Pennsylvania Early Learning Forum: Bright from the Start

I’ve returned from the latest library conference in Harrisburg. While catching up on the day-to-day stuff is usually first priority, I wanted to share a few tidbits that I brought back from keynote speaker, Jill Stamm, Ph.D. from Arizona State University and New Directions Institute. Her presentation, Bright from the Start, reminded me of a few key things (things that may seem like old news but are important to remember) about the first five years and brain development. We see articles in popular magazines about baby brain development and promotions for items that will teach your child everything he/she needs to know. I think everyone can agree that we want what’s best for our children. We want them to have every opportunity to succeed. Sometimes the information out there is overwhelming. Neuroscience has shown us how babies’ brains are wired. Experts tell us what works best from a scientific standpoint. But, it really is very simple. Dr. Stamm calls it the ABC’s of Early Learning. Attention, Bonding and Communication… simply by paying attention, talking to your baby, and loving that cuddly bundle of joy, we are creating success.

A few notes from Dr. Stamm’s presentation:
• Neuroscience indicates that the majority of “wiring” of the brain comes after birth. This means that early experiences affect the way the brain is wired.
• The brain has a remarkable capacity to change due to learning experiences. It is never too late to improve a child’s life.
• You can help the children in your life to wire a healthy brain by… Talking, Reading, Singing, Playing, Touching & Cuddling
• The attention system (yes, it is its own system within the brain) utilizes mirror neurons and is developed by around 14 months. To help this system develop, the best thing you can do is pay attention to the child. If a child has someone pay attention to them, they learn how to pay attention.
• Early child caregivers are not merely babysitters. They are brain developers! It is important to recognize the work they do to improve every child’s life.
• The point of reading to newborns and infants is to provide the opportunity to get acquainted with books and language. Reading to your child exposes them to books and language and words that may not typically come up in daily activities.

For more information on Baby Brain Development:
http://www.newdirectionsinstitute.org/
www.iamyourchild.org
http://brainconnection.positscience.com/
http://www.childtrauma.org/
http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer
http://www.familiesandwork.org/
http://www.ounceofprevention.org/home/index.php

Killer Angels

Killer Angels is a Pulitzer Prize-winning classic written by Michael Shaara. Following his death his son, Jeff, completed the trilogy with Gods and Generals and Last Full Measure. Killer Angels recounts the Battle of Gettyburg. It goes into great detail describing each day of the battle, how it was planned out and the consequences of decisions made by the generals involved. Gods and Generals follows the main characters leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg. Last Full Measure continues after Gettysburg to the surrender at Appomattox. All three are epic stories that follow the lives, passions, and careers of the great military leaders of that time. Great reads for all fans of the Civil War.

Yum, what a lunch!

Today was the second meeting of our cookbook club. I just have to say it was absolutely fantastic. We had selected Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals you can make in minutes which features over 50 recipes that are low calorie (or maybe just a little bit healthier than your traditional recipes). Our lunch bunch made Oven-Baked Crispy Chicken Tenders with Coleslaw, Ultimate Sausage Cheese Pizza, Mac and Cheese, Tomato Fennel Soup and Turkey BLT, Mushroom and Spinach Quiche with Potato Crust and for dessert, Cookies and Cream Milkshakes. The low-cal recipes in this book are friendly to novice and experienced cooks alike. Discussion of the recipes allowed each person to provide their suggestions and alterations.

Before I head off to a corner for a nap, I want to mention that our next Cookbook Club will be held Friday, April 23rd @ 1:00 pm. Stop by the library before then and pick your recipe from Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics. Join us to sample the recipes, browse the cookbook collection, meet new friends, and have some fun.

Buying books?

I have set up an Amazon Associates store that will benefit the Library. Whenever you are purchasing books, dvds, computers, or anything else online, consider using the link below to place your order. You will be able to search the categories listed and add the items to the cart. When you are finished, simply click check out and you will be taken to Amazon's check out page. The library gets a percentage of your purchase. If you have any questions about this, please contact Amanda @ the library.

http://astore.amazon.com/kittapublilib-20

Left Behind

Left Behind Series

The left behind books consists of 16 books: one non-fiction book written by Tim LaHaye, fifteen fiction books written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

The books in chronological order: The Rising, The Regime, The Rapture, Left Behind, Tribulation Force, Nicolae, Soul Harvest, Apollyon, Assassins, The Indwelling, The Mark, Desecration, The Remnant, Armageddon, Glorious Appearing, Kingdom Come.

The non-fiction book is a detailed, argumentative, pro and con presentation of scripture references that explain the various theories of when the rapture occurs. A must read for the theological students, those who want to be able to teach or debate the various theories. All others may skip this book. The only thing you really need to understand is that LaHaye supports the pre-tribulation rapture theory. The scripture references in Left Behind support this theory.

The fifteen fiction books are extremely interesting with well developed characters that come alive though the challenging events that occur in their lives with at least three story lines (on average) in each chapter. The main characters are introduced with a description and categorized in each book. This enables you to read them out of sequence.

Each book deals with a specific section of the tribulation events described in the book of Revelations from the New King James version of the Bible. The writers have divided and presented the events of the tribulation is such a way that the reader absorbs the details without effort as they follow the lives of the characters.

It is amazing that the publication sequence is quite different from the chronological sequence. The Left Behind book was written first with the first three books (The Rising, The Regime, The Rapture) actually following the Glorious Appearing. The Kingdom Come was written last.

Carol A.

Under the Dome

Recently, some of you may have been disappointed by King's newer novels. I've been told by some that they couldn't get through the one at all. Under the Dome returns Stephen King to my list of great storytellers. In the author's note, King states, "I tried to write a book that would keep the pedal consistently to the metal." While the sheer weight of the book limited me to reading it at the table, the story is a page turner that kept me obsessively reading every moment I could. The pedal stayed to the metal from the time the Dome seals off the town to the very end with Big Jim Rennie, second town selectman and used car dealer (not to mention as corrupt as you can imagine), Dale Barbara, local cook and ex-army (whose problems with Jim Rennie, Jr. had him leaving town), and a whole cast of characters that are the make up of any small town in America.


Meet the Characters (from Amazon.com)
Dale Barbara
Barbie, a drifter, ex-army, walks with a burden of guilt from the time he spent in Iraq. Working as a short-order cook at Sweetbriar Rose is the closest thing he’s had to a family life. When his old commander, Colonel Cox, calls from outside, Barbie's burden becomes the town itself.

Julia Shumway
The attractive Editor and Publisher of the local town newspaper, The Chester's Mill Democrat, Julia is self-assured and Republican to the core, but she is drawn to Barbie and discovers, when it matters most, that her most vulnerable moment might be her most liberating.

Jim Rennie, Sr.
"Big Jim." A used car dealer with a fierce smile and no warmth, he'd given his heart to Jesus at age sixteen and had little left for his customers, his neighbors, or his dying wife and deteriorating son. The town's Second Selectman, he’s used to having things his way. He walks like a man who has spent his life kicking ass.

Joseph McClatchey
Scarecrow Joe, a 13-year-old also known as "King of the Geeks" and "Skeletor, a bona fide brain whose backpack bears the legend "fight the powers that be." He’s smarter than anyone, and proves it in a crisis.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

This is a book I couldn't put down, even if it meant staying up till the book fell off my lap as I nodded off. I carried it around with me for 2 days in case I had a few minutes to read a couple of pages. It has all the components to make a great story. A forty year old unsolved murder, a rich, wealthy family with skeletons in their closet, a love story, and a cast of interesting characters.
A journalist is hired by the wealthy family to find out what happened to Harriet forty years ago. He is very adept at researching past histories but he meets a girl with a dragon tattoo named Lisbeth, whose talents at hacking computers and discovering old skeletons far and away surpasses anything he's ever done. Lisbeth also carries around some secrets of her own. The author manages to suck you in and keep you in suspense throughout the story. One of the best books I've read.