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2025 Handprint Calendars

Posted on Friday, December 6, 2024 by Whit

It is almost time to wish 2024 goodbye and welcome in 2025. Which can only mean —

It’s handprint calendar time again! Download your own handprint calendar that you can enjoy all year! It’s recommended to print your calendar on cardstock for the best results. You will want something sturdy to support all of your amazing creations. Having your kiddo dress in clothes that you don’t mind getting messy or stained is also a good idea.

What you’ll need:

  • Paint or a non-toxic stamp pad
  • Crayons or markers
  • Wet wipes or towels to help with cleaning up

Not only does the paint have to dry, but sometimes the kiddos (and us adults, let’s be honest here😅)  run out of steam as well. This project may take multiple sessions, and that is alright! When the paint does dry and it’s time for a second round, you can take markers or crayons to add flair to your calendar. You can use buttons or googly 👀 to make faces on your handprints. The ideas are endless. Be as creative as you’d like!

Here are some guidelines if you would like ideas to get started. How you would like your 2025 handprint calendar to look is completely up to you!

For more ideas check out these book recommendations:

“Fingerprint Bugs” by Bobbie Nuytten"Fingerprint Bugs" book cover

“Drawing With Your Fingerprints” by Godeleine de Rosamel"Drawing With Your Fingerprints" book cover

No matter how you create your calendar, you will have memories to reflect on year after year. Happy 2025! ✨🎉

Brianna’s Books: Picture Book Favorites December 2024

Posted on Monday, December 2, 2024 by Brianna

Brianna's Books Banner

I thought that this month I’d focus on picture books! While publishing usually slows down for the winter, there’s some really great books coming out. So even if you feel too busy with the holiday season approaching, I’m hoping you’ll still be able to make time to sit and enjoy one of these picture books.

Grown With Love cover“Grown with Love” by Valeria Wicker

Oliver loves plants, and he especially loves finding the perfect plant for each person. Since Oliver is also a scientist, he’s able to graft plants to make beautiful and useful gifts for his neighbors. For the mail carrier, Oliver develops the “Climatus Enduris” that protects him like an umbrella, and for Ms. Lloyd and her prone-to-wander puppy, he makes the “Shrub Architectis” that surrounds her yard like a fence. But elderly Mrs. Kroftombottom poses a significant problem. She has “black thumbitis” and nothing grows in her garden. Will Oliver be able to develop exactly what she needs? With beautifully detailed illustrations and fantastical plants, this sweet book also highlights kindness and community. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: Picture Book Favorites December 2024”

Icicle Baubles

Posted on Monday, November 25, 2024 by Robyn

Winter is coming, and there is bound to be ice and other wintry precipitation. When those days arrive — or really anytime — here is a project to safely do indoors. These icicle baubles are simple to create using minimal supplies and can help spark wonder and cheer as the season turns.

📚🎥🎵 Also, check out the “All Things Ice” list with book, DVD and CD recommendations. 📚🎥🎵

Icicle Baubles on trees

Continue reading “Icicle Baubles”

Autumn Leaves Suncatcher

Posted on Saturday, November 16, 2024 by Whit

fall leavesMy family went out to the trails one fall morning to collect colorful leaves and we were not disappointed.  We were greeted with a falling rainbow of reds, oranges and yellows. After hiking for about an hour, we collected about a bag full of leaves and brought them home. A day later we gathered our supplies, listed below, and got to work on making an autumn leaf suncatcher.

Before the snowy winter days keep you inside, go for a nature walk. Head out to your own backyard, or take a walk on one of Columbia’s trails. Find your favorite leaves that you would like to use for your own suncatcher.

Tip for collecting: Ensure the leaves are not wet but not brittle. You will want to be able to stick to the contact paper but also not crumble once you pick them up.

🍁🍂Items to make Suncatcher: 🍁🍂

  • Contact paper
  • Leaves
  • Scissors
  • Construction Paper/Popsicle Sticks/Paper Plates (for frame making) -Optional
  • Glue or tape (for frame making) – optional
Step 1- Rolling out Contact Paper and determining the size of the suncatcher
Step 1- Rolling out Contact Paper and determining the size of the suncatcher
Step 2-Leaf arrangement
Step 2-Leaf arrangement

🍁🍂The Process:🍁🍂

Tip from Experience: I recommend completing this craft the same day as we waited a day and our leaves dried out and became almost TOO crunchy.

Step 1: Roll out the contact paper. Peel apart the backing.

Step 2: Arrange your leaves. Press the leaves into the contact paper.

Step 3: Cover the top with the second sheet of contact paper. Press along the sides of the leaves.

Step 3: Trim the edges (optional). You can make a fun shape or leave it as is.

Step 4: If you don’t want a frame — it’s complete! Hang up your beautiful creation in a window. Sunlight will make your suncatcher shine! If you’d like to add a bonus frame, read on below.

Folding over the second contact sheet and flattening out the edges
Folding over the second contact sheet and flattening out the edges

🍁🍂Creating a Frame:🍁🍂

Creating a frame for your sun catcher is optional, but it is a fun way to add flair to your craft. Construction paper, paper plates and popsicle sticks make wonderful frames for your sun catcher. You can add buttons, feathers and acorns to your frame as well. The choice is yours!

We decided to use construction paper for our craft. We cut strips of paper and taped two ends together to make sure we covered all the sides. We taped them to the contact paper and it was complete. We put our creation in the window and marveled at the gleaming light!

Other Options: If you know you want a frame at the start of your project, you may decide to create the frame first. This could make it easier to secure your contact paper. I think next year our family will try this method instead!

Suncatcher in morning sun
Suncatcher in the morning sun

The creativity is endless with sun catchers. There is no wrong way to do it. Watch your littles take the lead and see what your own family makes. When you are finished, hang up your suncatchers and watch the sunlight make your suncatcher shine!

If you’d like to make more suncatchers read here for ideas!

If You Liked “The Baby-Sitters Club”

Posted on Monday, November 11, 2024 by Laura

I would venture to guess that I’m asked about “The Baby-Sitters Club” at least once per shift at the children’s desk. With the continued popularity of the graphic novel adaptations, we can barely keep them on the shelves! After a few years of working here, my curiosity finally got the best of me. I had to know if the classic series lived up to the hype. And boy, did I fall down a rabbit hole!

Kristy's Great Idea: Classic Edition (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) (Baby-sitters Club (1986-1999)) See more

Sandwiched between generations, I managed to miss both peaks of “The Baby-sitters Club” popularity. During my childhood, the chapter books from the 80’s were relegated to garage sales and thrift store bins, but it would still be several years until the the graphic novels revived the series. So to kick off my introduction to the BSC, I checked out “Kristy’s Great Idea” in both chapter book and graphic novel format.

As I worked my way through both versions, I was struck by just how much fun I was having! The main characters are resourceful, creative and silly. They squabble with their families and get into trouble with their teachers. They chow down on candy and make inside jokes. Kristy, Claudia, Stacey and Mary Anne seemed very much like real friends from my own girlhood. Continue reading “If You Liked “The Baby-Sitters Club””

Brianna’s Books: November Favorites 2024

Posted on Monday, November 4, 2024 by Brianna

Brianna's Books Banner

I hope you’re enjoying your fall! The new books I have for you this month are not season-specific at all, so if you’d like a break from books about pumpkins and falling leaves I’ve got you. The closest we get is a book set during a harvest festival, but it takes place in India in January!

Picture Books

Hugs for Pug cover“Hugs for Pug” by Ethan Long

Our first option is perfect for young readers ready to tackle a book on their own! Even though the book only uses a couple dozen words, most of them monosyllabic and rhyming, the story is one hundred percent relatable and engaging. Pug is ready for hugs, but his family is not. They’re all doing other things and when he barks his frustration at the lack of snuggles, he’s reprimanded. He retreats alone to the yard, until his family invites him back in for all the hugs! Pug’s experience will resonate with all the little ones that have ever heard “not right now” and they will delight in being able to read the sight words all by themselves. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: November Favorites 2024”

Author-Illustrators We Love: Flavia Z. Drago 🦇

Posted on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 by Grae

Graphic of the covers of Flavia Z. Drago's picture books "Gustavo, the Shy Ghost"; "Leila, the Perfect Witch"; and "Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire." The three picture book covers are arranged diagonally, from top left to bottom right against a pale orange background. In the bottom left of the graphic is a purple ofrenda, or altar used for el Día de los Muertos, with three purple candles, a bowl of marigold flowers and a calavera, or sugar skull. In the top right of the graphic is a group of three black bats, a bunting with four flags in orange, green, dark purple and light purple, and a pink spiderweb.

Do you have an aspiring young ghoul in your life? A wee beastie who *wants* to hang out with the monster under their bed and whatever else might go creep or sneak in the night? Perhaps your family celebrates el Día de los Muertos or the spiritual rituals of Allhallowtide in addition to Halloween. Or maybe you’re just in search of a sweetly spooky story to add to your bedtime routine as autumn rolls in and on like a brisk, moonlit fog.

💀💞💀 Continue reading “Author-Illustrators We Love: Flavia Z. Drago 🦇”

Pumpkin Crafts for All Ages!

Posted on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 by Grace

Carving pumpkins is an autumnal tradition for a reason. It’s fun, it’s pretty, and the tools are very sharp and not at all favorable to use around small children. However, one’s cunning can be used to enjoy pumpkin crafts without any sharp objects or carving needed!

Pumpkin Paintin’

Image of child holding painted pumpkin

Painting and/or coloring is a great way to be creative with pumpkins without carving into them. It also allows for the use of color, which isn’t quite as available with traditional carving. There are three types of markers one might find at a craft store that can be used on pumpkins: chalk markers, oil-based markers and paint markers. One can also use Sharpies or other permanent markers, but these fumes can be irritating and even harmful for young children, so use them at your own discretion. Continue reading “Pumpkin Crafts for All Ages!”

When a Pet Passes On

Posted on Monday, September 30, 2024 by Laura W

It can be absolutely devastating. People who don’t have pets don’t always realize that they are true members of the family. There’s a reason some people call their dogs or cats ‘fur babies.’ But whether they have feathers, fur or scales, they hold a little piece of our hearts. As with any type of grief, when they’re gone, it can feel like that piece they held is forever missing, and you’ll never be whole again. If you have recently (or ever) lost a pet, you aren’t alone in that feeling.

After being my companion for 14 years, I recently lost my dog, Hobbes. Sometimes, the grief feels bigger than I do. As I was reflecting on this feeling, I felt a lot of empathy for children going through the same thing as me. If I, as an adult with many years of learning how to manage my emotions, have struggled with this feeling, I cannot imagine how big it must feel for children.

If you have a child who is struggling with any big emotion like grief, books are a great place to start. Books can give us the words to express what we are feeling. They can help us as adults explain what is going on. Most importantly, they can help us realize that we are not alone. Jessica created an absolutely fantastic book list all about picture books that deal with death, dying, and grief. There are some wonderful titles included about animals specifically, as well as general works about dealing with big feelings. Keep reading for my top picks, both old and new.

Best non-fiction

We have quite a few wonderful nonfiction titles surrounding death and grief. Some of them are centered around pets, others are more general. All of these titles are going to give you a good place to start the discussion with your child about what is happening. Nonfiction can be fantastic for kids who are more logical and want direct age-appropriate explanations of what is happening.

Life is Like the Wind by Shona Innes and Irisz Agocs

“Life is like the Wind” is one of my favorites for slightly younger kids. This title is fantastic at metaphorically explaining what death is without using too many words. The author compares being alive to the wind. We can see the effects of it and understand when it is there, but once it is gone, everything is still. They follow by giving coping mechanisms for grief and different ways to honor the loved one’s memory. While not specific to pet death, everything said still applies. Continue reading “When a Pet Passes On”