@ Your Library
I certainly hope April showers bring May flowers. I am looking forward to bright colors and lots of green. While I wait to grow things outside I am enjoying Decorating with Plants by Baylor Chapman for wonderful ideas about ‘what to choose, ways to style, and how to make them thrive.’ I am looking at doing more of my growing in pots, primarily to be able to bring things inside at night and protect them from deer and rabbits. Grow Plants in Pots by Martyn Cox provides lots of suggestions and tips for growing fruits, vegetables and herbs in containers. I am also looking at our selection of books on pruning and getting ready to prune my apple trees. I really like The Ultimate Practical Guide to pruning and training by Richard Bird.
This past week I read an article about how climate change is increasing the number of home runs by professional ball players. While we may not be quite ready to play ball up here yet, it isn’t too early to begin practicing and throwing balls back and forth. And coaches might be interested in our skill building guides. The Little League Guide to Conditioning and Training by Mark Gola provides lessons in basic fundamentals. Softball Skills and Drills by Judi Garman provides basic information and drills to improve kids softball skills. The armchair player might enjoy any of our biographies of players or 100 Miles of Baseball by Dale Jacobs and Heidi LM Jacobs set out to recapture their love of the game by watching 50 games from high school to major league in the course of one summer and this book is their journey.
If you prefer your outdoors wild and unstructured then try Guide to Minnesota Outdoors by Jim Umhoefer with planning and travel guides to explore this great state. Hiking Minnesota by Mary Jo Mosher and Kristine Mosher detail many of the state’s incredible hiking adventure. They cover common, popular hikes as well as many lesser-known hikes on a wide range of level and abilities.
Dream of summer and reunions or just plain old summer fun with Tag, Toss and Run by Paul Tukey and Victoria Rowell for 40 classic lawn games. Junkyard Sports by Bernie DeKoven for fun, challenging and silly versions of traditional sports as well as how to create your own family classic. Nancy Striniste provides guidance to families to create outdoor spaces that connect children with the natural world in Nature Play at Home.
And don’t forget our many outdoor games that are available to borrow for two weeks at a time. We have everything from a giant mancala, to ring toss or ladder toss, giant dice, tumbling blocks and more.
April is Citizen Science month and we have a number of kits including a kit to measure how dark the sky is at night and a water testing kit. Visit scistarter.org to create an account, find projects to help with and be a scientists assistant.