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NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
Waukegan, IL, United States, 10/30/2009 - "Dig the Dinosaurs" Exhibit Opens Sunday, November 15, at the Waukegan Public Library.
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Last seen in China a hundred million years ago, the mammoth, duck-billed Probactosaurus will soon reappear at the Waukegan Public Library. To celebrate the first anniversary of its award-winning Early Learning Center (ELC), the library is hosting a Dino Bash and unveiling an extensive new dinosaur exhibit with museum-size replicas and hands-on learning stations. Dino lovers of all ages are welcome for dinosaur cake, games and crafts, Sunday, November 15, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Waukegan Public Library.
The library campaigned to build the ELC in response to a United Way survey that showed only 43% of Waukegan kindergartners ever attend preschool, and 77% speak Spanish as their primary language. More than half the kids surveyed had little or no exposure to books before entering public school. By creating a bilingual center for preschool-age kids, with free classes based on the Waukegan School District 60 curriculum, the library hoped to capture this segment and better prepare the city’s earliest learners for kindergarten.
Since opening last November, the ELC has entertained more than 16,000 children and nearly tripled the number of programs offered to kids age 7 and under. Attendance at preschool storytimes shot up 50%, and the fledgling center has quickly become a field trip hot spot for daycare centers and preschools across Waukegan.
“We believe the ELC is making a difference in fostering early literacy in Waukegan. The children are engaged and learning while having fun,” explains Richard Lee, Executive Director. “The center feels more like a children’s museum than a traditional children’s room in a library, making it a very unique destination.”
Now, with the opening of its new “Dig the Dinosaurs” exhibit, the ELC will offer an up-close look at the mighty reptiles that once ruled our earth. Designers are transforming the space into a setting from the Mesozoic era, featuring an imposing 6’4” Probactosaurus replica. Museum-scale dinosaur heads protrude from area walls, while dinosaur trumpeting and other noises sound in the background. Budding paleontologists can participate in a fossil dig and examine realistic dinosaur bones, along with a true-size model of a T-Rex footprint. In other areas of the ELC, kids can try on dinosaur costumes, make crafts, learn about dinosaurs in a computer lab, even join a dinosaur reading club.
Funded primarily by North Shore Gas and a generous donation from Samantha Bailey and the Bailey/Seidenfeld Family, “Dig the Dinosaurs” is the first in a series of rotating exhibits the Waukegan Public Library plans to offer at the ELC. The exhibits, like the center itself, all stem from the library’s commitment to providing free and easy access to learning opportunities for Waukegan’s low-income families.
The ELC is located on the lower level of the main library at 128 N. County St. Library hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 9 pm; Fridays, 9 am to 6 pm; Saturdays, 9 am to 5 pm; and Sundays (during the school year), 1 to 5 pm Free parking is available.
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elizabethstearns[.]waukeganpl.info 
