Chocolate

I will freely admit to being a chocoholic, I can’t get enough chocolate and I love to bake with it. I’m not shy when it comes to playing with chocolate in the past I have made chocolate tarts, chocolates and chocolate filled eater eggs.

By far the most time intensive chocolate project was the Martha Stewart Chocolate Easter Eggs. You have to blow out the eggs, sterilize them, colour them and fill them with chocolate. They were amazing and everyone loved them but I’m not sure they were really worth all that effort in the end. Click on the picture to see the whole process.

One of the biggest chocolate holidays is fast approaching so here are a few books to get you making your own chocolate treats this year.

Chocolate obsession: confections and treats to create and savor by Michael Recchiuti

The golden book of chocolate by Carla Bardi

Chocolate epiphany: exceptional cookies, cakes, and confections for everyone by François Payard

Chocolate by Linda Collister

How-to expert festival

Do you love to learn new things but never seem to have enough time? The Guelph Public Library is hosting a HOW-TO Expert Festival on Saturday, March 29^th, so everyone can learn something new in just 10 minutes! Stations will be set up at the Main Library on the main floor and second level to encourage people of all ages to learn useful skills in an easy, fun, and free environment. These experts will offer 10-minute sessions throughout the event on a variety of topics. There is something for everyone!

Fourteen Experts. 10 Minutes. 100% Free. Think of all the wonderful skills you can learn in such a short time…HOW-TO: wrap a sari, select the best camera, trim cat nails, repair a flat bicycle tire, juggle, tie a knot, Zumba, get ready for a hike, look and feel great, fold origami cranes, draw cartoons, play chess, create a coin collection with personality, and more! The GPL’s HOW-TO Expert Festival will be held on Saturday, March 29^th from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Main Library (100 Norfolk Street). Mark your calendars now and start planning your learning experiences!

The “new” Raw Food

The Raw Food has been a food trend for several years.  Unlike many fads it is evolving and adapting to current trends and continues to be popular.  Raw food appeals to people who want to improve their health, lose weight, have food sensitivities, are vegans and those looking to detox or cleanse their body.  I was recently reminded of how accessible this trend can be when watching Canadian chef Douglas McNish on Breakfast Television.

Here are some books to get you inspired:

Spring is almost here

With the official start of spring only one day away I couldn’t help but put together a list of great children’s spring books. Here are my top 10 books about spring.

1) Everything spring by Jill Esbuam

2) Rabbit’s spring adventure by Anita Loughrey

3) Are you spring? by Caroline Pitcher

4) It’s spring! by Linda Glaser

5) Mud by Mary Lyn Ray

6) Wake up, it’s spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst

7) Welcome spring by Jill Ackerman

8) Groundhog weather school by Joan Holub

9) Mouse’s first spring by Lauren Thompson

10) North country spring by Reeve Lindbergh

Lá Fhéile Pádraig (St. Patrick’s Day)

Lá Fhéile  Pádraig Sona Doaibh! Meaning Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Lá Fhéile Pádraig celebrates the patron saint of Ireland – Patrick, who lived in the beginning of the 5th century AD. Saint Patrick is the most recognized Irish saint and it is no wonder a special day is dedicated to celebrate his legacy in the Irish culture.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig began as a Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 17th century. Today Lá Fhéile Pádraig represents a week-long (and sometimes longer) celebration of Irish language, music, culture and art.

The main attraction of Saint Patrick’s Day are huge parades in the cities around Ireland (and the world, organized by the Irish diaspora). Children, sports clubs, brass bands and other performers walk down the streets of Irish cities with Irish music blaring through the speakers and the spectators, wearing traditional shamrocks, cheering them on.

Come to either our West End, Bullfrog Mall or East Side branch at 10 am today to make a St. Patrick’s Day craft. 

eResources for kids

Did you know that the library has almost 20 eResources just for children? Here are my top 5 favorite eResources for children. Click on the image above to see the rest.

Student Resource Centre Canadian Edition includes reference, periodicals, primary sources, and multimedia resources geared toward Canadian students and educators. The database includes Canadian curriculum standards with correlated content, a popular topics pick list on the home page that features one-click access to Canadian topics, and new and updated essays on Canadian topics.

Kids InfoBits targets the research needs of students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. It features a developmentally appropriate and visual graphic interface; a subject-based topic tree search; a full-text, age-appropriate, curriculum-related magazine; and reference content

Little Pim, a part of Mango, is a fun and convenient way to introduce a child to new languages. With over two dozen languages offered, popular languages include Russian, German, Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish and French. As well, Little Pim has an excellent English as a Second Language program.

This free after-school service allows students in Kindergarten through to early university and college years — as well as Adult Learners — to connect to tutors for one-to-one homework help sessions. Help is available in math, science, social studies, and English. Students are immediately connected to a tutor in an Online Classroom. Live Homework Help is available seven days per week between the hours of 4 PM and 10 PM.

A fantastic resource for teachers, parents, and students alike. This junior version of NoveList Plus, intended for students from kindergarten to grade 8, features detailed subject headings as well as booklists by theme and grade level.

Good dog … or how I plan to get my dog to be good.

This is my dog Jenny. Normally she is a sweet well behaved dog but clearly she still needs some work. She ate 6 muffins off the counter that I had left out in my rush to get to work. Thinking she couldn’t get them I didn’t worry too much, after all she had left the scones there that I made the week before. Part way through the work day my husband emailed me this picture asking if the wire rack had anything on it. Sadly my muffins for the week are now gone and I have a full dog to go home to.

Here are some of the many dog training materials that the Guelph Public Library offers.

Drool school family dog training (DVD)

The dog whisperer by Paul Owens

Cesar’s rules by Cesar Millan

Training the hard to train dog by Peggy O. Swager

Living with your dog: basic training part 1 &2 (DVD)

Dog University by Viviane Theby

So your dogs not Lassie by Betty Fisher

What’s new in cookbooks

March Break

Come visit the Guelph Public Library over March Break  to participate in some really cool activities. Every day there will be something awesome going on so keep checking the Events Calendar to see what fun things are happening!

Here are a few of the cool things going on.

March 10th

Space Chums Live!: With bright, eccentric costumes and props, the Space Chums are sure to engage the audience with their action-based, rhyming, and sing-along songs. This is happening at the Main Library for children 3 years and up at 10:30 am.

March 11th

Judo: Kids will FLIP for it!: Learn some moves and how to stand up to bullies without violence. Presented by Rob Veltman from Kohbukan. This is happening at Westminster for children aged 5 to 13 at 2:30 pm.

March 12th

Hands on science: 50 below zero: Read the classic Robert Munsch story with Let’s Talk Science from the University of Guelph! Students will learn about temperature, what happens when things freeze, and will make a thermometer craft. This is happening at the East Side for children ages 4 to 6 at  2:30 pm.

March 13th

The Magical Mr. Oh!: Everyone will be amazed by the magic of Mr. Oh! This is happening at Westminster for children 5 years and up at 10:30 am.

March 14th

Cupcake and cookie decorating: Decorate a cupcake or cookie using all sorts of sweet confections! This is happening at Westminster for children 5 years and up at 2:30 pm.