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Spring is here, birds are chirping, and we are getting more days with perfect weather to go outside and enjoy nature. With enjoying and appreciating everything  our wonderful planet has to offer, comes the responsibility to take care of it. On April 22^nd, we celebrate Earth Day. This year’s campaign theme is #TakeCareofThePlanet. For more information about this day and what you can do to make a difference, visit the Earth Day website. 

The library @HCDSB also has a number of resources! Check out the flyer below for Earth Day related books and kits at the LRC, e-books through Sora and Tumblebooks, and links to articles, videos and other useful websites.  

Search the LRC catalogue for other books and resources related to nature, the environment, spring and more, including: 

As always, contact your school Library professional or LRC@hcdsb.org for passwords or more information on accessing these and other related resources. 

Easter is a special season celebrated by Christians around the world. As Catholics, the highs and lows of our faith are recognized during the Triduum when we celebrate the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday marks the beginning of the Easter season and it is when we enter 50 days of celebration as we answer Jesus’ call for us to walk with him in peace and love throughout the world. 

Ever wonder why Catholics wave palms on Palm Sunday or why there are purple veils on crosses during Holy Week? Check out Busted Halo’s A Catholic Guide to Holy Week Symbols to learn more!  

Carfleo also has a number of resources for staff, students, and families to use relating to Holy Week and Easter, including many song prayers with inspirational words and videos. 

Staff at the LRC have created an Easter Bookshelf where you can find books and video resources on Easter. 

As always, contact your school Library professional or LRC@hcdsb.org for passwords or more information on accessing these resources.  Happy Easter! 

You don’t need to wait for the future! Robotics kits and other resources are already here and ready to be borrowed from the LRC. Robotics and coding build a wide variety of skills and are a fun way to teach STEAM education in the classroom.  

One of our favourite additions to the collection to get primary students started is mTiny. It doesn’t require any additional devices and includes coding cards and map blocks to interact with and encourage exploration. It also makes some fun noises!  

Another great option that doesn’t require an additional device is KUBO Coding robot kit, which includes teacher guides and lesson plans to deliver cross-curricular challenges. KUBO is a little more advanced than mTiny, and can be used in both primary and junior. 

The Root coding robot has over 30 features and sensors and is able to navigate magnetic whiteboards for unique hands-on experiences with coding and computational thinking skills in the classroom. Don’t forget to book an iPod to go with it! 

Need something for your more advanced coders in intermediate or secondary grades? Try Makeblock HaloCode, a single board computer designed for education, that pairs with block—based programming software. 

Check out the guide below, and for even MORE, visit the LRC catalogue and search our science kits and books using keywords like “robotics”, “coding”, “robots”, and “STEM resources.” 

**please note: our kits do not contain batteries. If an item requires batteries, this will be noted in the summary** 

World Poetry Day is an observance day that was adopted by UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999 and is celebrated on March 21^st.  

“World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.”  Visit UNESCO to learn more about this initiative. 

For more information about poetry, check out databases and websites through the Library Services website. Find articles and videos on World Almanac Kids, Britannica School, and The Canadian Encyclopedia. 

Books on poetry 

can teach, express and inspire. 

Check some out below: 

If any of these books intrigue you,  

Click on the link and the item you will view. 

Like what you see? 

Click “Book item” and wait for delivery! 

If you have any questions, LRC@hcdsb.org is happy to help too. 

March 14^th is Pi day. While Pi day celebrates the mathematical constant π, many celebrate the day with a different version of pie. The LRC has various pie related resources, including these math kits and books which support math concepts and skills including sorting, fractions and coding: 

Staff can browse the hundreds of math kits available at the LRC in the Math Kiosk or search by keyword in our OPAC to find other resources to support student learning in the classroom. Find a kit you love? You can rate and review the item to help others find kits that best support their own students. 

If you plan to celebrate by using your math skills to make a delicious pie, check out some recipes on Gale in Context: Canada, like this recipe for peach pie or a recipe that will get more vegetables in your diet from the article Eye on the Pie. Find more by doing a keyword search for “pie” or the specific type of pie you are looking for and filter your results by the document type Recipe. You can also find a recipe for and the history of Tourtière, a meat pie, in The Canadian Encyclopedia. 

Please note that the Board has no control over the changing content of electronic resources. Use your professional judgement when accessing resources. Resources are for HCDSB staff and students only.  

Please contact your library staff for passwords and suggestions for additional books and resources, or contact us at LRC@hcdsb.org if you have any other questions. 

March 8^th is International Women’s Day, and the 2021 campaign theme is #ChooseToChallenge. “International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.” To learn more about this day, visit International Women’s Day and check out their school resources. Visit the Government of Canada website for more teacher resources and information about this day within a Canadian context. 

Check out some of the many books and e-books offered through the Learning Resource Centre and Library Services in the bookshelf below: 

Curio has compiled videos to support this day and highlight women’s achievements in the collections: Women’s Rights and Feminism and Women in Science: At the Heart of Nature. You can also find relevant articles in databases including: Gale in Context: Canada and Canadian Points of View Reference Centre by doing keyword searches for terms like “Canadian women” and “Women’s rights”.  

Please note that the Board has no control over the changing content of electronic resources. Use your professional judgement when accessing resources. Resources are for HCDSB staff and students only. 

Please contact your library staff for passwords and suggestions for additional books and resources, or contact us at LRC@hcdsb.org if you have any other questions.

February 26^th is Tell a Fairy Tale Day! To learn more about fairy tales and their history, check out Britannica School’s articles by searching “folktale” and “fairy tale“. Fairy tales have been around for a very long time, and classic tales such as Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears have been reimagined over the years, bringing more opportunities for creativity and learning. Whether your students are learning about and reading fairy tales, creating new stories or their own versions of these classic tales, or using fairy tales in other subject areas, the LRC has got you covered.

Check out some of our fairy tale STEM kits and books, classic and modern fairy tale books in both English and French, interactive storytelling kits with puppets and figures, and teacher resources in the bookshelf below: 

There are many fairy tales available as e-books on Tumblebooks as well. To find these books, click  and search by subject “fairy tales”. 

You can also find videos about fairy tales, like Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion with Tamara Taylor, a modern-day fairy tale read on Curio, or How to Write a Fairy Story on Learn360 for some inspiration for writing your own. 

Visit your school library professional for more resources and don’t hesitate to contact us at LRC@hcdsb.org if you have any questions. 

Lent is the 40-day season of preparation for Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, three days before Easter Sunday. The Diocese of Hamilton has compiled tips and resources for celebrating the Lenten season at home or school this year, when physically visiting the Church is not possible. 

Looking for a concise and engaging video to help students better understand what Lent is about and why it is important? Check out the video Lent in Three Minutes by Busted Halo. You can find more resources at Busted Halo, including their digital Lent calendar and 25 ideas for meaningful things you can do during Lent.  

The Catholic Association of Religious and Family Life Educators of Ontario (CARFLEO) has also compiled resources for Lent that support teachers, students and families, and includes activities for students ranging from kindergarten to adulthood, prayers and songs, infographics, and much more. 

Also, check out Development and Peace’s Share Love Share Lent campaign and their resources, including an activity calendar and prayers and reflection. 

Looking for physical resources? Borrow some through the LRC. A few titles we have are: 

The Lent-Easter book

Big book of Catholic customs and traditions for children’s Faith Formation

Classroom prayer services for the days of Advent and Lent

Learning centers for Advent and Lent

Visit your school library professional for more resources and don’t hesitate to contact us at LRC@hcdsb.org if you have any questions. 

We can’t travel around the world right now, but we certainly can learn about it! Check out the various World Almanac databases for fascinating facts and figures on our fabulous world. For instance, did you know the top 5 places in the world to photograph are: Antarctica, Venice, Machu Picchu, Stonehenge, and the Taj Mahal in India? 

The World Almanac for Kids features topics, flags, maps, fun facts, videos, games and more, geared to kids from ages 4-14.  In Canada we celebrate Flag day on February 15^th . Follow this link to see “How the Canadian Flag came to be”.  

World Almanac for Kids Elementary has information for students in Grades JK-8, along with a comprehensive Teacher Resource Section where you can search by Ontario standards and strands for subjects including: Health and PE, Language, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.   

Our secondary students can check out World News Digest. It’s a new mega-resource that provides access to a summary of World News stories dating back to 1940!  Also included are “That day in History”, Current News, Facts and Statistics, Historical Documents and a 2020 Year in Review. Don’t fall for fake news – World News Digest provides “content you can trust”. 

If you have any questions about accessing World Almanac or other Digital Resources on the Library Services website, contact your school library professional, or email us at LRC@hcdsb.org.  

The second annual I Read Canadian Day will take place on February 17^th, with events and activities taking place from February 13^th to February 21^st. This year, this successful celebration of reading and Canadian books is important “now more than ever.”  

“The purpose of this event is to raise awareness of Canadian books and celebrate the richness,  diversity and breadth of Canadian literature. We challenge the nation to “Read Canadian” for 15  minutes and to share their experience at their library, in their school, with their families and  friends, or on social media.”  

Visit the I Read Canadian Day website to learn more and sign your students up for this amazing event. You will also find educator toolkits, book recommendations, games, activities, and the link to Bibliovideo, a YouTube channel featuring authors and illustrators. Check out The Canadian Children’s Book Centre for even more during this event, and all year-round.  

Libraries at HCDSB offer many Canadian books, including e-books which can be accessed anywhere, anytime. You can find some great books by Canadian authors by clicking on the bookshelf below. For help accessing e-books, please contact your school library professional.  

The LRC holds many physical Canadian books too. Have you ever read the picture books Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan or No Help Wanted! by Ruth Ohi? Or the early chapter book Shu-Li and Tamara by Paul Yee? The middle grade/YA novel Sweep by Jonathan Auxier? What about the high school/adult novel Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice? 

You can borrow these titles and so much more through the LRC here. Please contact us at LRC@hcdsb.org if you have any questions. 

Happy reading! #IReadCanadian