By February, New Year's resolutions are notorious for being broken. However, slipping up doesn't mean you should abandon your goals completely. Reboot getting healthier and fit intentions with the Experience to Go Kit, Small Steps: Get Healthy.. Each kit contains a cookbook, music CD, timer and exercise suggestions. It's never too late to start over with a clean slate! 

Have you ever wondered what going to school was like in the olden days? Maybe you've read about Laura Ingalls Wilder heading off to school for the first time in On The Banks of Plum Creek. Or, maybe you've visited the Canton Historical Museum and wondered what it was like to attend a one-room school.

Now, you can bring that era to life with the Experience History: Old School kit. Each kit contains a slate, chalk, candle, a McGuffey Reader, and a nonfiction book comparing school days past and present. 

Check out an Experience History: Old School kit today and transport yourself back in time!

Canton Public Library wants you to Electrify Your Winter and Spark Your Year! We've created a whole packet of "Spark Sheets" to help you set goals and achieve great things. We will be rolling these out over the winter with curated experiences to encourage connectivity and growth for all ages. Our kids and family components are called Take Time Together. We will link to the relevant Spark Sheets as well as suggest activities you can do at home to grow in ways you never thought of. Catered to fit your busy lives, suggestions vary for families who have 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or 2 hours to spend with each other. The choice is yours!

Planning and Goal Tracking Spark Sheets help us to get our ideas for growth visualized and helps us track what we will be doing in the new year. 

5 minutes:

Take 5 minutes to talk as a family about your goal and how you will make it happen. Sometimes it is fun to share ideas and get input from those you love to help develop the best goal and plan to make it happen.  

30 Minutes:

Take 30 minutes to watch an inspiring documentary using Kanopy (free with your CPL library card), watch a TED talk, or listening to a family friendly podcast. See the links below for some recommendations, or find one that suits your family.

Documentaries on Kanopy

Maine Girls

Cultivating Sustainable Landscapes

Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog

TED talks online

Why We Laugh?

If I Should Have a Daughter...

A One-Woman Global Village

Family Friendly Podcasts

Dream Big

But Why?

Stuff You Should Know

2 hours:

Take 2 hours to make a family vision board and use it to visualize and see if your goals overlap as a family. Write down your goals from your Spark Sheets across a large piece of construction paper, craft paper, or poster board and connect lines where you see common themes and ideas. How can you accomplish things together? Is it a place to visit? Are you looking for volunteer opportunities? Do you need literature on how to organize or manage time wisely? How about tips on crafting? The Canton Public Library may hold the resources you need accessible online or by calling or visiting our library. What can we help your family achieve?

Try these CPL links:

E-resources

Databases

May We Suggest

Languages

Volunteering At CPL

The start of a new year means new reading goals, and CPL's Spark Your Year workbook includes two special Spark Sheets to help you meet those goals. 

If you're like many people, you may want some guidance and encouragement (and book suggestions).  We've collected some of the most popular and engaging reading challenges to help you get started.  Check out the list below to find one that suits you. You can also track your books and set a reading goal on Goodreads! 

Book Riot's 2019  Read Harder Challenge

PopSugar's 2019  Reading Challenge

Bookish's 2019  Reading Challenge

EpicRead's 2019  Reading Challenge

PBS'  Great American Read book list

Penguin Books'  100 Must-Read Classics

Reading  Challenges for Kids

If none of these inspire you, take a look at this big  compilation of 2019 reading challenges. 

Be sure to check out all the ways you can Spark Your Year. 

Happy reading!