by Barbara D'Amato
Michael Dymmoch’s excellent post, The Best Things in Life Are Free . . . [April 17] got me thinking. Several people lately have complained to me about the cost of entertainment in these days of constricted funds. Especially, some have said, “It’s too expensive to take a kid for food and out to a movie. I can't afford it!” And yet, they don't want to stay home all the time, as who would?
These are tough times. Let’s talk about what you can do with children, say over four and under fifteen, when they become extremely picky.
I’m grateful to Michael Dymmoch for telling me about a Chicago Sun Times article [April 1, 2009] explaining that there are still a lot of free days at Chicago museums:
The Mexican Fine Arts Museum is free year round -- 1852 w. 19th.
So is the Smart Museum at the University of Chicago – 5550 S. Greenwood.
The Adler Planetarium has certain free days. Call to inquire.
The Art Institute of Chicago is free 5-8 pm Thursdays.
The Chicago Children’s Museum is free 5-8 pm Thursdays.
The Field Museum is free the second Monday of the month and certain other days. Call to inquire.
The Museum of Contemporary Art [220 E. Chicago] is free every Tuesday.
The Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium are free certain days. Call to inquire.
Also, if you have a valid library card you can get a museum passport that gets you into several museums for free.
But I don’t want to talk just about Chicago. Speaking of libraries, in most of the country, libraries are one of the places to find a lot of entertainment for little or no money. Story-telling time. Play groups. Special-interest lectures.
Then there are parks. Many parks have free children’s events. But you need to look. I once lived just two blocks from a wonderful park my child would have liked and didn’t know it because my usual path didn’t go that way.
Make picnic lunches and take the child to the beach, the riverfront, or whatever you have nearby.
Tell the child, “Invite two friends over and we’ll make candy.”
An older child might be challenged by this: “See if you can buy the food and make dinner [with my help] for four for under twenty dollars.”
Let’s plant tomatoes in the back yard.
As I write, these suggestions all seem obvious, but then I think about all the obvious things I’ve completely overlooked in my life. And the suggestions are intended to spark ideas. Do you have free or cheap ideas that have worked for you and a child?
Showing posts with label libraries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label libraries. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thursday, October 02, 2008
In Praise of Wakesha County Librarians...
by Sean Chercover
Last night I spoke at the Wakesha County Federated Library System's trustee dinner. That's Waukesha, Wisconsin. I was invited to speak by the awesome Penny Halle, of the Muskego Public Library.
Muskego is the home of the upcoming Murder & Mayhem in Muskego convention (November 7-8). If you're not registered for M&MinM, you should be. It's a fantastic time; an intimate gathering of about 30 authors (check out the list) and about 300 readers, with panels and interviews and books and coffee and cookies. This year's keynote interview is Dennis Lehane, interviewed by Michael Koryta. And SJ Rozan and Reed Farrel Coleman will interview each other. That alone is worth the drive to Muskego. Of the Outfit, Libby and Michael and Marcus and I will all be there.
Okay? Okay. Get thee to Muskego on November 8th (and 7th for the cocktail reception).
Anyway, so I spoke at the Waukesha library thingy last night. I sat at dinner with Jon Jordan of Crimespree Magazine (if you're not a subscriber, you should be) and the aformentioned super-librarian Penny Halle and State Senator and longtime library supporter Ted Kanavas and other library big-wigs.
A great time was had last night, and this morning I awoke still full of the love of libraries.
But I was up all night talking with Jon and Ruth, and my brain doesn't work to blog. So I'm just stopping in to share that love of libraries.
Go to your local library. Support your local library. Join the American Library Association.
G'night....
Last night I spoke at the Wakesha County Federated Library System's trustee dinner. That's Waukesha, Wisconsin. I was invited to speak by the awesome Penny Halle, of the Muskego Public Library.
Muskego is the home of the upcoming Murder & Mayhem in Muskego convention (November 7-8). If you're not registered for M&MinM, you should be. It's a fantastic time; an intimate gathering of about 30 authors (check out the list) and about 300 readers, with panels and interviews and books and coffee and cookies. This year's keynote interview is Dennis Lehane, interviewed by Michael Koryta. And SJ Rozan and Reed Farrel Coleman will interview each other. That alone is worth the drive to Muskego. Of the Outfit, Libby and Michael and Marcus and I will all be there.
Okay? Okay. Get thee to Muskego on November 8th (and 7th for the cocktail reception).
Anyway, so I spoke at the Waukesha library thingy last night. I sat at dinner with Jon Jordan of Crimespree Magazine (if you're not a subscriber, you should be) and the aformentioned super-librarian Penny Halle and State Senator and longtime library supporter Ted Kanavas and other library big-wigs.
A great time was had last night, and this morning I awoke still full of the love of libraries.
But I was up all night talking with Jon and Ruth, and my brain doesn't work to blog. So I'm just stopping in to share that love of libraries.
Go to your local library. Support your local library. Join the American Library Association.
G'night....
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Better than burning books
by Barbara D'Amato
We’ve all read recently about Tom Wayne, who runs a used book store and wanted to give some books to libraries and thrift shops. None would take them, so he held a book-burning. For this he was roundly criticized.
But I can sympathize. Shortly after Katrina hit, and we were all saddened by the destruction of libraries or the water damage to books in libraries, I started hearing about places we could send books. Every time I checked, though, they wanted money, not books. I’m happy to send money to help rebuild a library, but I still have a lot of books I could give away. Good books, read just once.
Since then, I’ve kept an eye out for places to send books. It’s not as easy as I thought, and not as easy as it should be. Don’t we all have books we are finished with that could be a delight to somebody else?
I’ve discovered a few things:
Donating to libraries in general is difficult. Many libraries say that it costs more to catalog and shelve a book than it’s worth. You have to take it pretty much library by library. Some are delighted to have donations, but you may see your books later on the tables at their annual book sale fund-raiser. Nothing wrong with that, I guess.
You can donate books to prisons. Call and ask. But they don’t take hard covers. Prisoners apparently can make weapons out of hardcover books. [The pen is mightier --?]
Many retirement homes are really happy to get books. Call first.
Some hospitals, especially long-term care hospitals, will take them.
Sending to men and women in the military is tricky. Most people I talked with said to contact your local VFW for the best way.
I’m still having trouble sending books to New Orleans libraries. Thanks to a DorothyL contact, I have found one person in the area who is collecting books for a library that is being rebuilt. You can send books to her at:
Jeannie Ripoll
325 Ferguson Ave.
Long Beach MS 39560
The San Diego library is helped the following person, who sorts books for the Friends of The Library and sends duplicates to the penal system. She is:
Lynn Dielman
4150 41st St. #10
San Diego CA 92105
But this shouldn’t be so difficult. Somebody else help out here. What organizations would be glad to receive books in good condition, free?
We’ve all read recently about Tom Wayne, who runs a used book store and wanted to give some books to libraries and thrift shops. None would take them, so he held a book-burning. For this he was roundly criticized.
But I can sympathize. Shortly after Katrina hit, and we were all saddened by the destruction of libraries or the water damage to books in libraries, I started hearing about places we could send books. Every time I checked, though, they wanted money, not books. I’m happy to send money to help rebuild a library, but I still have a lot of books I could give away. Good books, read just once.
Since then, I’ve kept an eye out for places to send books. It’s not as easy as I thought, and not as easy as it should be. Don’t we all have books we are finished with that could be a delight to somebody else?
I’ve discovered a few things:
Donating to libraries in general is difficult. Many libraries say that it costs more to catalog and shelve a book than it’s worth. You have to take it pretty much library by library. Some are delighted to have donations, but you may see your books later on the tables at their annual book sale fund-raiser. Nothing wrong with that, I guess.
You can donate books to prisons. Call and ask. But they don’t take hard covers. Prisoners apparently can make weapons out of hardcover books. [The pen is mightier --?]
Many retirement homes are really happy to get books. Call first.
Some hospitals, especially long-term care hospitals, will take them.
Sending to men and women in the military is tricky. Most people I talked with said to contact your local VFW for the best way.
I’m still having trouble sending books to New Orleans libraries. Thanks to a DorothyL contact, I have found one person in the area who is collecting books for a library that is being rebuilt. You can send books to her at:
Jeannie Ripoll
325 Ferguson Ave.
Long Beach MS 39560
The San Diego library is helped the following person, who sorts books for the Friends of The Library and sends duplicates to the penal system. She is:
Lynn Dielman
4150 41st St. #10
San Diego CA 92105
But this shouldn’t be so difficult. Somebody else help out here. What organizations would be glad to receive books in good condition, free?
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