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Resources for Parents - Pick Your Topic:
 Pre-school Packs
Children prepare to read long before they enter school. In fact, early literacy skills begin to develop right from birth. Your child's early experiences with books and language lay the foundation for success in learning to read – and as a parent, there is so much that you can do to help your child build reading readiness. It's never too early to start building your child's early literacy skills, and with Winnipeg Public Library's Pre-School Packs, it's never been easier!
Busy parents can take advantage of one-stop shopping by checking out a pre-filled backpack. Each grab-n-go Pre-School Pack contains a variety of materials, including picture books, board books, DVDs and CDs. Early literacy is all about having fun with books and language, and when you take home a Pre-School Pack, you're providing your family with an opportunity to read, sing, laugh and learn.
The Library's Pre-School Packs are now available at all 20 branches, including a collection of French Pre-School Packs at the St. Boniface branch.
The Pre-School Packs are sponsored by a generous grant from the Literacy for Life Fund held at The Winnipeg Foundation and by the Frances M. Pishker Memorial Trust Fund established to support innovative programs bringing children and books together.
Early Literacy
 Early Literacy Pamphlets
Early literacy skills are the roots of reading success -- and it is never too early to plant the seed! Download this pamphlet (in English or French), and learn about the six early literacy skills that your child can start learning from birth!
 English
 Français
LIBRARY PRINT PUBLICATIONS
These ready-to-print brochures recommend library resources in a variety of subject areas. Click on a title to download. |
 More Rhymes & Songs for Babies and Toddlers 
Download and enjoy this collection of rhymes and songs to share with your child! |
 Comptines et chansons pour les bébés et les tout-petits
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 Rhymes for Babies and Toddlers
Sharing rhymes with your child is a wonderful way to share the
joy of learning new words and sounds. This collection of rhymes is perfect for babies and toddlers... and the people who love them! |
 Going to Kindergarten!
Starting school is an exciting event in your child's life. Kindergarten is a special place where learning and fun happen at the same time! You can help your child to prepare for this new experience by sharing stories about school. When you read books together, you and your child will discover many things to talk about. |
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Book Club Kits
 Do you run a book discussion club for your kids, or have you thought of starting one? Winnipeg Public Library is pleased to offer Book Club Kits chosen specifically for the 9-12 year-old age range!
What are Book Club Kits?
Kits are specially prepared book sets that come in convenient, portable bags and include 10 copies of the book, a guide with reviews, author info and recommended reads as well as a list of suggested discussion questions. Kits can be checked out for 8 weeks, and cannot be renewed. For a complete list of Book Club Kit borrowing rules, visit Winnipeg Public Library’s main Book Club Kits page.
What books are available?
We currently have about two dozen titles selected for the Childrens' Book Club Kit collection, with new titles added all the time. The titles range in complexity and length, but all are chosen for their appeal, their lasting contributions to childrens' literature, and the interesting discussion questions they raise. To browse the list of kits available, please visit our list of titles in the library's Catalogue.
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Children's Literature
Children's Literature Book Centre
Keep up to date on what is happening in Canadian children's books and media on this informative site.
Children's Literature Web Guide
Extensive resources for parents, teachers and storytellers are to be found here. Kids will enjoy the biographies of authors and illustrators, online stories and lists of movies and TV shows based on books.
Canadian Children's Literature Service
A selection of links related to Canadian Children’s Literature at the National Library of Canada.
Canadian Children's Literature: Award Winning Books
All the Canadian book awards and the winning titles from 1992 to the present can be found here.
Children's Book Awards
"The most comprehensive guide to English-language children’s book awards on the Internet."
CM Magazine
"CM magazine is …book reviews, media reviews, web reviews, news, features, and stories of interest to teachers, librarians, parents and kids."
10 Steps to a Kid-Literate Family
Authors John Bianchi and Frank B. Edwards give some timely suggestions on how to become a book-loving family.
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Internet Safety
Be Web Aware
This national public education program on Internet safety aims to ensure that young Canadians benefit from the Internet, while being safe and responsible in their online activities.
Safe Kids.Com
Resources and suggestions to help families have a safe and constructive online experience. Includes a sample family contract, reviews of search engines and filters and an online safety slide show.
GetWise
Guide to online safety, directory of safety tools and great sites for kids to visit.
Safe Family Fun on the Internet
While the Internet is a wonderful tool for educational purposes and positive communication, there are risks involved in its use. As parents, guardians and educators, we are responsible for ensuring that our children are both street smart and “Web wise” in order to minimize the danger of their becoming targets of crime and exploitation. Here are a few tips on helping your child make the best use of time spent in cyberspace.
Explore together
An obvious first step is to sit next to children and supervise their Internet use. This will allow you to become more knowledgeable about your children’s online activities. By letting them teach you as they go, you will also reinforce your children’s learning and build their confidence.
For busy parents, the next best thing to supervised surfing is to install a filter. Filters are commercial software products designed to block information in subject categories that may include extreme violence, sexual acts, hate literature, etc. Be aware that a filter is not foolproof! There is a five to ten percent chance that a filter will not limit access to material it is set to block. At Winnipeg Public Library, most adult workstations provide full Internet access but all of our children’s work-stations are filtered.
Teach your child some online rules and post them by the computer
Keep the home computer in a family area rather than in a closed room. Decide upon the time of day that your child can be online, the length of time and appropriate sites to visit. Create a Family Pledge based on the following “rules of the road”:
- I will never reveal my full name, address, telephone number, school, computer password, credit card numbers or other identifying information to anyone on the Internet.
- I will tell my parents or another adult if I come across anything that makes me feel uncomfortable.
- I will never send a person a picture or any other information without first checking with my parents.
- I will never agree to get together with someone I “meet” online without first discussing it with my parents.
Choose a safe starting point
A family-friendly home page provides
a launch pad to links that are deemed appropriate. Children
should be taught to begin at that page, to use only the links
on that page and to use the “Back” button to return
to that page. This will ensure that they stay in a friendly
cyberspace neighbourhood. This For
Teens, Kids & Parents section of Winnipeg Public
Library’s Web site features an excellent list of sites
selected by our professional librarians.
Help for parents
Watch the video “Internet and Street Smarts” (J VHS 004.678 INT) with your family or pick up a free copy of the Canadian Library Association’s brochure “Have a Safe Trip! A Parents’ Guide to Safety on the Internet” at your local public library.
Also check out the following:
• The Librarian’s Guide to Cyber-space for Parents at www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/guide.html
As a parent, you are responsible for supervising your child’s access to all library materials, including the Internet. Our staff are always happy to recommend good resources, including the best of the Web, to you and your family. Don’t hesitate to ask us. Safe surfing!
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Sites for the Family
Family Safe Startup-Page
With the intention of bringing families the safest possible links from all over the world, this web site provides family-oriented links on a wide variety of subjects.
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Home Schooling
Canadian Homeschooling Resource Page-CHRP
Access to Manitoba and other province’s requirements, the Homeschool chat room and the Canadian Homeschool Mail List are just some of the resources available at this site.
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Parenting
Adoption Council Of Canada
This is the umbrella organization for adoption in Canada. Their website provides good information for those considering adoption and those who have already done so.
Attention Deficit Disorder and Parenting
If you think you or your child has attention deficit disorder with or without learning disabilities, this website is for you.
BabyZone
One stop shopping for all your prenatal questions. Includes tools such as a due date calculator.
Canadian Parents Online
Parenting tips, online discussion groups, book reviews for parents of toddlers to tweens and teens.
Canadian Toy Testing Council
The Canadian Toy Testing Council tests and ranks children's toys to help you make informed purchases. Find "Best Bets," "Children's Choice," "Toy of the Year" and more.
Child & Family Canada
Questions and concerns about child care, child development, health, safety, literacy, parenting, family life and other issues. Child & Family Canada’s page deals with these and more. Read some online pamphlets, join a discussion group or find out about related organizations on the web.
KidsHealth
A guide to health information for children, teens and their parents from medical experts.
FamilyFun
The website for the popular magazine "FamilyFun" with thousands of ideas for you and your kids.
The Linked Information Networks for Kids with Disabilities
This is a comprehensive gateway for accessing information related to children with disabilities. It highlights resources that are available in Manitoba. Why not use it as a springboard to the World Wide Web?
Parents Helping Parents
Resources for parents of children with special needs.
Parents Matter
The parent-child relationship is the most powerful influence on child development. This site provides Canadian resources and links for parents, educators and family resource practitioners.
Parentsoup
Features many good tips and tools such
as a baby name finder and an index of experts and pediatricians.
Talk With Kids
Practical tips and techniques for talking
easily and openly wiht children ages 8 to 12 about tough issues.
Today's Parent
The website for the Canadian magazine includes
a forum for discussion of issues for parents of babies to
teens.
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Winnie-the-Pooh and the Winnipeg Connection
A listing of resources about Winnie-the-Pooh and Winnie, the Canadian black bear who inspired A. A. Milne.
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