report likely underestimated the true number. The inquiry also noted that Alberta had the highest number of MMWIG cases between 2015-2019. About the Red Dress CampaignOriginating from The REDress Project, as an aesthetic response, the Red Dress has become an international symbol for MMIWG. The Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society launched the Red Dress Campaign earlier this year to provide support and awareness workshops to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Community outreach has included providing trained support workers to help those affected to share their stories in the hope that it will create a stronger call to action for all Canadians to address this urgent crisis.The Calgary Public Library has partnered with Awo Taan on the November 19 public workshop and will display the final red dress exhibition in 2020. The Red Dress Campaign is funded by Alberta Culture and Tourism.Calgary Public Library Calgary Public Library, with 740,000 members and 21 locations, has been inspiring the life stories of Calgarians for more than 100 years. It is currently the second largest library system in Canada and the sixth largest municipal library system in North America, with Calgarians borrowing more than 14.4 million physical and digital items and with 6.9 million in-person visits last year. The awe-inspiring 240,000 sq. ft. new Central Library — the newest gathering place for our city — opened on November 1, 2018.- 30 -Media Contact:Mary KapustaDirector, CommunicationsCalgary Public Library 403.774.7256mary.kapusta@calgarylibrary.ca
Read more about "Stories Red Dress Day Comes to Central Library on November 19"Join Blackfoot storyteller Alexander Soop for the launch of his debut short story collection.
Read more about "Midnight Storm Moonless Sky"When Calgary mom Mirna Khaled’s young daughter Julia felt she could not relate to picture books because none of the characters were in a wheelchair like her, Mirna helped write Julia her own book.Julia is an eight-year-old who has cerebral palsy. Her mother Mirna wanted people to "see her, not the wheelchair," so she and Julia’s aunt, Rawan Khaled, wrote and illustrated a book about Julia and her cousin Annabella, called Julia and Bella.The story is about Julia getting bullied at school and her headband being stolen. Annabella helps Julia feel better, including buying her a new headband.Mirna hopes the story will educate other kids about why Julia is in a wheelchair, and teach them that a wheelchair is "not something to be ashamed of.""I wanted her to see someone like her," Mirna said.Julia and Bella is on the shelves at libraries throughout Calgary, including Forest Lawn Library, where the Khaled family frequently visits. Julia personally put copies on the shelves at Forest Lawn Library last fall."I couldn’t believe it," Mirna said when she learned that Julia’s book would be on Library shelves.Mirna, Julia, and Jalal, Julia’s twin brother, moved to Calgary in June 2015 from Lebanon. Mirna, a single mother, wanted a better education and more opportunities for her children.In Lebanon, Julia was not allowed to go to school because the school didn’t have the resources to support her, even though Mirna was an assistant principal. Mirna said people in Lebanon would look at Julia with pity, but in Canada they smile at her and encourage her.The mother and daughter have a close bond, and Jalal loves to help his mother take care of Julia. "My brother is strong, nice, and he helps," Julia said.Julia’s personality changed drastically after the family moved to Canada. Before moving to Canada, Julia was non-verbal. Mirna said she will never forget the day that Julia started speaking to strangers and having a conversation with them.Now Julia initiates conversation with people and always has a smile on her face. She can string together full sentences, in both Arabic and English, and she loves to read books. "Education is her weapon to face the problems in life," Mirna said.The Forest Lawn Library was a big part of Julia’s advancement in reading and learning, Mirna said. Since they moved to Calgary, Julia and her family regularly visit the Library."[The Library] is a safe place to educate and play with your kids," Mirna said. "The Library is the perfect place to meet your neighbours and friends. It’s easy to come here, it’s accessible."Moving to Canada, Mirna had a dream to raise awareness about cerebral palsy. She wants people to know that Julia "can do everything that you do but in her own special way."Mirna created a Facebook page to get the word out about Julia. She is now selling the book, Julia and Bella, and handmade headbands at markets around the city to raise money for a future surgery to enable Julia to walk.Mirna has always had faith in Julia advancing. "I know that she is a smart girl," she said. "I know she can do it. I know she can learn."We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘The Perfect Place to Meet Your Neighbours’ Julia Khaled is breaking down barriers with her Library Story"This presentation will look at the potential astronomical explanations for the story of the star of Bethlehem, as recounted in the Bible. Suitable for all experience levels, we...
Read more about "RASC:“A Christmas Star”"Norma High, a volunteer who joined the Library in 1974, is so passionate about bringing books to people who can not otherwise access them that she got her whole family involved in the cause.For nearly 44 years, Norma has volunteered with the Libraries in Residence program, delivering books to people in a continuing care facility. Norma, 85, is one of the Library’s longest-serving volunteers.“I have always had a love for books,” Norma said. She loves visiting and bringing books to residents at Carewest Glenmore Park, an Alberta Health Services facility in southwest Calgary. With her background in nursing, Norma is a perfect fit for delivering books to the hospital’s residents.“Volunteering is giving, giving back to the community, giving back because I can,” she said. “We want to put a little bit of sunshine into people’s lives.”Norma’s husband, Bob High, started volunteering with Libraries in Residence in 1985.“Besides delivering books, it was an opportunity to talk about local history and events with the residents,” said Bob, 88. He would sometimes go in place of Norma and went on to build his own relationships with the long-term care residents.“It gives you a lot of satisfaction,” Bob said.Hearing stories from residents and discussing books with them led Norma to share her experiences with her children, and later her grandchildren. Norma started to bring her son and daughter to volunteer with her when they were 13 and 11.During their days off from school and over summer break, Alan High and Glenna High Bagley started to love volunteering. Norma saw her children learn how to share, and in Glenna’s case, she came out of her shell.“I absolutely loved it,” Glenna said. She remembers being initially nervous around elderly people as a child, but she soon came to love delivering books and visiting with people. She said her son, Matthew, was as shy as she was when he started volunteering at the age of eight with his sister Taylor, age ten.“I am so proud of my children and grandchildren,” Norma said.Norma, who is called the “book lady” by hospital residents, found that residents rely on her book delivery every two weeks. One resident said books were more important than her bath, because books were what kept her at peace while in the hospital.Norma and Bob, who have lived in Calgary for 48 years, keep a private collection of every genre of book you can think of. They enjoy travelling and have visited many places in Canada and around the world. On their travels, they pick up books to add to their catalogued collection — the oldest one being from the 1850s.That extensive home library is popular with Norma’s children and grandchildren, who regularly borrow books from it. When they find a book they like and want to “inherit”, they mark it with their own coloured dot.Norma continues to share her love of reading with hospital residents, and plans to for as long as she can — “until I fall over, or until I can’t push the cart anymore,” she said.The High and Bagley families are leaving their three-generation legacy in another way, too. They are commemorating their love of reading and dedication to volunteering with two windows at the new Central Library.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘I Give Back Because I Can’ Norma High delivers the joy of reading to others in her Library Story"