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.

Online Reading & Learning Resources

Update: We add resources to the sections below as we discover them, but are highlighting this one at the top of the page since it is is happening only on May 1 and 2.

Everywhere Book Fest - May 1-2

The Everywhere Book Fest is a virtual celebration of authors, books, and readers that brings the book festival experience to everyone!  On May 1-2, the book festival will open its virtual doors and unveil two free full days of live and pre-recorded sessions with your favorite picture book, middle grade, and young adult authors.

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While your school and the library are closed, you may be looking for books to read, ways to prepare for the ACT or SAT, or other things to do during your time at home.  Here are some resources that may be useful. 

You can leave us a comment below or email us at info@milanlibrary.org if you have any questions or need help accessing any of these resources.

We have another list of youth resources on our children's page.  Some of those may be of interest to you as well. You can see that list here. 

For parents/adults:  If you don't have internet access: Comcast is currently offering two free months of their Internet Essentials plan to new subscribers.  Their website is here.  We are not affiliated with this program, but are sharing it in case it is of interest to you.  

Library Resources:

eBooks and eAudiobooks from our membership in Woodlands Library Cooperative

You can use your library card to download free eBooks and eAudiobooks here or through the Libby app here.

Tumblebook Library

Tumblebooks has provided free access to their resources through August 31.

Tumblebook Library - K-6th grade ebooks

TumbleMath - K-6th grade math ebooks

TeenBookCloud - ebooks for 7th - 12th grades

AudioBookCloud - all ages - audiobooks

Michigan Electronic Library (MeL) from the Library of Michigan

The Michigan Electronic Library (MeL) has a variety of reading, research, and learning resources for all ages – ebooks, youth activities, ACT/SAT/PSAT test prep, and more.  See all MeL eResources here.

ACT, SAT, PSAT (and more) Test Prep

Learning Express Library provides free test prep guides for the ACT, SAT, PSAT, and more.   See them here.  

Learn a new language with Mango Languages.  Set up your free account here to get started.

Additional resources - not affiliated with our library

The following resources are not affiliated with our library.  We are providing them as a convenience to you. 

Authors/Illustrators/Books

Many authors and illustrators are providing online experiences - drawing lessons, reading their books online, talking about their creative process, and more. 

Scroll down to the "Authors, Illustrators, and Books" section here to see some of these options.

You can also take a look at your favorite author's website or social media pages to see what they may be doing. 

Audible - free access to audiobooks. No login. Stories in 6 languages.

Sync: Audiobooks for Teens
SYNC is a free summer audiobook program for teens. Beginning on April 30, 2020, SYNC will give away two complete audiobooks a week - pairs of books based on weekly themes. Register for SYNC and sign up for email or text alerts at  www.audiobooksync.com.

Everywhere Book Fest

The Everywhere Book Fest is a virtual celebration of authors, books, and readers that brings the book festival experience to everyone!  On May 1-2, the book festival will host two free full days of live and pre-recorded sessions with your favorite picture book, middle grade, and young adult authors. If you miss it live, you can watch the videos on their website after the events.

Harry Potter at Home

Simon Teen has provided free ebooks, each for a limited time.   

See all the library's resources at the top of this page, too!

Music/Theater

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra provides recordings of a variety of their performances here. 

Virtual Museum & Location Tours

A variety of museums through Google Arts and Culture

A variety of events and places from Discovery Education

7 Wonders of the World

Anne Frank's House

Arconic Manufacturing

Dairy Farm

Google Sky

Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas

The Louvre

Mars

Mt. Everest

Mount Vernon

Museo Galileo

NASA

Polar Bears and the Tundra

Smithsonian: Museum of Natural History

Yellowstone National Park

Science

Michigan State University Science Festival is online this year.  See digital presentations, virtual tours, STEAM you can do at home, and links to partners with even more fun science information and activities.