Kids Say

We are asking the adults caring for children up to 12 years of age, “who helps look after your kids when you have to go to work, or have important appointments, or if you are studying?”

It may be your grandparent? Another family member? A friend? You could go to Before and After School care, or Vacation care?

Blue Mountains Council wants to know how we can help support families so adults are happy and kids are happy and safe. Because this is about YOU we also want to know what you think - so click here to let us know!

You can get an adult to help you write this – but make sure it’s YOUR words they write. We will share what we hear with local services looking after children, without using your name, to see how we can make childcare better! We will also write a report to Council so that we can see what else we can do.

Please fill in the answers below.

Each entrant will go into a drawer to win one of 5 prizes – your choice of either a voucher for book or art supplies.

Even though kids can’t vote we still want to hear what is important to you! Click here to let us know.

We will share your views with Blue Mountains new Council so they can keep you in mind when they represent their community.

Elections for Blue Mountains Council will be held on Saturday 4 December, 2021. Local residents nominate to sit on Council for four (4) years to represent their local community – in four (4) wards across the Blue Mountains.
All Australian citizens 18 years and over are eligible to vote for the representatives whom they think will best serve their community on important issues. Want to find out more about Local Government in Australia? Click here.

Let us know what is important to you and the community you live in. Your community includes the place and people in the area you live. It is the things you can do and who you can share this with. So it supports who you can be outside of your home and what you can do to feel connected to other people outside your home. It includes how people look after each other and whether you feel safe and a part of something bigger than your family and home.

You can either tell us in words AND/OR tell us in a picture you create.

Each entrant will go into a draw to win one of 5 prizes – your choice of either a voucher for book or art supplies.

When we asked children to help us find suitable locations for our new kids street libraries, they responded with passion and creativity! Now there are 11 kids street libraries around the Blue Mountains to help us promote the benefits of reading for kids (0-12 years).

The beautifully constructed and decorated libraries are now operational at the chosen sites, here:

• 14 Roberts Parade, Hawkesbury Heights
• 2 Euroka Road, Glenbrook
• 5 Lapstone Crescent, Blaxland
• 3 Judith Avenue, Mt Riverview
• Rainbow Preschool, 53 Singles Ridge Road, Winmalee
• 30 Green Parade, Valley Heights
• Warrimoo Public School 16-30, Florabella Street
• 15 Springwood Avenue, Springwood
• Near corner of Bellevue & Highland Rd, Faulconbridge
• 25 Shortland Street, Wentworth Falls
• Kookaburra Preschool 9-11 Park Avenue, Blackheath

Council invited children’s participation in this project through the Kids Say portal. The children asked property owners for permission and to take responsibility for each library, ensuring they would be safe for kids in the neighbourhood.

Eleven sites met all criteria and there is an even spread through the whole Blue Mountains local government area. The libraries are now stocked with books suitable for children of 0-12 years of age, kindly donated by Blue Mountains Library.

The Kids Street Library project is a collaboration between kids and community and we’d like to thank everyone who took part:

• The kids who helped us include: Chloe Fenning; Eva Faull; Class 5H/C 2020 from Warrimoo Public; Iszaak & Jeremiah Blanch; Neva Stockwell; Steph Zhang-Kilgarriff; Huxley Logue; Elijah Hughan; Zoey Gradden; Robert, Lucas & Thomas Campbell.
• Elijah Hughnan and Neva Okunew for the design ideas.
• The community members who took ownership of the libraries, including: Louisa & Ian Dingwall; Jodie Logue; Marjorie June; Alanna Fenning; Adrian Faull; Mr Jeff & Ms Harris; Nafiye Mind; Joan Murray; Jon Zhang-Kilgarriff; Kerrie Lovegrove; Louise Beckett.
• The members of The Blue Mountains Women’s Shed who assembled, installed, and painted the libraries with the kids' design: Sherlie McMillan; Rachel Conolan; Tina McCormick; Maude Sinclair, Brigitte Gordian, Rachel Hall, Lindena Robb.
• The Central Blue Mountains Men’s shed who assembled and installed the libraries: John Crichton. Peter Bugeja, Andrew Jamieson, Mark Metcalf, David Caton, Garth Cootes and Robert Carruthers.

2 Euroka Street Glenbrook was a favorite option for Damien, Robert & Lucas Campbell and for Zoey Gradden.

Local neighbour Louisa and Ian Dingwell were very happy to offer their place for the location!

The Campbell brothers suggested that
"This spot is close to Glenbrook shops and lots of people pass by. People will be able to stop then when they go to the shops." .

Zoey added Glenbrook village is always so busy and Ian's house is the perfect location as so many people would go past it all the time.

It looks like this Library will be busy! Come and check it out!

Unfortunately when we took the photo Zoey was unable to join us but sent her little sister Matilda along to inspect the Library. Matilda is pictured with Robert, Lucas and Thomas ( L_R)

Chloe was most excited about the arrival of the Kids Street Library at 3 Judith Avenue Mt Riverview and the great selection of books!

Chloe is keen to be in charge of the Library outside her house and make sure that kids in the local neighborhood come and borrow the books.

Thanks Chloe!!

Grade 5/6H at Warrimoo Public School identified their school, 16-30 Florabella St Warrimoo, in the heart of the community, was a perfect place for a Kids Street Library.
The class gave some good reasons for their choice:
"The first reason is that over 170 students walk past the library everyday without fail.
Secondly, we do not have a library close by and the closest is in Blaxland.
Thirdly, we are the leaders at Warrimoo Public School and would love the opportunity to look after this precious street library as one of our responsibilities. It can then be a job for Stage 3 each year to look after the library.
Finally we all love reading so much at Warrimoo Public and regularly find that we have read all of our own books. This would be an opportunity not only to share what resources we have but also be kind to our fellow students and share our resources too.
We hope you consider our proposal. 5/6H students."
What a great bunch of young community leaders!
And thanks to their wonderful teacher Ms Harris who helped make this happen!

You can now visit the Kids Street Library at 5 Lapstone Crescent, Blaxland.

Eva Faull helped find this location. We live on quite a busy road. We get people coming from the high school and from Glenbrook public school coming past daily. It would have great exposure and be really useful to the families in the area.

The Kids Library is indeed proving to be very popular in the neighbourhood. Dad Adrian reports Most days when I come home from work I can see that there are new books in there and lots going out. Amazing!"

Just how we want it ! There's nothing better than reading to kids and supporting kids to read.
Thanks Eva- a great choice for location.
Eva and her brother Van - pictured below are so happy with the new neighbourhood Kids Street Library!

The latest Library has now been added at 15 Springwood Ave Springwood.
Marjorie June has been most excited about the addition to her street with families in the neighbourhood and an early childhood education centre right across the road!
It didnt take long for interest in the new street Library to be shown!
The beautiful decoration by members of the Women's Shed with the designs inspired by our own local kids makes the idea reading even more attractive!

The installation of the first Kids Street Library for 2021 is at 26 Bellevue Road Faulconbridge.

Huxley Logue aged 5 recommended this location saying “I love to read and I think my friends do too. I go to my local library almost everyday! I would love for my friends and neighbours to visit a library box at my place - it would be soooooo cool!”

And it does indeed look so cool! Painted and installed by the Blue Mountains Women's Shed with support from Central Blue Mountains Men's Shed. Huxley is in charge of the box of books donated by Blue Mountains City Library to keep kids in the area, from 0-12, happy with books to borrow!

The first of the Kids Street Libraries was recently installed at Rainbow Preschool, 53 Singles Road, Winmalee.

An auspicious date for the Centre which was celebrating 25 years of operation. The owner Joan Murray has always been passionate about kids, books and reading with books, not technology, “You can’t cuddle technology like you can a child and a story book” says Joan.

The book supply for the Kids Libraries to cover all ages up to 12 years have been lovingly packed by Blue Mountains Library staff.

Peter Pugeja, John Crichton and Andrew Jamieson from the Central Blue Mountains shed installed the Library (fist image below) and Sherlie Lewis and Karen Stevenson from the Women's Shed completed the last of the installation (middle image below).

The artwork, designed by children Neva from Wentworth Falls and Elijah from Blackheath, was painted by Karen, Rachel and Maude from the Women’s Shed (last image below).

Finally Iszaack and Jermiah who found this location for us was there to help us celebrate. The brothers selected the Preschool from good personal experience.

I don't go to Rainbow Preschool any more but I think it would be the perfect place for a street library because preschool kids and their big brothers like me could easily use it every time we went to the preschool for a drop off or pickup. Mums and Dads would like it too and Mrs Murray would be excellent at looking after it. She loves books. Also lots of people drive along Singles Ridge Road and they could stop by too they said.