The holidays have ended and January has rolled in with a brand new year. But this month brings with it more than just a list of resolutions we may or may not stick to. The weather is growing ever colder and the days are becoming shorter and we are spending more of our days indoors. Still, we don’t have to stay in all day. The winter has also brought with it some of Canada’s most favourite games. The OISE library is well equipped to get you through the cold season, both at home and in the classroom. Some of these materials are featured in our display, found on the ground floor of the library.

OISE library has a large selection of children’s stories and novels about winter games, and especially hockey. Among these titles is The Hockey Sweater, the classic story by Roch Carrier about the importance of having the right hockey sweater and how difficult but important it is to handle disappointments gracefully. Another wonderful picture book in the collection is Roy MacGregor’s The Highest Number in the World. This is the story of a girl named Gabe, the youngest girl on her hockey team, and the disappointment of not being given the coveted number 22 jersey. Here again readers will learn how hard it is to handle disappointment, but also who looking at things in another way can be incredibly beneficial.

Our children’s literature selections also include Singing Away the Dark by Caroline
Woodward, illustrated by Julie Morstand, and Counting on Snow by Maxwell Newhouse. The first book is a wonderful story about a little girl making her way to the school bus on a dark winter’s day. Beautifully illustrated, students will love this touching story of a young girl’s private moment of bravery. Counting on Snow, for younger students, is a delightful way to count down from ten while going through the seasons and different animals.

Other children’s titles in our collection are The Moon Speaks Cree by Larry Loyie and We Feel Good Out Here = Zhik gwaa’an, nakhwatthaiitat gwiinzii by Julie-Ann André and
Mindy Willett. Meanwhile older readers may enjoy Yossi’s Goal by Ellen Schwartz. This is a story of a boy from Russia who tries to adapt to his new life in Canada and falls in love with the game of Hockey. This story provides readers with history as well as a perspective of what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land. Another novel featured in our display is In the Clear by Anne Laurel Carter, which tells the story of a girl who survived polio and dreams of playing hockey. Readers will be inspired by this story of survival and triumph of will.

As an introduction to the cold winter weather, our display is featuring  Snow and Ice: Canadian Winter Weather  by Nicole Mortillo. This book will help young students understand the science behind the cold and well as learn some interesting facts about Canada and winter. Also in the display are two DVDs about winter in Canada. The first is the fourth episode of Are We There Yet: World Adventure. The second is the documentary “I am Inuk, I am Alive” which follows eight teen agers in northern Quebec on their senior year of high school. This documentary will introduce viewers to a side of winter and Canadian life that they may not be familiar with.

Finally, our display has a number of recommendations for activities for your students on those days when going outside is not an option. Hands-On Art Activities for the Elementary Classroom provides a number of suggestion of indoor activities for grades K-5. This activity book includes seasonal and holiday suggestions but also provides general design activities. In addition, consider looking through the Getting Ready for Winter package. Part of the Literacy Place for the Early Years series, this package provides activities and a guided reading teaching plan focused on the theme of winter. (Please note that the package is not available to checkout, but you are welcome to explore it in the library). For more research-based perspectives on the importance of games and learning, we suggest looking at New Traditional Games for Learning and Game Sense: Pedagogy for Performance, Participation and Enjoyment. Both books provide articles relating to games and group activities and contain within them suggestions and examples.

These recommendations are currently featured in the display case on the ground floor of the library. To check out these items or for additional help and recommendations feel free to speak to library staff on the circulation and reference desks.

Happy New Year and  stay warm.