York Woods District Blog

Let's Celebrate Italian Heritage Month!

June is a pretty exciting time of the year!

It’s Aboriginal Celebration Month, Senior’s Month, and also Bike Month!

But did you know that it is also Italian Heritage Month?

 

On October 7, 2010, the Provincial Legislature passed Bill 103, officially declaring June as Italian Heritage Month!

Recently, Mr. Michael Tibollo, president of the National Congress of Italian-Canadians, gave a presentation about Italian Influences in the Modern World at the Downsview Branch.

Mr. Tibollo spoke of culture as a "badge of honor that we should all wear...regardless of what country we come from," and with cultural celebrations such as Italian Heritage Month, it is an opportunity for people to learn about different cultures.

 

And on that note, you are all invited to check out the special programs at the Downsview Branch in celebration of Italian Heritage Month!

 

“The Mystery of San Nicandro” Film Screening
Thursday June 13th, 1:00 pm
A timeless story about identity, family and belonging. In the words of producer/executive producer Vanessa Dylyn, "'The Mystery of San Nicandro' is ultimately a testament to the inexorable force of the past, how it shapes our identity and sense of belonging, and how the echo of our DNA reaches across centuries to claim us. That echo is universal — no matter what our differences, we all have an ancestral journey and a past." The film is 75 minutes with a special Q&A session. For more information about the film, visit www.themysteryofsannicandro.com

 

Learn Italian!
Thursday June 20th, 1:00 pm
Enjoy a lunch time language learning session with Pino & Eleonora from Toronto’s Italian language school, Tutorino! Learn the correct pronunciation of every day Italian treats such as espresso, tiramisu, gnocchi and more. You'll definitely impress your Italian-speaking friends after this program!  

 

The Italian Immigrant: A Musical Journey
Saturday June 29th, 2:30 pm
Come enjoy the music of Tino@Vivo who will perform "The Italian Immigrant Experience in Ten Songs Plus One" on his acoustic guitar! Enjoy a selection of modern and classic Italian songs about the immigrant experience.

 

All of the above programs are FREE!
Please contact the branch at 416-395-5720 to register and for more information.

 

Also, from now until June 22nd, be sure to stop by the Downsview Branch to see the beautiful artwork from members of the Golden Age Academy! Their 2013 art exhibit is called Pride of Heritage and features beautiful paintings and arts & craft pieces that is on display throughout the branch. Come check out the talent of local Downsview artists!

 

Lastly, I'd like to share one memorable moment from a program earlier this month - Happie Testa from Rainbow Caterpillar books came to the branch as a featured Family Time storyteller to read to kids in English and in Italian. By the end of the program, both kids and parents who didn't speak Italian as their first language were repeating the Italian words they had just learned from the children's books she read! It was wonderful seeing kids and parents revel in the joys of learning a new language together.

You can look for a branch that has materials in your language here - http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/books-video-music/your-language/

Eager to start learning a new language? Try this.

 

How will you be celebrating Italian Heritage Month?

We have a winner!

The results are in! The winner of Downsview’s 2013 Battle of the Books is… (drum roll please) Larf by Ashley Spires.

    

Larf competed against a very worthy opponent – Oh No! by Candace Fleming and won by a scant five votes!

A winner of our Battle of the Books prize draw will be announced shortly. Thank you to all our branch customers and schools who participated in the voting! Both books are available for borrowing at most library branches or staff would be happy to place a copy on hold.

Don’t miss our exciting children’s programs in the Saturdays @ Downsview series. The classic picture book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie will be featured on May 18 with a reading and a related craft.

On May 25, we celebrate the one, the only – the pop-up book! Both programs are for ages 3-8 years and registration is required for pop-ups. An Alphabet and Shapes Scavenger Hunt will delight children of the same ages on June 2^nd. All Saturday programs are 2-2:35 p.m. Call 416-395-5720 or email DOkids@torontopubliclibrary.ca to register.

Saturday Family Time at Downsview

Saturday storycraft

Join us on Saturdays for our family time at Downsview Library! 

For the next few weeks we will be featuring our storycraft sessions.

Come in on Saturdays at 2:00pm to hear a good story, followed by a story themed craft. 

 

 

Have you ever been curious about carvings or the little stone Inuksuk made popular by the Vancouver Olympics?

As part of our Saturday family programming series, the Downsview Library is hosting the Museum of Inuit Art's curator to come and speak to children about the collection.

 

Come join the Museum of Inuit Art at Downsview Branch on Saturday May 11, 2013 to touch some museum artifacts from their hands-on collection, play traditional Inuit games and make your own piece of art.

 

This program will run from 2:00pm to 3:00pm and is open to children of all ages!

 

Please call 416-395-5720 to register

Looking for a good laugh this April Fool's Day?

Nothing says April Fool's like a great prank.  But pranks like humour depend on the audience. You can tell by the look on a person's face when you've hit or missed the mark.  I was telling some of my young colleagues (by now they're all young) about working on a weekly newspaper when one of my cronies stuffed a ball of burrs in my typewriter just to watch my reaction to the explosion. Hmm, times have changed.  But seeing someone duped - some things just never lose their joy.  That's what I don't get about facebook humour - you don't get to see the facial expression, but then I'm probably missing something "after my time." But that's another story.

 I decided to update my skills and share some sources with you.  Humour and pranks are appreciated not just today but any time so lets have a look:

    Bart Simpson Prince of Pranks                   

But why should we read about others when: "Now you can amuse and embarrass yourself live, by performing the silliest, stupidest, funniest pranks and parlor tricks right in the comfort of your own living room. Or better yet, at any fancy restaurant, cocktail party, classroom, or business meeting.       Best of Stuntology

 

 

If you don't want to do-it-yourself how about laughing at someone else's expense?

Politicians are always a favourite target and if you don't remember Frank magazine Rick Mercer may be more your style.

Franks Pranks

                                  A Nation Worth Ranting About

 

 It's not possible to talk about humour without women's humor and remembering the late, great Nora Ephron's:  I Feel Bad About My Neck   followed by I Remember Nothing 

                             And the very alive Tina Fey's:  Bossypants

              

Which brings me back to the point of humour being such a subjective beast.  Hope I've hit something you can relate to or otherwise use to bring a smile to someone's face.

 

As someone once told me:  "If you're good for a  laugh, you're good for something." 

You've heard about "people learning from the mistakes of others" and then there are those of us who are the "others." If you want company check out   Three Bricks Shy of a Load culled from newscasts and newspapers from around the world by Peter Taylor who spent 40 years in publishing in Toronto.

Enjoy April 1 - leave them laughing.  Final suggestion:  The Mammoth Book of 10,000 Zingers.

Oh, and if you have a young person in your life:

Where do animals who've lost their tails shop for a new one?     (A retail store) 

 

 

 

 

 

Straphanger : how subways, buses and trains are saving our cities from the empire of the automobile

     I recently read a fantastic book by Taras Grescoe, it's very current, (okay, it was reviewed in the Globe and Mail a year ago) but published in 2012. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/straphanger-by-taras-grescoe/article4103113/  

   Grescoe lives in Montreal but travelled around the world looking at how cities succeed or fail at providing public transportation.  The Toronto chapter is titled "The Toronto Tragedy" so you know he gets our current situation.  I'd love to see him as part of the eh List Author Series.  Maybe along with Edward J. Levy whose webbook, Rapid Transit in Toronto: A century of Plans, Progress & Paralysis is available to see and copy at : http://levyrapidtransit.ca/

   Taras Grescoe was interviewed by Library Thing and you can read their recommendations for similar reads at: http://www.librarything.com/work/12059718

However, in closing the interview with Grescoe http://www.librarything.com/author/grescoetaras/interview  the proverbial favourite question was asked:   

What types of books do you like to read? What have you read recently that you enjoyed?

I read a lot of fiction. I just finished Murakami’s massive IQ84, but I enjoyed Ferenc Karinthy’s Metropolis, about the predicament of a linguist who accidentally lands in a city where everybody speaks a totally unknown language, a lot more.

Don't look for Metropolis in the TPL catalogue, the book seems to be titled:  Metropole and the blue form is in so we'll have it soon.

Oh and check out: Unlocking the Gridlock for more folks we could invite to Thought Exchange. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/unlocking-the-gridlock/article10255098/?service=mobile

Hope to catch you reading on the TTC,

Paula

 

March Madness at Downsview

March Madness is in full effect at Downsview this March break with a full slate of children's programming.

 

 

Here's a full breakdown of the week ahead:

 

Saturday March 9 Dr. Seuss Storytime 11:00-12:00pm

Oh the stories you'll hear when we celebrate the one and only Dr. Seuss. And to Think I Heard It on Keele Street!

 

Monday March 11 Reptilia 2:00-3:00pm

Would you like to meet a Python? Join us on Monday March 11 for Reptilia!

    Reptilia features a wide variety of reptile from tortoises to alligators! Free limited tickets will be available 30 minutes before the start of the program

 

Tuesday March 12 The Secret Life of Arrietty 2:00-3:30pm

Based on the book The Borrowers, Arrietty and her parents are tiny people who live under the floor boards of a human house. Free limited tickets available 30 minutes before the start of the program

 

Wednesday March 13 Game-A-Ganza Day 1 2:00-3:30pm

Join Downsview Branch this March Break for some carnival type games.  See if you can beat the "skill" testing games. Win some prizes! Have some fun!  Free limited tickets available 30 minutes before the start of the program.

Thursday March 14 Game-A-Ganza Day 2 2:00-3:00pm

Thursday's event will feature a Wii-Archery competition. The tournament will be played round robin style and a prize will be awarded to the winner!  Free limited tickets available 30 minutes before the start of the program.

 

Friday March 15 Spectacle de Magic 2:00-3:00pm

Dans un spectacle hautement interactif que vous ne serez pas prêt d'oublier, vous tomberez sous le charme du seul et unique Jean Deshaies.Billets gratuits disponible 30 minutes avant le spectacle. All welcome but please note program is in French.

 

Saturday March 16 Seed Planting Program 11:00-12:00pm

Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?  Visit us for storytime and find out!  Afterwards, children will be given seeds to plant in order to grow their own plant.

 

Come to Downsview for March Madness week.

 

  

 

Bullying: A Culture of Silence

Join us on Tuesday, March 12 (that’s March Break) at Downsview branch in the Upper Program Room from 2-3 p.m. for a screening of Bullying: A Culture of Silence. This is a free program for ages 14 and up. Parents are also welcome and encouraged to attend with or without your teen.

Toronto filmmaker Sunnie McFadden-Curtis will be present to introduce her film and to field questions afterward. Sunnie was inspired to make the documentary by more than professional interest. A few years back, her son was being bullied and Sunnie wanted to share her experiences and support other families.

The documentary is the result of Sunnie’s research and activism around bullying. Though engaging and moving, the film does feature candid stories of bullying and its impact. Parents are advised that the material could be upsetting for children under 14.

Come and hear what promises to be an engaging and ultimately empowering session on the timely topic of school bullying.

What's new at the Downsview? February Spotlight

It is freezing cold outside but our children's programming slate is heating up this February!

Come in and join us at Downsview for one of our many upcoming programs. 

Join us on Mondays at 3:30pm for Minute To Win It

         An after school program for kids ages 8-13 featuring all sorts of activities and prizes. Activities range from the simple (blowing plastic cups off of a table) to video games and scientific experiments!

    

 Also on Mondays, beginning February 25, we will resume our legendary Chess Club at 6:30pm

 

           The chess club is open to beginners and experienced players alike and is for all children ages 7-13

 

On Tuesdays we have Baby Time at 1:30pm

Half an hour of bouncing, tickling, singing and laughter for parents/caregivers and their babies ages 0-18 months.

             On Thursdays we have Toddler Time at 11:30am

 

Join us for stories, rhymes and songs for parents/caregivers and their toddlers ages 18-48 months.

 

Finally on Saturday February 9th come join us for Valentine's Day Card Making and Stories from 11:00am - 12:00pm

Come and decorate fun Valentine's Day cards for your family and friends! Fun Valentine's Day stories before the craft.

  

 

Come on in and beat the cold this winter!

Too Much Fun at the Library!

Hey kids, I know you like having fun. A lot of fun. Maybe even too much fun! In January and February we challenge you to have too much fun at the library! Check out these programs at York Woods and show us how it's done.

 

On Mondays at 6:30pm join us for Pyjama Time!
Children ages 0 to 5 are welcome to join us for bedtime stories,
songs and activities with their parents or caregivers.

 

 

Pop in on Wednesdays at 4:30pm for our Afterschool Zone!
School aged kids can join us for stories, crafts and games!

 

 

 

Join us every Saturday at 2:00pm for a Family Storyime!
Take part in songs, stories, rhymes and crafts for the whole family!

 

 

The fun begins on January 7th! Click the pictures for more information.

Holiday Puppet Shows @ York Woods

See your favorite stories come to life on our puppet stage!

On Thursday December 27th join us for a stirring rendition of Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess. Will Princess Elizabeth outsmart the dragon and rescue Prince Ronald?

On Thursday January 3rd one of your favourite tales will be retold. Which one will it be? You'll have to join us to find out!

ALL AGES DROP-IN!

York Woods Children’s Area

Thursday December 27th & Thursday January 3rd, 2:00-3:00pm

 

Place a hold on these classic stories today!