Dona Ana County Free Little Libraries

Pick up a free bilingual and STEM book packet at Dona Ana County Free Little Libraries. Complete the survey on this blog if you could not find a packet in your NM Free Little Library and RNM will mail one to you.  

Miss New Mexico Teen Tourism, Valeria Marquez and Miss New Mexico Tourism, Daisy Cervantes along with Brianna Pena, have been busy this summer, with virtual science bilingual presentations including in packets from Explora Science Center in Albuquerque along with the New Mexico State Library's summer reading program information and links with a fun activity, New Mexico Book Bingo.   

We are limited at the Downtown Craft and Makers Market this summer through October, but have offered curb-side distribution during the virtual storytime.  

Please wear a mask and practice social distancing, we do sanitize the materials in the NM Free Little Libraries, but please wipe down if you get one, before 

you use the books, experiments, etc.   RNM is grateful to The Stocker Foundation, who has provided us with the resources to keep education during the summer months and provide support for the beginning of the school year.

RNM has supported the summer reading program at Hatch Public Library, please visit the virtual storytime and the library, if you are in the area for more details.

Look for us on September 26 for a virtual Cuentos Storytime featuring our NM Latinas through ZOOM with an opportunity for an open mic.  Email us for some details at nwnmac1@gmail.com

"Hey New Mexico"

YOU HAVE NOT MISSED YOUR OPPORTUNIty!

Please respond to the U.S. Census as soon as you receive your Census I.D. questionnaire packet. You can still respond online, by the phone or by mail in English and Spanish.

Counting everyone in New Mexico is critical because this count is used to determine the distribution of federal dollars and political representation for New Mexico for the next ten years.

Summer Learning for Back to School

STEAM AND ARTICLES:

American Library Association: Fighting 'COVID Slide': STEM Activities for Kids to Do at Home

American Institutes for Research (AIR): Building Positive Conditions for Learning at Home: Strategies and Resources for Families and Caregivers

Good Housekeeping: How to Homeschool During the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak (Parents who already teach at home offer tips on how to make the transition work.)

Time Magazine: The Secret to Keeping Your Kids Happy, Busy and Learning if Their School Closes Due to Coronavirus 

Explora is posting information and activities daily through their website and social media outlets:

• Printable STEM Activity Cards

Math Card Games

Math Snacks is loaded with games that help teach math and math concepts.

STEM Enrichment Activities Suitable for Inclusion with Grab and Go Meals (English & Spanish):

• Gravity Drop Activity
• Sensory Trail Activity
• Migration Adaptation Activity
• Make a Cloud Activity
• Daily Nature Activities
• Bird Basics - Feathers (English only)
• Nature Story Activity
• Surface Tension Activity (English only)
• Math Activities
• Backyard Pollinator Activity (English only)
• Lava Lamp Activity
• Don't Trash our Rio Activity
• Soil Composition Activity (English only)
• Mud Play Activity (Bonus, pre-school focus)
• Speed of Light Activity (involves chocolate!)
• Plant Bingo Activity (English only)
• Hawks v. Falcons Activity (English only)
• Leaky Faucet Activity 
• Rather than continue to recreate this list, here's the NM MESA STEM resources page which includes all the grab & go activities... and more.

LITERACY SERVICES

Free e-Book sources:

• https://earlybirdbooks.com/
• https://www.bookbub.com/welcome
• https://www.freebooksy.com/
• https://www.free-ebooks.net/

Scholastics Learn at Home website

Spanish Children's Stories: For well known children's stories translated into Spanish and spoken by a native Spanish speaker, go here

Free streaming and other on-line options:

• Virtual Museum Tours
• Virtual Field Trips

Summer Reading in New Mexico

New Mexico State Library Hitchhiker
New Mexico Cultural Affairs

Summer is halfway over for the public libraries of New Mexico and that means halfway through a different kind of Summer Reading Program. Gone are the filled meeting rooms with a magician performing tricks for dozens of families; gone are the weekly trips to the library to turn in reading logs and pick up prizes.This year, programs have moved online or curbside or a mixture of both. Libraries are providing take and go crafts in bags with Facebook tutorials for completing the craft like Thomas Branigan Memorial Library. Some libraries are doing virtual prize raffles like Los Lunas Public Library. 

Some libraries are working together to provide virtual programming across communities like Edgewood and Albuquerque. Libraries have gone virtual for turning in hours, like Rio Rancho Public Libraries. Even though Summer may look different this year, libraries are adapting and figuring out what works best for them!

The State Library is helping by working with the New Mexico Library Foundation to provide virtual programs. In June, musician Andy Mason performed 5 Facebook concerts around the state at:

• Grants Public Library
• The Public Library Albuquerque- Bernalillo County
• Lovington Public Library
• Alamogordo Public Library
• Silver City Public Library

Explora Science Center in Albuquerque is has made fairy tale themed STEM videos using materials found at home:

• Humpty Dumpty: How Strong is an Egg
• Humpty Dumpty: Egg Jumper
• Rapunzel: Hair & Fibers Up Close
• Rapunzel: Strength of Hair
• Three Billy Goats Gruff: Science Investigation

And we’re hosting an online reading log for those libraries that are in need of one! All of this information, including how to find the library closest you, can be found on our new Summer Reading website.

The Lieutenant Governor, Howie Morales, even joined in on the fun and read The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell! You can check out his video on Facebook or read more about it here.

Yes, Summer 2020 has needed to be reimagined and the libraries of New Mexico have done an outstanding job figuring out new ways to provide services and programming to their communities!

Hands-on Summer Fun

Explora 2020 Summer Programs Menu

Every year Explora offers a variety of summer programs that provide STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) engagement and enrichment and prevent summer learning loss. This year, due to the COVID-19 school closures, the “summer slide” is a bigger issue than ever before.  To combat this learning loss, Explora will serve over 1,500 students this summer with a variety of STEAM-rich learning experiences aligned to state content standards. Explora offers unique investigations for a range of grade levels, in order to keep imaginations and brain cells active with STEAM! Choices include in-person camps at Explora, the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum, and the Agri-Nature Center in Los Ranchos; virtual online STEAM camps; virtual Summer Family Science Nights; and Explora @Home learning kits.  Financial assistance is available for all summer programs, on request. We don’t want anyone to miss out on summer camp!  

Special thanks to Explora for proving English/Spanish Science Projects to REFORMA de Nuevo Mexico for the NM Free Little Libraries book packets.

Imagine a Story in Dona Ana County

Lt. Governor, Howie Morales is promoting "Imagine A Story" summer reading and invites you to register, read and log books.  Register then look for the Lt. Governor's storytimes!

Featuring:  Dona Ana County in New Mexico at the Hatch Public Library with weekly virtual storytimes and activities and the Las Cruces, Thomas Brannigan Memorial Library with virtual storytimes, crafts, and teen activities.

RNM continues to promote and provide resources for summer reading with help from Miss New Mexico Teen Tourism heling distribute packets at Las Cruces and New Mexico Free Little Libraries. 

The bilingual book kits include Spanish/English STEAM experiments from Explora Science Center in Albuquerque and play New Mexico Book Bingo.  Complete the survey on this blog if you could not find a packet in your NM Free Little Library and RNM will mail one to you.  

Look for us at the Downtown Craft and Makers Market this summer through October, limited dates and please wear a mask and practice social distancing for your safety.  RNM summer reading promotion and NM Free Little Library book packet is sponsored by The Stocker Foundation.