FOUNDATION EVENTS
Fifth Noyes StoryWalk® Shines a Spotlight on Some Cool Bugs!
Families are invited to read Cecily Cicada by Kita Helmetag Murdock and Patsy Helmetag, on posted signs as they stroll through a park in Kensington. The Noyes Cecily Cicada StoryWalk®, presented by the Noyes Children’s Library Foundation in collaboration with the Town of Kensington, will be available for self-guided exploration from Saturday, May 15, 2021, through Sunday, June 6, 2021, at Clum-Kennedy Park (10298 Frederick Ave., Kensington, MD 20895). The event is likely to coincide with swarms of 17-year cicadas in the D.C. region
The mother-daughter authors wrote Cecily Cicada before the last emergence of Brood X cicadas in 2004 to ease the fears of their 3-year-old granddaughter/daughter. They rereleased the book in anticipation of this year’s blanketing of the bugs in parts of the eastern United States. The story explains the lifecycle of a cicada through cute characters and playful language.
While enjoying the StoryWalk® experience, visitors are asked to wear masks and observe social distance. Street parking is available in the neighborhood surrounding Clum-Kennedy Park (do not park in the retail lot across the street).
A free craft kit related to Cecily Cicada will be available for pick up in a box outside the Noyes Library for Young Children (10237 Carroll Place, Kensington, MD 20895) on Saturdays and Sundays (9am to 4pm) for the duration of the StoryWalk® (except in inclement weather). StoryWalk® panels will also include QR codes sending families to the Noyes Children's Library Foundation's website for PDF's of the craft sheets, as well as to sites featuring more insect and science activities for young children.
Families are encouraged to share a photo of the walk, a selfie at Noyes, and/or a photo of the completed craft on the Noyes Children’s Library Facebook page (facebook.com/MakeMoreNoyes), post to Facebook and tag the Noyes Children’s Library Foundation, or post to Instagram and tag @makemorenoyes.
Families can also tune into free weekly storytimes on Tuesdays at 11am presented by the Foundation on Facebook Live (facebook.com/MakeMoreNoyes). A previous storytime featured D.C. stage actor and Kensington mom Karen Vincent reading Cecily Cicada and can be found on the Foundation’s Facebook page.
While the Noyes Library for Young Children remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Noyes Foundation has been providing literacy outreach to the Greater D.C. community. The first Noyes StoryWalk® in January featured pages from The Mitten by Jan Brett in store windows in Kensington; a February StoryWalk® focused on The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and was installed at Warner Circle Park in Kensington; the StoryWalk® in March at Kensington’s Clum-Kennedy Park highlighted Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea by Meena Harris; and an Earth Day-themed StoryWalk® in April shared Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elovitz Marshall at Capitol View-Homewood Local Park in Kensington.
Fourth Noyes StoryWalk® Celebrates Earth Day and Cultural Traditions!
In celebration of Earth Day, families are invited to read the bilingual book Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elovitz Marshall, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri, on posted signs as they stroll through a park in Kensington. The Noyes Rainbow Weaver StoryWalk® will be available for self-guided exploration from Saturday, April 17, 2021, through Friday, May 28, 2021, at Capitol View-Homewood Local Park (2929 Edgewood Road, Kensington, MD 20895).
The Rainbow Weaver StoryWalk® has recently been extended through May 28th because the story's author, Linda Elovitz Marshall, will join the students of Oakland Terrace Elementary School for a virtual Storytime on Wednesday, May 26th. Marshall will read the book and answer questions from students.
The StoryWalk® is presented with the cooperation of Montgomery Parks and the Oakland Terrace Elementary School PTA. The park is adjacent to Oakland Terrace, an MCPS Spanish-English immersion school. Rainbow Weaver, which is told in both Spanish and English on each spread in the book, focuses on a young Mayan girl who wants to weave like her mother and the women of her Guatemalan village but doesn’t have any materials. She discovers that she can weave with pieces cut from the plastic bags littering the village, and then she can sell her weaving to help pay for her school and school books.
A QR code at the StoryWalk® to scan will take users to the Foundation’s website for crafts and printable coloring pages related to the book. While enjoying the StoryWalk® experience, visitors are asked to wear masks and observe social distance.
Families are encouraged to share a photo of the walk on the Noyes Children’s Library Facebook page (facebook.com/MakeMoreNoyes), post to Facebook and tag the Noyes Children’s Library Foundation, or post to Instagram and tag @makemorenoyes.
Families can also tune into free weekly storytimes on Tuesdays presented by the Foundation on Facebook Live (facebook.com/MakeMoreNoyes). A storytime on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, will include D.C. stage actor and Kensington mom Karen Vincent reading Rainbow Weaver. The storytime can be viewed live at 11am (EST). Storytimes with Vincent continue weekly on Tuesdays at 11am on Facebook Live.
Third Outdoors Noyes StoryWalk® Celebrated Big Ideas!
The Noyes Children's Library Foundation brought families to the beautiful Clum Kennedy Park in historic Kensington, MD to read the book Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea during March and April, 2021. The third Noyes Storywalk® was perfectly timed to honor Women's History Month and all women who persist and collaborate to turn "No into Yes"!
Written by Vice President Kamala Harris’ niece, Meena Harris, Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea is based on a true story about Kamala Harris and her older sister, Maya. The girls want to create a play area in their apartment building’s courtyard, and they use collective cooperation to achieve their goal.
Nearly 200 families stopped in to pick up a free craft kit related to Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea from a box outside the Noyes Library for Young Children, while children were also able to enjoy a Storytime presented by the Foundation on Facebook Live (facebook.com/MakeMoreNoyes) on March 23, 2021, with D.C. stage actor and Kensington mom Karen Vincent reading Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea.
The Foundation included suggestions for books similar to Kamala and Maya's Big Idea, posted on the back of the StoryWalk® panels. For a list of these suggestions, click HERE - and happy reading! Kamala and Maya's Big Idea is available at MCPL libraries, accessed during the continued library closure through an online request system HERE.
StoryWalk® is a registered trademark of Anne Ferguson.
Second Noyes StoryWalk® Paid Tribute to Groundbreaking Author
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The Noyes Children's Library Foundation celebrated winter, Black History Month, and the power of creativity with its Second StoryWalk®, treating families to an outdoor reading of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats during February and March, 2021.
The self-guided, socially distanced Noyes StoryWalk® wound through the grounds of Warner Circle Park, a spacious area adjacent to Noyes Library for Young Children (10237 Carroll Place, Kensington, MD 20895). The Snowy Day StoryWalk®, presented in collaboration with Montgomery Parks, featured both the English and Spanish versions of the book posted on spaced apart signs, and included interactive suggestions tied into the book to encourage families to get some exercise on their outing.
Said Linda E. Johnson, President & CEO of Brooklyn Public Library: "Ezra Jack Keats forever changed children’s literature and the lives of countless young readers when he depicted an African-American boy playing in an urban environment in The Snowy Day. For decades, Keats gave a voice to youth who were underrepresented in children’s books and worked tirelessly to promote literacy. Drawing inspiration from his childhood spent in Brooklyn, he became one of the world’s most important children’s authors and illustrators, and to this day, his delightful imagination and vivid artwork continue to captivate audiences."
The Second Noyes Storywalk® brought dozens of families to Warner Circle Park, even while the weather in the region lived up to the wintry illustrations in The Snowy Day! Find out MORE about Ezra Jack Keats and The Snowy Day HERE.
The Noyes Children's Library Foundation celebrated winter, Black History Month, and the power of creativity with its Second StoryWalk®, treating families to an outdoor reading of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats during February and March, 2021.
The self-guided, socially distanced Noyes StoryWalk® wound through the grounds of Warner Circle Park, a spacious area adjacent to Noyes Library for Young Children (10237 Carroll Place, Kensington, MD 20895). The Snowy Day StoryWalk®, presented in collaboration with Montgomery Parks, featured both the English and Spanish versions of the book posted on spaced apart signs, and included interactive suggestions tied into the book to encourage families to get some exercise on their outing.
Said Linda E. Johnson, President & CEO of Brooklyn Public Library: "Ezra Jack Keats forever changed children’s literature and the lives of countless young readers when he depicted an African-American boy playing in an urban environment in The Snowy Day. For decades, Keats gave a voice to youth who were underrepresented in children’s books and worked tirelessly to promote literacy. Drawing inspiration from his childhood spent in Brooklyn, he became one of the world’s most important children’s authors and illustrators, and to this day, his delightful imagination and vivid artwork continue to captivate audiences."
The Second Noyes Storywalk® brought dozens of families to Warner Circle Park, even while the weather in the region lived up to the wintry illustrations in The Snowy Day! Find out MORE about Ezra Jack Keats and The Snowy Day HERE.
First Noyes StoryWalk® a Huge Success
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The first Noyes StoryWalk®, presented by the Noyes Children’s Library Foundation in January, featured The Mitten by Jan Brett in store windows in Kensington, MD. Hundreds of children enjoyed reading the book while walking through historic downtown Kensington. Free craft kits were made available in front of Noyes Children's Library - the kits disappeared quickly as families made their way from the StoryWalk® to the Library each weekend! A long-time friend of Noyes donated a copy of The Mitten with Jan Brett's autograph and a fun sketch. The Foundation invited its Instagram followers to enter a drawing for the book by tagging two friends, and the winner was drawn before The Snowy Day StoryWalk® began on February 6th. The Foundation thanks Edelman for the Outreach Grant that makes the Noyes StoryWalk® program possible, as well as the Town of Kensington, MD. The Foundation also sends a big shout-out to all of the Kensington businesses who participated, in some cases designing their window displays around The Mitten and children's books! Participating Businesses: Frankly Pizza, Potomac Sweets, Kensington Row Bookshop, G&G Antiques, Adah Rose Gallery, GIGS Studio, Bonjour Books DC, SW7, deliClub, Goldsborough Glynn Antiques, Sally Shaffer Antiques, Pink Dot, Modern Mobler, M&T Bank, Jubilee Association of Maryland. Thank you! |
