The Library

I've always felt that one of the best ways to help a child develop is to read to them (and, eventually, teach them to read).  Thanks in great part to my mom, the retired English teacher, I feel I had a pretty superior upbringing in that area even before school started.  I credit her, and my outstanding first grade teacher, Mrs. Spector, who keyed into my competitive side with a year-long book-reading competition that prompted me to read over 600 books, with my academic success through college.  Therefore, I'm determined to read to my new munchkin every day in hopes that she'll develop the skills and love of reading that will make her more successful in life.

In fact, the first thing we bought her (days after finding out we were pregnant) is the first book I plan to read her: The Lorax, by Dr. Suess.  I don't think you can find a better, more obvious way to introduce your kids to environmentalism.  (If my kids were old enough to make the connection, I'd be comparing the glumped-up pond where the Humming-Fish hummed to some of the pictures coming out of the gulf from the BP oil spill.)

We used to live in Rochester, MN, whose Olmsted County United Way sponsored the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which sends kids one book a month for their first five years of life - for free!  To find out if an organization in your area sponsors this program, enter your zip code into the 'Find Your Affiliate' box here.

Our new community doesn't have a sponsor, but Nathan reminded me that I didn't grow up with free books at my doorstep either.  I grew up with something far more flexible, eco-friendly and amazing: a library!

I was discouraged the first time I set foot inside the Jordaan Memorial Library in Larned, KS.  My biggest pet peeve?  They don't trust you.  It's the only library I've ever joined that gave you a probationary period of six months where you could only check-out one book at a time!  This would never do if I was going to stock up on lots of reading materials for our little bean.

Luckily, most libraries are like the one 25 minutes from us in Great Bend, KS.  They have a large children's reading section, computers, a three-week checkout period with online renewals, ways to get books from other Kansas libraries, and you can have up to 25 books at a time.  I walked in yesterday to signs urging kids of all ages to join their various summer reading programs, plus community events like free movies, etc.  Now, this, is what I expect from my local library!

I'm sure we'll be frequenting it often.  The best part for me is that I can expose my kids to a variety of books and topics without breaking the bank and without causing extra trees to be chopped down!  Like cloth diapering, I feel this is another eco-parently no-brainer!  Happy Reading!