This week the Firefly Friends at Mendon Public Library earned their blue firefly patches! Next week on 2.6.19 from 12:30-1:05pm I am offering a bonus class called “Firefly Friends℠ Take Flight” to celebrate the fact that they have completed the core curriculum and have earned the yellow, orange, green, and blue firefly patches.  I’m so proud of how they are talking about their feelings, singing the songs, listening to the stories, and making the weekly crafts.  In addition to a new story, a different craft, and a very special firefly lantern that will light up next week, I also have a surprise patch for everyone who attends.  It really glows in the dark!

Registration is required and space is limited. Please call the Mendon Public Library at 585.624.6067 to register. In the next post, I’ll share information about a five-week session beginning after Winter Break entitled “Butterfly in the Sky!”

Happy New Year!  Last month the Firefly Friends at Mendon Public Library earned their green firefly patches! Now it’s time to register for “Start with your Heart,” the next wing in the Firefly Friends℠ core curriculum. The weekly themes for “Start with your Heart” are: Feeling, Exploring, Apologizing, Loving. Participants will still get to visit with Juniper the firefly puppet each week, of course!  They will also hear new stories, make new crafts, sing to light up the blue firefly jar, and earn their blue firefly patch this time!

Pre-registration for current families is now over and open registration is underway.  Classes will meet Wednesdays from 12:30-1:05pm {1.9, 1.16, 1.223, 1.30}.  Registration is required and space is limited.  Please call the Mendon Public Library at 585.624.6067 to register. Classes are free. A donation of $10 is greatly appreciated to help with the cost of the month’s craft supplies.

Next week the Firefly Friends at Mendon Public Library will be earning their orange firefly patches! That means it’s time to register for “Share and Care,” the next wing of classes in the Firefly Friends℠ core curriculum. The weekly themes for “Share and Care” are: Sharing, Thanking, Helping, Caring. Participants will still get to visit with Juniper the firefly puppet each week, of course! They will also hear new stories, make new theme crafts, help light up the green firefly jar, and earn their green firefly patch this time!

Pre-registration for current families is now over and open registration is underway. Class size is limited but some spots are still available. We will meet on the following Wednesdays from 12:30-1:05pm: 11.14, 11.28, 12.5, and 12.12. (There is no class the day before Thanksgiving). Please call the Mendon Public Library at 585.624.6067 or stop by to register. Classes are free. A donation of $10 is greatly appreciated to help with the cost of the month’s craft supplies.

(After “Share and Care concludes on 12.12.18, there will be a three-week break. We will resume with “Start with your Heart” on 1.5.19).

October is here and the first wing of Firefly Friends℠ is almost over! It is so lovely seeing the children’s faces light up each week. They are such a sweet group! Soon they will earn their yellow firefly patch, which means it’s already time to sign up for “Grow and Glow,” the second wing of the Firefly Friends℠ curriculum.  In this four-week session, we will continue to visit with our feelings (and Juniper the firefly puppet, of course), sing to wake up the fireflies, read stories, and do fun crafts. Caregivers and their children ages 2-5 can now register for the new session, which will meet Wednesdays from 12:30-1:05pm on the following dates: 10.17, 10.24, 10.31 and 11.7.

In “Grow and Glow,” we will be focusing on four new weekly themes: Wishing, Learning, Changing, and Shining.  Class size is limited to 11 children per section and registration is required. Please stop in the Mendon Public Library or call them at 585.624.6067 to secure a spot so your little one can earn their orange firefly patch!

A new year of Firefly Friends℠ is about to begin! I’m so thrilled to announce that registration is open for “Your Light is Bright,” the first “wing” of Firefly Friends℠, which will meet at Mendon Public Library from 12:30-1:05pm on the following Wednesdays: 9.19.17., 9.26.18, 10.3.18, and 10.10.18!  My Firefly Friends program is intended for children ages 2-5 with their parent or caregiver present. Each week we focus on a different theme, and at the end of each 4-week “wing,” children earn a new firefly patch.  The weekly themes for “Your Light is Bright” are: Happiness, Brightness, Uniqueness, and Kindness.

Please note that class size is limited to 11 children and registration is required. You can register your child by stopping by the Mendon Public Library at 22 North Main St., Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 or by calling them at 585.624.6067. Classes are offered as a free community service, but a $10 donation per child is greatly appreciated to help cover the cost of the month’s craft supplies.

For more information about the program, class structure, as well as the schedule for the rest of the academic year, please click on the menu tabs at the top of the page.  I hope to see you and your little ones on September 19th when we sing songs, light up the firefly jars, visit with Juniper the firefly puppet, read stories, and make art together!

Registration is now open for a special Firefly Friends℠ mini-camp called “Summer Stars” that I will be offering in August at Mendon Public Library in Honeoye Falls, NY. This is entirely new material and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with children ages 2-5 and their parent or caregiver. We will meet each day for five days from 12:30-1:05 at MPL on 8.20, 8.21, 8.22, 8.23, and 8.24. There will of course still be stories, songs, and crafts, plus visiting with our feelings and Juniper the firefly puppet! Each day during “Summer Stars,” we will focus on a different type of star found in nature: stars on stems, stars in the sea, stars in the soil, stars in the snow, and stars in the sky. At the end of the week, children will earn their glow-in-the-dark star patch! I am a library volunteer who is offering this week of classes for free, but a $10 donation per child to help cover the cost of craft supplies for the five classes is greatly appreciated! Please call MPL at 585.624.6067 to register!

During the month of July, I will be offering “Firefly in July,” a program I developed for the Lima Public Library in Lima, NY. (This is a condensed version of the Firefly Friends℠ Core Curriculum that I lead during the preschool academic year at Mendon Public Library).
“Firefly in July” will meet Mondays and Thursdays from 4:00-4:45pm on the following dates: 7.2, 7.5, 7.9, 7.12, 7.16, 7.19, 7.23, and 7.26.

Registration is required, and is for the entire program of 8 classes. Space is limited to 12 children between the ages of 2 and 5, with their parent or caregiver present. This is not a drop-off program. The basic structure of class will be the same as a typical Firefly Friends℠ class with the opening song, lighting up the firefly jars, visiting feelings with Juniper the firefly puppet, story time, and in-class craft time, but with a bonus story before the closing song. I will be handing out supplies to do an at-home craft for each extra book, too! Please note two more important differences: “Firefly in July” classes meet twice a week rather than just once a week, and for 45 minutes instead of 35 minutes each class. Participating children will earn all four of their firefly patches in just one month!

“Firefly in July” is completely free. This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts at the Livingston Arts Center, a member supported organization.

Registration is now open for “Firefly in July.” Signups must be done in person at:
Lima Public Library
1872 Genesee St.
Lima, NY 14485

Their hours are:
Mon: 1:00pm-8:30pm
Tue: 1:00pm-8:30pm
Wed: 10:00am-12:00pm & 1:00pm-5:00pm
Th: 1:00pm-8:30pm
Fri: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Sat: 9:00am-12:00pm (closed Saturdays Memorial Day-Columbus Day)

I hope everyone is having a lovely Spring Break!  The children at Mendon Public Library earned their butterfly patches, and now it is time to move on to the “Flower Power” session!  This is the final Firefly Friends℠ class during the regular academic year, though I will be announcing some special summer offerings soon!

In the “Flower Power” session, I will be introducing a new book about feelings in addition to six all new weekly themes!  We will still sing, visit with our feelings and Juniper the firefly puppet, read books, and do new crafts, of course!  I’m really looking forward to this six-week session since I have chosen some of my favorite books and projects to share.  Our weekly classes will revolve around the following flower themes:  Dandelion, Rose, Chrysanthemum, Zinnia, Poppy, and Lupine.  Children will earn their flower patch on the last day of class!

All Firefly Friends℠ classes are geared toward children ages 2-5 with their parent or caregiver present. Classes are offered free of charge, but a $10 donation is greatly appreciated to help cover the cost of craft supplies for the six classes.  Families have the option of registering for the Monday group which will meet from 12:30-1:10pm on 4.9, 4.16, 4.23, 4.30, 5.7, 5.14 or the Wednesday group which will meet from 12:30-1:10pm on 4.11, 4.18, 4.25, 5.2, 5.9, 5.16.  Registration is required and space is limited. Please call the Mendon Public Library at 585.624.6067 to register.

We have officially completed all 17 weeks of the Firefly Friends℠ Core Curriculum!  The children at Mendon Public Library earned their fluorescent firefly patch and we are now moving on to the Extended Curriculum.  The first part of this is “Butterfly in the Sky,” a five-week program during which we will continue to visit with our feelings, read books, sing songs, light up the lanterns, and do crafts.  The weekly themes for this session are:  Colors and Numbers, Letters, Food, Homes, and Movement.  At the end of the last class, the children will earn their butterfly patch!

Pre-registration for current families is now complete and open registration is underway.  Families have the option of registering for the Monday group which meets on 2.26, 3.5, 3.12, 3.19, 3.26 from 12:30-1:05pm or the Wednesday group which meets on 2.28, 3.7, 3.14, 3.21, 3.28 from 12:30-1:05pm.  Registration is required and space is limited. Please call the Mendon Public Library at 585.624.6067 to register.

This week my little Firefly Friends at Mendon Public Library earned their blue firefly patches! Next week I am offering a bonus class called “Firefly Friends℠ Take Flight” to celebrate the fact that they have completed the core curriculum and have earned the yellow, orange, green, and blue firefly patches.  I’m so proud of how they are talking about their feelings, singing the songs, listening to the stories, and making the weekly crafts.  In addition to a new story, a different craft, and a very special firefly lantern that will light up next week, I also have a surprise patch for everyone who attends.  It really glows in the dark!

There are a few spots left for next week’s class.  Families have the option of registering for Monday 2.12.18 from 12:30-1:05pm or Wednesday 2.14.18 from 12:30-1:05pm.  Registration is required and space is limited. Please call the Mendon Public Library at 585.624.6067 to register. This bonus class is entirely free, thanks to a recent Community Arts Grant awarded to the Friends of the Mendon Public Library specifically for the “Firefly Friends” program.  In the next post, I’ll share information about a five-week session beginning after Winter Break entitled “Butterfly in the Sky!”

This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts at the Livingston Arts Center, a member supported organization.