Kid Tidbit:Raise a Reader

Hi Everyone, Nancy here.

One of things I love about working here at the Museum of Life and Science is that I am surrounded by great books both in my office (behind Play to Learn) and in the SERC. I love to read and it's so good to have access to resources that assist me in planning fun activities when I'm out in the community.

The Museum is pleased to be a community partner with the Durham County Library (DCL). Megan and I greeted library patrons and shared some butterfly experiences at the Summer Reading kickoff in June. You can learn more about the program by visiting the DCL's website. Also, Megan, Kristen and I have been spending part of our summer with patrons at the historic Bragtown branch, talking about all kinds of insects. The millipede, hissing cockroaches, crayfish and tarantula have been joining in on the fun too! Our last visit for the summer there was in August. We had a great time talking with the children about ladybird beetles or ladybugs as they are more commonly known. They play an important role in our butterfly house as they help eat all the aphids or plant lice off of the tropical plants. They serve as natural biocontrol so that there's no use of harmful chemicals.

Many of our books come from Scholastic Publishing. Their website is a great launching pad for families wanting to foster their children's interest in reading. There are suggested book lists for different age groups, activities, links to your child's classroom home page through Scholastic and tips on how to help with your child's education at each developmental stage and grade level. This is also a great site for caregivers, educators and librarians.

We have lots of great books available in the SERC for loan and you can visit your local library as well. You can even browse Durham County Library's catalog online.

Oops! My library books are actually due back soon! Thankfully, another service they provide is online renewal...

So many of our staff here are avid readers and swap books back and forth with each other. One of our departments even started their own book club!

"So many books, so little time."
-artist Edward Gorey

Stay tuned and stay curious,
-Nancy