Jerissa

Children’s Cello Concert Recap

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We were pleased to host Nathaniel Pierce, cellist and tenor, at the library for the second time on March 3! Nathaniel has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and has been a featured soloist with numerous symphonies around the country. He is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival in Alaska as well as the Founder and Director of the UWEC String Academy.

During this playful and interactive concert, families enjoyed both classical and contemporary pieces. Children happily marched around the room during a performance of Laurie Berkner’s “We Are the Dinosaurs” and giddily buzzed like bees during a lively rendition of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee.” We are grateful to Nathaniel for sharing his time and talent and to all the families who participated.

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Kelly K

Free Communication Screenings at the Library

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Group of children, looking at camera

Is your child meeting their speech and language milestones? Do you have questions about their communication development? We’re here to help!

Join us before or after Toddler Storytime at L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library for Free Communication Screenings with speech-language pathologists from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Center for Communication Disorders. These screenings are a fantastic opportunity for children to have their speech, language, and communication skills assessed in a fun, relaxed, and supportive environment.

📍Where: L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library
📅When: Thursday, February 29 | 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
🎯Who: Children ages 2-5
❓Why: Personalized feedback from speech-language professionals, Early identification of speech or language delays, Peace of mind for parents and caregivers, Fun and engaging experience for children

These quick, informal screenings can help identify potential speech or language concerns early on, giving families valuable insight into their child’s communication development. Whether you have specific concerns or just want peace of mind, this is a great way to check in with experts—for free!

Walk-ins are welcome as time allows, but pre-registration is encouraged to secure your child’s spot. Call 715-839-5007 today to sign up for your child’s 15-minute screening

Julia

Get Creative with Afterschool ARTmobile!

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The library is an important place for having hands-on, creative experiences like making art. For this reason, we are so excited to partner with our friends from the Pablo Center for a brand-new Afterschool ARTmobile drop-in art program, open to young artists of all ages and their grown-ups! Afterschool ARTmobile will run the First Tuesday of the month February-May (2/4, 3/4, 4/1, 5/6), 4:30-5:30 pm, in the Youth Program Room. You can also catch ARTmobile at the library after Family Storytime on Saturdays.

Our ARTmobile friends, Hannah, Morgan, and Allison, are inspired by their work with young artists. “Kids are so full of possibility and energy,” Hannah explains, adding that children are able to find infinite potential in the materials and their imagination. She notes that she loves to hear the stories that kids share about their art. Allison also shares that “art is this wonderful part of being human where you observe and process the outside world, or your inner world, and transmute your thoughts and feelings about it into a creation that other people can interact with. It’s kind of magical!”

According to Hannah, ARTmobile provides free art education to the community. All projects include an educational component, with lessons about science, culture, music, and more incorporated into the creative experience.

“Families can expect to have the opportunity to engage in different types of art and projects,” explains Morgan. ARTmobile has offered many different types of projects over the years, such as hanging mobiles with leaves, crowns, drums (made from balloons and cups), and more. Kids are welcome to follow their own inspiration, though, and may use supplies freely. Allison shares, “often projects can be customized and have wiggle room to be as simple or complex as people desire. Sometimes kids take the projects we provide to an imaginative unexpected place, and we love to see that!”

ARTmobile strives to make their projects accessible to children with all abilities, offering tools like ergonomic scissors if needed.

Learn more about the Pablo Center ARTmobile and find fun projects to try at home at their website: https://www.pablocenter.org/learn/artmobile.