National Library Week

We are celebrating National Library Week very differently this year.  Instead of being together at the library, we invite you to explore the library from your home.  

Our library provides you with FREE access to ebooks, audiobooks, online learning opportunities, virtual programs, and more.  We also have compiled additional resources from other reputable sources for you to consider.

You are invited to "Find the Library at Your Place" with our bingo page containing a variety of options. Explore the library and other recommended activities to complete a bingo and win a prize.

(Our children's bingo page is here.)

TNT National Library Week BINGO
(Teen and Tween, 6th - 12th grade)

Share Your Story: Share your experience during this time at home. Details here.	Do something creative: write, sing, draw, play an instrument, dance, cook, photograph, or anything you choose.	Read or listen to any book or part of a book.	Visit a museum virtually here.	Do something kind for someone else.
Read somewhere you don’t usually read - outside, in the bathtub (perhaps with pillows not water) or anywhere you choose.	Write a book review.  It can be just one sentence or as much as you want to write.  Details here.	Play a game: a board game, a card game, or anything you choose.	Share a Smile: Write a letter or draw a picture to share with someone who receives Meals on Wheels. Details here.	Learn how to do something new: origami, drawing, tying a tie, a new recipe, or anything you choose.
Tell someone about a book you have read or are reading.	Read or listen to an ebook or eaudiobook. Details here.	Your Choice: Choose something you like on this bingo page and do it again.	Create a comic, write a story, or try anything else from this list.	Observe the animals and plants you see and hear outside. Learn more about one. Details here.
Your Choice: Choose something you like on this bingo page and do it again.	Visit a zoo, aquarium, or aviary virtually here.	Write a letter or draw a picture for a friend or family member.	Read a poem. Details here.	Read or listen to any book or part of a book.
Learn something new that interests you.  Details here.	Go outside and watch the clouds and/or the stars.	Write a poem, and share it with us to add to our Poetree, if you choose. Details here.	Attend a virtual library program.  Details here. Or choose something you like on this bingo page and do it again.	Draw a picture about a book or write a text message conversation between two (or more) characters in the book.

You can:
- print the bingo page here (with color header and instructions)
- print the bingo page here (printer friendly black & white)
- save one of these images to your device 

color with heading and instructions

just bingo page

If one (or more) of the bingo squares doesn't work for you, you can choose any other activity on the page to do for that square instead.  

Mark off the activities you do, and email the image or a picture of your paper copy to jperryman@milanlibrary.org.  

Complete one bingo to receive a free book after we reopen.  Complete additional bingos (2, 4, 6, and full card) to enter a prize drawing for a gift card to a local business or bookstore.  

We'll draw names for the prize drawing on Monday, May 4, so please submit your entries by Sunday, May 3.

If you have any questions, please email Jennifer at jperryman@milanlibrary.org.


Activity Details:

Most of the activities on the bingo page are already on our blog.  The links on each square on this page will take you to those details. 

Here is more information about the items that don't already have a page.

Book Review: 

Write something about a book you have read.  It can be one sentence or as long as you want it to be. Tell if you liked the book or not and why you liked or didn't like it.  You can write anything else you would like. If you would like to share your review with us, we will post them online and in the library when we reopen. If you want to share it, you can email it to Jennifer at jperryman@milanlibrary.org.  Please include how you would like to be credited: first name and age, just age, or neither (anonymous). 


Animals and Plants:
Go outside - or watch and listen through a window - and see how many animals and plants you see. Pick one that interests you and learn one new thing about it using any books you have at home or any of these resources: 

Britannica School (available through MeL)

EBSCO eBook K-8 Collection (available through MeL)
EBSCO eBook High School Collection (available through MeL)
World Book Kids (available through MeL)

Michigan Department of Natural Resources - Learn about Michigan's Species
Michigan Department of Natural Resources - Attracting Frogs and Toads
Michigan Department of Natural Resources - Bird and other Wildlife Feeders

Learn Something New:
Use any of our resources or the options we have shared from others to learn something new.

- Explore any resource on mel.org (Michigan Electronic Library). Start here. You can narrow down the list by choosing an option in the subject search box: teen, DIY (for a variety of hobby and craft info), science, or anything that interests you.

- Learn a little bit of a new language with Mango Languages.

- Prepare for the ACT or SAT with Learning Library Express.

- Learn how to draw something from an author/illustrator video here or a drawing page here.

- Or try any other activity or resource here: Online reading and learning resources

Poetry Month

April is Poetry Month.

We invite you to read and write poetry this month.

You can write any kind of poem you want.  You can email your poem to jperryman@milanlibrary.org or bring it to us after we reopen. You can put it on a "leaf" cut out of paper or submit it in any form and we'll add it to a leaf.

Once we reopen, we'll add your poems to our Poetree (poetry + tree) in the library.  As a thank you for participating, we will also have a random drawing to award prizes to a few people who participate.

Take a look at these resources to read and listen to poetry and try some poetry activities:

Poets.org and Poems for kids on poets.org - a variety of poetry for you to read and

Shel Silverstein - read aloud videos, activities, and more

ReadWriteThink - interactive poetry writing.  Choose acrostic poems, haiku poems, or more and the site will walk you through from brainstorming to writing a poem.  Flash is required for this website.

Scholastic Poetry - Jack Prelutsky, and Karla Kuskin each share one of their poems and writing tips for you to create your own poetry.

Here is one of our previous Poetrees (poetry + tree).
We hope to have your poems to add to our Poetree this year when we reopen.

Children's Books in Emojis

How many children's books can you name based on their description in emojis?

Source: Pobble

Share a Smile

We are collaborating with Milan Seniors for Healthy Living to share artwork and letters with individuals who are served by Meals on Wheels.

Teens are home from school, perhaps looking for extra things to do.  Individuals are home alone, perhaps looking for virtual connections to others.  We hope to connect these two groups by inviting children and teens to write a letter and/or draw a picture that we can share with the Meals on Wheels program.

If you'd like to participate, please scan or take a picture of your letter(s) and/or drawing(s) and email it to Jennifer at the library (jperryman@milanlibrary.org).  She will compile the submissions and email them to Milan Seniors for Healthy Living. Someone from Meals on Wheels will print them and distribute them to individuals through their deliveries.  Given the current health situation, we think this is the best option to share messages without sharing germs.

If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Perryman at jperryman@milanlibrary.org.

Thank you in advance for "sharing a smile!"

Share Your Story

We are all living through an unusual time now.  The current pandemic affects all of us, and each of us in a different way.

Our library would like to collect a local account of this time.  We invite you to send us anything you'd like to share - photographs, drawings, writings - anything that shares what your experience and daily life now is like.

We plan to compile your submissions into a collection to have in the library.  Our community will have access to this account now, and after this time becomes history, our future community will be able to read first-hand accounts of our experiences.

If you need ideas, here are a few suggestions:
What did you do today that you wouldn't have done on a "normal" day?
What did you not do today that you would have done on a "normal" day?
What do you miss about school or work?
What do you like or not like about being home and away from school or work?
How are you keeping in touch with family and friends while you can't visit them in person?
Have you done something to help someone else?
Has someone done something to help you?
Have you missed an event during this time?
What are you looking forward to doing after we return to "normal."

If you would like to participate, you can:

• Upload your submission here - A Gmail account is required for this option.
• Email us at info@milanlibrary.org and then complete this form.
• Bring information to the library once we reopen.  We can scan your documents if you'd like to keep the originals.

We look forward to seeing what you share.


A separate project:
The Library of Michigan is also collecting information through their COVID-19: Save Your Story project in collaboration with the Historical Society of Michigan.  If you are interested in participating in their project, you can see details are here.  (Please share with us, too!)