Have you seen our Music and Movement videos? We have nearly 100 videos with our favorite rhymes, songs, chants and fingerplays. Check them all out here!
Here’s a song that’s fun for both littles and their adults. Get ready to sing and bounce around with this silly tune called “Bumpin’ Up and Down in My Little Red Wagon.”
Lyrics:
Bumpin’ up and down in my little red wagon,
Bumpin’ up and down in my little red wagon,
Bumpin’ up and down in my little red wagon,
Won’t you be my darling?
(Want to sing some more? Add other verses: getting a hug, clapping our hands, giving a kiss, etc.)
From visiting a local pool to running through a sprinkler, July is a great time for water play, and crafting your own toys adds to the excitement. With a few steps, you can craft your own splash balls!
Summer Reading 2023 is in full swing! This year’s theme is “All Together Now,” and all summer long, we’re celebrating our connections with family, friends and community. In this virtual activity bundle, you’ll find books, music, videos and more for kids ages 5 to 8, all focused on togetherness and inclusivity. Read, listen, watch and create along with us! Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: All Together Now”
Did you know the ancient peoples of modern-day United Kingdom moved giant stones (some as long as a school bus and weighing 50 tons!) across hundreds of miles and for over 1,500 years to create a monument to honor the sun? That’s according to some historians.
June 21 marked the summer solstice, a day when the sun shines longer than any other day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Celebrate the solstice — and the 4.6 billion-year-old star we call the Sun — with a low-mess, process-based art project!
These kitsare a wonderful way to discover new picture book titles for sharing with one child or a classroom full of kids. The ten titles were selected by a committee of Missouri librarians because they are marvelous read-alouds. This year, we have a charming selection of books, from brave birds to silly cows to talking bathtubs and more. Included in each bag are all ten nominees, accompanying activity sheets, ballots for children to vote and ‘I voted’ stickers.
Summer Reading 2023 is finally here! As we’ve been prepping for the most exciting time of the year here at the library, we’ve been brainstorming plenty of creative ways to connect with others in keeping with the theme “All Together Now.” If you’ve got your summer reading sheet for ages 5-12 or teens, you’ll notice that one of the suggested activities is to create a collaborative piece of art with a friend. Today, I’d like to share a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing!
These simple art projects are perfect for summer school classes, family get-togethers, sleepovers, birthday parties and summer camp. If you’re a fan of family game nights or movie nights, you might even consider giving family art night a try. As you introduce these projects to your young artists, encourage unity as everyone contributes their own sense of creativity. There’s beauty in letting go and giving in to the creative process. Wherever you meet with others this summer, break out the art supplies and look for opportunities to create something new!
Exquisite Corpse
What began as a Victorian parlor game called “consequences” took to new, absurd heights thanks to the Surrealist movement of the 1920s. To play Exquisite Corpse, you’ll need at least three players. Each person folds a piece of paper in thirds and draws the head of the drawing in the top third. Fold down the top third to hide it from the next player, then pass along your drawing. The next player draws the torso, folds it down and passes it along to the final player, who draws the legs. Channel your inner surrealist and play with the definition of “head,” “torso” and “legs!” My sister, husband and I capped off our recent dinner plans with a round of exquisite corpse. I guess two of us were inspired by the pile of crayons spread across the table!
Did you know that altruism, defined as the “behavior of an animal that benefits another at its own expense,” has been observed in bat populations, especially the iconic vampire bat? Vampire bats display what scientists call “reciprocity,” which is a fancy term for friendship. For example, vampire bats don’t just take care of other vampire bats by grooming one another and sharing food (which, sidebar, they do by regurgitating blood and spitting it on their fellow bat’s face to lick up — sweet and gross!): vampire bats actually make social bonds with other specific vampire bats, forming relationships beyond kin or direct familial connection. In other words, vampire bats make and take care of friends outside of their biological family, a behavior that, until it was first documented in the 1980s, scientists thought was more exclusive to humans and other primates. It seems to me that we humans have much to learn from our bat friends, especially in the spirit of this year’s Summer Reading theme, “All Together Now.” So, to celebrate friendship, community and care, let’s make like a bat with an adorable headband craft!
The April rain, the April rain Comes slanting down in fitful showers, Then from the furrow shoots the grain, And banks are fledged with nestling flowers.
Although we didn’t receive the deluge of rain we might have hoped for last month, here’s a charming craft to celebrate the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” (Thanks to this blog for the craft idea!) Continue reading “Chenille Stem Flowers”
This year I’ve been surprised when the flowers are blooming, and never quite sure how long they will last. So I thought it would be fun to share a craft where you can play with the wind, and also have something bright and cheerful. Pinwheels! Once you’ve made one of these pinwheels, you’ll find yourself wanting to create more and more till you have a whole bouquet of them!
First, gather your supplies. There are two patterns per page, and it’s a good idea to print extra-these are so much fun it’s easy to make a bouquet of pinwheels.
Pencils with an eraser
Small beads
Pins (Mine are small and silver, but almost any sewing pin will work.)
Coloring supplies (I prefer colored pencils and crayons.)
I tend to be drawn to a lot of fantasy books, and I freely admit it! But this time, I’ve kept myself to contemporary realism. No spells or superpowers or talking animals, just real people in real situations. Okay, the virtual reality graphic novel might be skirting the line, but I still get points for trying.
This could easily be one of the most important books we read this year. The book opens with an adorable baby girl, who has a big laugh, a big heart and big dreams. She learns and grows, and adults exclaim over what a big girl she is. Being a big girl is an exciting aspiration when you’re little, but eventually it’s no longer a good thing. Soon it’s, “Aren’t you too big for that?” and suddenly you’re not fitting into costumes or swings or with the other kids. As the little girl is bombarded with cruel words, both unthinking and intentional, she withdraws until she finds the courage to love and accept herself. The author’s note shares her own experience of being “in the crosshairs of adultification bias and anti-fat bias” and offers hope and love to all other children that may be going through the same thing. Known as an illustrator, Harrison’s artwork is absolutely perfect, and the story itself is one that everyone needs to hear. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: May Favorites 2023”
Stonehenge photographed by 
