I love Willy Wonka.  Not Gene Wilder Willy Wonka or Johnny Depp Willy Wonka.  I mean the actual Willy Wonka, the candy factory that's churning out brightly-colored, fruit-flavored goodies right this very minute.  Nerds, Gobstoppers, Runts, even Pixie-Stix and Fun Dip.  I like them way better than chocolate or cookies.

My taste in candy has never evolved past my childhood.  The sweeter and fruitier, the better. I should probably be ashamed to admit my penchant for high fructose corn syrup, carnauba wax, and yellow #5.  Or the fact that I actually prefer artificial banana flavor over real banana flavor.  But, I'm not ashamed.  I like what I like, and I like Willy Wonka.

With Halloween just behind us, my pantry is well-stocked with my favorite Willy Wonka candies.  Some of these are very similar to those that are included in the gingerbread house kits that can be purchased by contestants in the Friends of the Library's Gingerbread Cottage Build. 

Stop by the library any time in November and pick up a cottage kit entry for $20.  Use that as a starter kit for the most fantastical gingerbread cottage you can create. Or, if you're feeling really confident, forego the kit for a $10 entry fee which comes with a gingerbread recipe and cutout templates.  Deliver your cottage to the library on December 6th or 7th, and we will put it on display for patrons to enjoy during the library's Holiday Open House on December 10th.  Those who attend can vote for the People's Choice winner, and our panel of judges will award prizes in three other categories.  

I cannot wait to see the display of delicious cottages.  And, I promise to keep my hands to myself, no matter how much my sweet tooth might be tempted.

There are things that I'm good at.  And, of course, there are things that I'm not good at.  But, then there are the things that I think I SHOULD be good at, but I'm just not. Like breakout rooms, for example.  I like puzzles, and I like to solve problems.  I'm pretty good at that.  So, why for the life of me, can I not find my way out of a breakout room?

I've done a few breakout rooms, and I think that they are so fun.  I overthink things so much that the people who sit in the room, the ones who are available to provide clues, actually laugh at me.  Yet, I feel like every time I've done a breakout room, I've left with ways that I can improve upon my skills for the next time.

For example, listen VERY carefully to the instructions you receive when entering.  Listen to them twice, or even three times. I applied that to my next breakout experience, but that time the instructions weren't even instructions.  There were no hidden clues, not even red herrings.  I wasted precious minutes listening three times to Dr. Candice Bore talk about how I needed to save the planet.  And I did not save the planet.

Second, just because you use a tool once to retrieve a clue doesn't mean that you won't ever use it again. I applied that to the following breakout experience, but that time I really did only need to use the black light flashlight once.  I spent 30 minutes shining that flashlight on every blasted thing in the room.  And the only thing I learned is that the walls are clean.

I guess the main thing to remember is to just have fun.  We expect that lots of people will have fun in the library's Harry Potter Breakout Room which we will have set up for groups to try on October 28 - 29.  Be sure to call 778-7527 to reserve your timeslot.  I hope you fare better than I usually do.

Lynn Hobbs
PCL Director

June 1^st kicks off the beginning of our Summer Reading Program, and this year's theme is "Build a Better World."  We can surely get behind that!  In recent years, summer reading themes have become less about entertainment and more about making positive change.  Last year, we encouraged kids and adults to exercise their minds and bodies.  This year, we are asking everybody to help "Build a Better World."  That's easier said than done, but even the tiniest good deed can mean a lot.  

Not too long ago, I found a note on my desk that simply said, "Lynn Rocks."  Attached to that note was a Post-It that said, "found in the book drop."  I assumed that it was some kind of joke, but my staff assures me that it actually was found in the book drop.  I have that note pinned to the bulletin board behind my desk, and to this day, I still have no idea who left it.  It was a simple gesture that makes me smile every time I see it.

"Building a Better World" doesn't mean that you have to single-handedly solve the world's problems. Rather, I think it means to be nice to others and to our planet.  Pay a compliment.  Pick up litter.  Make someone laugh.  Plant a tree.  Each of these small gestures of kindness will collectively "build a better world."  I urge you to find and commit small acts of kindness every single day. Let's build a better world by building a better Pendleton, one good deed at a time. 

I was brought up on Sesame Street.  Sesame Street helped me learn how to count, how to read, and how to treat others.  Sesame Street also taught me some basic Spanish.  It was so integral to the program, even back in the 70's, that I thought nothing of the fact that I knew how to count, how to say hello, and how to say open and closed in Spanish. 

My parents both speak fluent Italian.  Growing up, they would slip into Italian when discussing things that they didn't want us to understand, like where they hid our Christmas presents.  My sister and I were desperate to learn the language so that we could understand what they were talking about.  In response, my dad bought a Berlitz Italian textbook, and used it as a template for our formal language instruction.  But, I really struggled with it.  Despite the fact that I was retaining the Spanish I was learning on Sesame Street, I was not retaining the Italian taught by my dad.  Perhaps if my dad were a fuzzy puppet, who would occasionally break into song, I would have done better.

There's definitely something to be said for making learning fun.  And, that's why the library is introducing MUZZY to our young patrons.  MUZZY is a language-learning resource for children.  It uses sound, animation, interactive content, and fun characters to make learning a second language easy for kids.  MUZZY includes eight languages such as Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, and Italian.  MUZZY is available from home, via the Puffin Academy App. You can also access it through the library's webpage, under "Watch, Read, & Listen Online," which can be found on the Children's page. Login with "PendletonPL", and use "MuzzyPendleton" as the password.  HUGE thanks to the South Madison Community Foundation for funding this language-learning resource, made just for kids!

Lynn Hobbs, PCL Director

Our Homeschool Science & Social Studies classes had a lot of fun today with a quick intro to engineering! After gathering lots of good information, they tried their hands at designing their own cars and then angling them down an incline to see how far they would go (and if they would hold together!)

Take a look and see how they turned out!