Idaho Commission for Libraries

Idaho is the first state in the nation to have an official Children’s Day. A bill that names April 30 as Children’s Day — or El Día de los Niños — won legislative approval in the Senate on March 11, 2003. House Bill 259 was signed by Governor Dirk Kempthorne on March 20, 2003 and became effective July 1, 2003. This will now be a permanent observance.

Many Idaho libraries and their community partners have been celebrating El Día de los Niños the past few years, including those in American Falls, Boise area, Blackfoot, Buhl, Caldwell, Coeur d'Alene, Chubbuck, Garden City, Hailey, Idaho City, Idaho Falls, Jerome, Kimberly, McCall, Meridian, Mountain Home, Nampa, and Pocatello.

See archive for past years' celebrations.

2008 events are listed below. If you would like your event posted, contact Peggy McClendon.

American Falls

No events registered.

Boise area

Boise Public Library and Garabatos Spanish Preschool are co-hosting an event at the main Boise Public Library on Saturday, the 26th of April from 11-2pm. It will include a short performance by the kids that attend the Garabatos (means "Scribbles" in Spanish) preschool. Each child will be donating to the library a bilingual book with their name and the school's name in honor of Children's Day and Book Day. It is their way of building the library up with books that we know the kids have enjoyed in our school while promoting bilingual reading.

The program will also include Spanish singing, Mexican dancing by our preschoolers, a Children's Yoga demonstation, Tiernan Irish Dancers performance, Mexican Folkloric Group performance, And Rhythm Dogs performance. There will also be a performance by a group of kids who play instruments made out of recycled items, food, balloon animals and art! Event planners want to make the celebration as diverse as possible as it is a universal holiday. Still pending are Birds of Prey animal Demo and Okhee Chang Korean Group Dancers.

Contact: Alicia Gallegos, Garabatos Preschool

The Garden City Library's Board of Trustees will host a multicultural celebration of children and literacy. Mayor John Evans will read to the children on April 30 @ 6:00 pm in the Community Room. There will be a festival like atmosphere with dancers from Irish Dance Idaho, Korean Dancers sand Norwegian Dancers, balloons,crafts and entertainment for a fun, family friendly event.

Contact: Gabriela Magnuson, Garden City Public Library

Blackfoot

no events registered

Caldwell

no events registered

Chubbuck - see Pocatello area

no events registered

Coeur d'Alene area

Mountain States Early Head Start and the Hayden Library (part of Kootenai Shoshone Area Libraries) will co-sponsor a Day of the Child and Books celebration on April 30th. Family-friendly activites are planned, including: Blockfest, nutrition activites, a puppet show, bubble play, and yoga for children. The Kootenai Shoshone Area Libraries' bookmobile will also be in attendance. For more information see the event flyer.

Contact: Sandra DeAngelo, Family /Community Partnership Specialist, Mountain States Early Head Start

Hailey

The Blaine County School District is hosting a celebration on Saturday, April 26th at the Community Campus in Hailey from 11 am to 4 pm. The event will feature carnival games, food, music and dance, and more. See their English flyer, Spanish flyer and advertisement for more information.

Contact: Clint Souligny, Coordinator of Latino Services and Translators/Interpreters, Blaine County School District /http://www.blaineschools.org/

Hailey Public Library will celebrate El Dia de los Niños with a special Story Time on Wednesday, April 30^th at 10:30am! Story Time will begin with a fun movement activity in English and Spanish. Special guest Rebecca Hornbach, director of the new La Alianza Multicultural Center here in Hailey, will join us for a bilingual story time. We will be reading Eric Carle's, From Head to Toe in both languages. Next on the agenda, children and parents will learn to sing "Farmer in the Dell" in Spanish with local TV personality and friend of the library Wendy Young. Children will make puppets from the song for a fun craft activity. Rounding out our special Story Time celebrating El Dia de los Niños, will be a special safety presentation by Sergeant Brad Gelskey of the Blaine County Sheriff's Department. Everyone will receive informative packets to take home.

Contact: LeAnn Gelsky, Hailey Public Library

Jerome

The Jerome Public Library is partnering with Raices and the Jerome Head Start center to sponsor an event on Wednesday, April 30th between 2:15 and 4:00 P.M. The program will be held in two parts to accommodate both preschool and school-aged children. Activities for preschoolers include:

• Open with the reading of the Proclamation (hopefully by the Mayor)
• Read Oh No, Gotta Go! by Susan Middleton Elya
• Parachute team activity
• Craft-Faces
• Snacks
• Pinata and book give away

During a transition period (younger to older) Positive Youth will read a story and act out a skip with puppets. School age activities include:

• Craft: Worry dolls
• Snacks
• Group sings "El dia de los ninos" song / "De Colores"
• Cultural Dancers performance
• Pinata and book give away

Contact: Linda Henderson, Jerome Public Library

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Kimberly

The City of Kimberly is sponsoring events in conjunction with Children's Day through the local school district and the public library. Funding is being provided to purchase bilingual books for the three school libraries as well as the public library. In addition, city employees will be available to serve lunch and monitor playground areas at the schools. Student councils will have lunch with seniors at the local senior citizen center. The mayor will read a proclamation and make appointments to his newly formed Youth Advisory Council.

Contact: Tim Miller, School Resources Officer

McCall

McCall Public Library has planned a "Multicultural Fiesta" at the library April 30 to celebrate Children's Day. Students will parade from the elementary school to the public library, where they will find a festival with ethnic food from around the world to sample; art projects from various countries; and African games for children. There will be a free book for each student to take home, sponsored by local donors and the McCall Donnelly Education Foundation.

Contact:  Meg Lojek, McCall Public Library

Meridian

no events registered

Mountain Home

no events registered

Pocatello / Chubbuck area

The Marshall Public Library will be offering a basic conversational Spanish classes beginning on May 1st at 7 pm in the Kid's Corner at the library.

Contact: Kathryn Poulter, Marshall Public Library

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Contact Stephanie Bailey-White
Contact Peggy McClendon