Pikes Peak Library District again presents the Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest for Children. This year’s theme is Poetry Ignition: Select the Key to a Fantastic Poem.

Invent a poem using one of these innovative beginnings:

• Snow sparkles in the sun…
• White wintry moon…
• I don’t know why…
• I remember when…

We’ve started the poem for you! Now it’s up to you to create a dynamic finish!

Prizes: Six winners will each receive $25, a book, and an Imagination Celebration poster.

Eligibility: Open to all fourth and fifth graders in the Pikes Peak region.

Meets Colorado Model Content Standards 1, 2, and 4 for Reading and Writing.
Contest rules:

• One entry per student. Teachers are urged to review poems and submit no more than five per class.



• Each poem must be the original work of the contestant.
• Poems will be judged on originality, including poem title and adherence to the theme.
• Submit two typed, double-spaced copies of each poem on 8½” x 11” paper (no handwritten submissions or illustrations will be accepted). Include on a separate piece of paper: name, telephone number, home address, school name and address, and teacher and principal’s names. Poems will not be returned. Please keep a copy.
• Entries must be postmarked by February 26, 2010.

Submission of a poem constitutes full permission to exhibit, use, and publish the poem for any purpose – printed or electronic media – and to publish the name, school, and photographs of the student without compensation.

Mail entries to: The Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest
c/o Nancy Maday
Pikes Peak Library District
P.O. Box 1579
Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1579
Or fax to: 632-6043

Questions? Call Nancy Maday at 531-6333, x2405 .

Awards will be announced in mid-April as part of the Imagination Celebration and Young People’s Poetry Week.

Kids ages 6 – 12: Write a book between 250 and 500 words in the style of Dr. Seuss. Include a sample illustration based on any part of your story. Turn it in at any PPLD branch by 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 16. Be sure to include your name and phone number on the title page so we can contact the winner. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. For more information, email akussman@ppld.org.

Are you homeschooled? Are you a kid? Then you are invited to submit one piece of art for our 3rd Annual Homeschool Art Show, Jan. 15 – Feb. 21, 2010 in the Children’s Dept. at the East Library. Please bring your artwork as soon as possible. Your art can be an unframed drawing, painting, photograph or sculpture. We’ll have an art reception for you and your family and friends on Feb. 21, 2 – 3 p.m. For more information contact Mary Grant at 531-6333, x1407 or mgrant@ppld.org.
Art: “Chicago” by Cuyler McDonald, age 8

Santa Claus gets most of the publicity, but his wife is equally adept at spreading holiday cheer. Want proof? Watch The Mrs. Claus Storytime and Singalong Spectacular. This instant holiday classic, shot at the Ute Pass Branch, features Santa’s better half singing songs and reading stories while spellbound children dress up like reindeer.

To view this PPLD TV production, click here.

Students! Ages 9-14! The WrestleMania Reading Challenge begins November 23. Read 10 books and enter them into the reading log we will give you. Turn it in and you’ll receive a mini WrestleMania poster. Or….you can keep going and design a bookmark. If you win you’ll win a WWE DVD. But it doesn’t end there. If your bookmark wins you could go on to a regional or even national level! It’s cool. Rules and reading logs will be available November 23.

This program for tweens was presented by the Space Foundation as part of All Pikes Peak Reads 2009. 10 kids ages 9 – 12, and parents as well, had loads of fun designing and building a lander similar to NASA’s Altair lander that would absorb enough shock to protect its three astronauts (in this case, three mini-marshmallows). Altair is the proposed Lunar lander that will land astronauts on the moon. It is being built by NASA as part of the Constellation program.

What a summer… 23,538 kids and babies were part of Be Creative @ Your Library, our reading program. Did you do it? Cool. And then there’s today: school, well, at least for lots of kids. What is your best memory of this summer? Mine would be…pool and swimming with my kids. Ahhhhh, a perfect summer memory.

It’s here, yay! There’s nothing like a new Harry Potter movie! Ok, well, maybe a new Harry Potter book would be better. I heard the final movie will be split into two parts. Ouch. But at least it makes the joy last longer. See the “Harry Potter Questions & Answers” blog entry. The questions are really good and I enjoy finding the answers! Enjoy the movie! (I did.) Plus, here’s a great website about everything Harry Potter.

The Missoula Children’s Theatre, the nation’s largest touring children’s theatre, will offer these free workshops for children this summer at Pikes Peak Library District. They are funded by the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. Registration is required; call 684-9342 or register online through the links below.

July 21, 4:30 p.m. at Ute Pass Branch, 8010 Severy Road in Cascade
Chameleon Improv (Children entering grades 3-12)
Learn to act without a script. This workshop is for young actors of all levels. Registration is limited to 60 participants. Register by clicking here.

July 22, 4 p.m. at Sand Creek Branch, 1821 S. Academy Blvd.
Mime Your Own Business (Children entering grades 9-12)
Learn the art of mime by exploring mime techniques and performance. Registration is limited to 30 participants. Register by clicking here.

July 23, 4:30 p.m. at Ute Pass Branch, 8010 Severy Road in Cascade
Let’s Make Up (Children entering grades 1-12)
This participatory workshop teaches students of all ages corrective, old age, and fantasy make-up. Registration is limited to 60 participants. Register by clicking here.

For more information, read the blog below.