Filed under: Children, Programs, Uncategorized | Tags: Alameda County Library, Build, Castro Valley Library, Children, Legos, Program
Nearly 250 kids and parents turned out Tuesday 11/23 for the robotic presentation and Lego Club meeting in the Chabot/Canyon Room at the Castro Valley Library. We were treated to a Robotic demonstration by Johannes van Galen who teaches a Lego Robotics class in San Leandro (info@playbuildingbricks.com for more information). Johannes showed the large crowd how it it possible to program robots using the Lego Mindstorms (NXT) Robotics Invention System. A great time was had by all!
Don’t miss the next meeting December, 23 @ 1pm at the Castro Valley Library
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- LEGO Mindstorms (NXT) Robotics demonstration by Johannes van Galen
Kids of all ages got ready for Thanksgiving by making a turkey decoration for their table this morning in the Children’s Room. The next children’s programming event will be the “HO-HO-Holiday” storytime on Wednesday, December 8th at 10:30am. We expect to have a special guest from waaaay up North to read us a favorite story of his. Be sure to join us!
Remember that the library and the bookdrops will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and the day after. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Filed under: Books, Children, Programs | Tags: book signing, Castro Valley Library, Children, creative writing, Program, workshop
The Creative Writing Workshop with Heather Vogel Frederick was a smash success! The class was full and eager to learn more about the writing process. They learned that inspiration is everywhere and perspiration is a job hazard for writers. Many of the kids walked away with a signed book or bookmark and a new perspective on the craft of creative writing. Rave reviews were bestowed on the writer and workshop by attending parents and participants.
Many thanks to Heather, for bringing her fabulous workshop to the Castro Valley Library!
Filed under: Children, Libraries, News, Programs, Teen, Uncategorized
Saturday was National Gaming Day. Libraries in every state in the U.S., as well as in Argentina, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Pakistan and Puerto Rico partipated–and the Castro Valley Library was one of them. All the statistics aren’t in yet, but the American Library Association reported that last year’s record of more than 31,000 people playing games on the same day would easily be broken.
Click on the link below to take a look at our Photoshow featuring some of the families who played board games here at the library. Most of our games and puzzles were generous donations from our library members and Friends of the Library. Don’t Spill the Beans, Battleship, Cootie, Checkers and Sorry! were just some of the classic favorites.
http://www.photoshow.com/watch/DZ8DB6wg
Filed under: Books, Children, Programs | Tags: author, book signing, Castro Valley Library, Children, creative writing, Program, workshop
PIES & PREJUDICE
• Look at an actual manuscript in various stages of completion, and the writing and editing process
• Delve into a mystery bag containing the three items every writer needs to be successful
• The hilarious and memorable “Scratch & Sniff,” where Heather pulls out all the stops to inspire students with a creative writing exercise
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 from 6:30-7:30pm @
The Castro Valley Library
Recommended for Grades 4-8, Space is Limited. Register by phone or in person.
Books available on site and book signing at end of session
About Ms. Frederick: Heather Vogel Frederick is a former staff reporter and children’s book review editor for The Christian Science Monitor, and she has also written for The New York Times, Family Life, Child, and Publishers Weekly, where she was a contributing editor for many years. Today, she’s the author of numerous books for young readers, including the popular Mother-Daughter Book Club series. Visit http://www.heathervogelfrederick.com/index.html to learn more about the author and her books.
The newest of Alameda County’s onsite solar power systems is being installed on the roof of the Castro Valley Library. This ambitious solar deployment, performed in conjunction with the many energy efficiency features at the Library is expected to provide nearly 100% of the energy used by the Library and will virtually eliminate Library’s cost of electricity from PG&E.
Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors awarded this project’s $1.7 million dollar contract to Sun Light and Power Corporation of Berkeley earlier this year. The project is being funded by a 1% loan from the California Energy Commission. These loan funds were made available under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In addition, over the next five years, the County will receive $500,000 from PG&E under their California Solar Initiative Incentive Program. The loan will be paid back over the next 15 years with savings from the solar generated electricity.
The 270 watt system will consist of 880 modules manufactured by SunPower Corporation. The modules maximize the solar generation capacity of the library’s south-facing sloped roof. In fact, during most days, the system will produce more power than needed and will export excess renewable electricity to the surrounding neighborhoods. This electricity will credited back to the County by spinning its electric meter backwards.
A monitoring system that will display the solar array’s performance on a flat screened monitor will be installed in the Library lobby.
This past Saturday our systemwide Henna program kicked off at our branch and judging by the turn out, it looks like we have a winner on our hands. Over 20 people braved a wintery, wet day, and enjoyed 2 hours of henna fun.
We had a fantastic teacher, Rachel, who did a great job of balancing the educational aspects of the program (explaining the cultural importance of henna, how henna is made, etc.) and the really fun, hands on part. The participants got to practice their own henna design skills on themselves or a piece of paper before Rachel went around and put her skillful hands to work…you can see the fruits of their labor.
Click on the link to see when the next henna program by you will be
Click to access henna_2010.pdf
Castro Valley Library 
