Blogs

We're here to help by offering Early Learning Centres a wide range of information, resources, activities, and events.

World Book Online is a suite of websites from the publishers of the famous World Book encyclopediae. Early World of Learning is for Pre-school and Junior/Senior Infants. World Book Kids is suited to Primary school students. World Book Student is designed for Secondary school students.World Book Early World of LearningWorld Book Early World of Learning is a resource for preschoolers and children in early primary. Developed with experts on early childhood education, image-based navigation helps young readers explore stories, games, videos, and interactive colouring pages for educational entertainment. There's lots of guidance for parents too with lesson ideas and how-to videos. Visit World Book Early World of Learning, all you have to do is enter your library card number. World Book KidsWorld Book Kids is the premier online resource developed especially for young students, ideal for older primary school children. The site has been optimized for tablets and features image-based navigation, easy-to-read articles, thousands of images and videos as well as a wealth of engaging games, science projects, and activities.Watch how to use tutorials and visit World Book Kids, all you have to do is enter your library card number. World Book StudentWorld Book Student is for secondary school students and includes all the articles from the print versions of the famous World Book encyclopedia, plus thousands of additional articles, learning resources, and research tools. Containing numerous tools to engage users in 21st-century education and blended-learning practices, it features responsive design, daily current events and dedicated resource guides to provide blueprints for advanced learning and college and career readiness.Watch tutorials on how to use the site and Visit World Book Student, all you have to do is enter your library card number. 

This week, we are going to take a look at TumbleBooks, an online resource especially designed for the little ones in your life. TumbleBooks are animated, talking picture books which teach children the joy of reading in a format they'll love. TumbleBooks are created by taking existing picture books, and then adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you. This resource also includes National Geographic videos and games.(Example of National Geographic Videos)Available on TumbleBooks:Story Books: This option features animated, talking picture books for the younger reader. The reader has the option to automatically or manually turn the pages.  Chapter Books/Read-Alongs: While this option does not include animation, the ebooks are narrated. They also include Chapter menus so that you can jump chapters, and a bookmarks and notes feature which are cookied onto your computer. Chapter Books also allow readers to change the colors of the background and text, as well as the font style, size, and line spacing. This helps to make the ebooks even more accessible to a wider range of readers. Videos are from the world renowned National Geographic! Simply click on "Watch Online" to watch the 2-5 minute clips on various topics. Most of these videos have been paired with ebooks as a way to introduce a topic! Featured is where teachers, librarians, parents, students, and TumbleBooks staff can recommended a book! It's a quick and easy way to find books on those rainy days! Puzzles & Games accompany each book and reinforce concepts from the books, allowing for a fun and educational learning experience. Language Learning is an easy way to access our French and Spanish titles! Non-Fiction contains a growing collection of non-fiction titles in subjects such as health, science, astronomy, biology, and nature.Playlist allows you to access the pre-loaded playlist. The eBooks play back-to-back just like a music playlist! In addition, you can create your own playlist! Simply click on the "Add to Playlist" button below a TumbleBook to create your own!(Example of Foreign Language eBooks)Access How:Website; Follow link below. To register; select the "My Cloud" tab, click where it says "Register" and enter your library card number and pin as your username and password.App; Select "Library" tab, in country box fill in "Ireland" (Note; state is NOT required), select Dublin City Council Public Library and enter your library card number. In main menu select "View by Detail" to add your favourite books to "My Favourites."URL: http://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/autologin.aspx?UserID=08Hezhy7Lfgp480vNdjp%2bw%3d%3d 

Raheny Library has just participated in a new project called 'Learning Through Football',  in which children’s literacy and numeracy skills are improved through a football skills-based programme. 'Learning Through Football', a project initiated by Minister Aodhan O Riordain, was delivered in partnership with the FAI and local schools in early May.Our photo shows Chloe Kearney and Eve Keogh, both from Saint Eithne's School in Edenmore, who came joint first for their scrapbooks which contain their comic book designs (they learned some skills to compose their designs at the workshop in Raheny Library with Alan Nolan) and also facts and photos of their favourite footballers (using books borrowed from the library).Well done to Chloe and Eve!Click photo below to see larger version.

Staying up late in July 1969 to watch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step from Apollo 11 onto the surface of the moon was exiting but not at all unexpected to a science fiction reader. Having spent years immersed in Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and so many other great writers it was never IF, just HOW SOON we would conquer space. In my mind, it was only a matter of time be for all those stories of Martian colonies, aliens (friendly or hostile), parallel universes, androids and my own personal space trips would all come true.Sadly, didn’t happen – the space race seems to have ground to a slow stroll, despite the International Space station.However, here is a chance to get a little closer to those dreams in the person of Greg Johnson, a Real Astronaut. Gregory Johnson is a NASA astronaut and a retired colonel in the United States Air Force. Johnson is a veteran of two space flights, STS-123 and STS-134, (both aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour) where he spent nearly 32 days in orbit and contributed to the assembly of the International Space Station. He has also served in numerous roles for NASA, and is currently the President and Executive Director for the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).Meet Greg in Ballyfermot Library on Thursday 13th November at 1pm. He will be talking about being an astronaut and the experience of visiting space, followed by a Q&A session. (Children and adults welcome. Book a place at the library).

The power of science is all around us. We see, hear, touch, taste and experience the wonder of science every day. Thanks to the power of science we can improve our health and wellbeing, explore new worlds, and make our world a better place; the only limits are those we imagine!Co-ordinated by SFI Discover the education and public engagement programme of Science Foundation Ireland, Science Week officially runs from 9th – 16th November 2014. Dublin City Public Libraries will host our Science Week Programme over two weeks – because we just can’t fit all our fantastic workshops and lectures into just one week!Children can experience hands-on science with the Rediscovery Centre, ECO-UNESCO, Michael Moylan’s Science Show, Dale Treadwell, SEAI, Dublin Zoo, Birdwatch Ireland, Green Schools, Water Conservation and Ingenious Ireland. After-school events with Michael Moylan and Dale Treadwell offer a chance for all the family to take part in Science Week.Would you like to meet a real Astronaut? Greg Johnson, veteran of two space flights aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, will talk about his space experience on Thursday 13th November at 1pm in Ballyfermot Library. (Children and adults welcome. Book a place at the library).

A new website for parents called Help My Kid Learn was launched recently by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D. This simple website brings together relevant information for parents and the wider community to support children’s literacy and numeracy development.The purpose of the website is to provide fun activities that parents can do with their children to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. It includes general information, fun activities and useful tips.The website is part of a wider public information campaign going on at the moment led by the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) and carried out in conjunction with the TV series on RTE 1 on Mondays at 7.30pm called “The Family Project”.Help My Kid Learn is for parents, grandparents and carers of children aged 0 – 12 years and is searchable according to the age of the child. All a person has to do is enter their child’s age and they will be presented with a range of activities for helping children with talking, playing, reading, writing and counting.So call in to your local library and access the website on one of the many free Internet computers available (note: advanced computer booking may be required in some instances; you may want to check with your branch library in advance). It's also worth noting that many of our libraries have promotional displays where you may get further information.