I have a confession: I love to doodle. Just ask anyone who sits next to me during meetings. Chances are good that you might have a doodler in your life too. If you are looking for some fun ways to amp up your doodle game, I’ve got three words for you—add a face. Everything is so much cuter with a face on it! Below, I’m going to show you some fun ways you can add faces to shapes. Doodling with shapes is a great way to combine math and art. Bonus: If you talk about the names of shapes or label them, you can also practice vocabulary.
Supplies
Paper
Markers (This is what I used, but you can use you crayons or colored pencils.)
Pen (I used a black Sharpie pen, but you could use a regular ink pen too.)
I like to draw and fill in my shapes first. I’m going to make a square, but you can see octagons, circles and triangles are fun too.
Did you know that 1 in 5 people will experience mental illness during their lifetime? And everyone, kids included, faces challenges that can impact their mental health. May is Mental Health Month, and this is an important topic for kids to learn about and discuss. Maybe your child is dealing with mental health issues of their own or perhaps they know someone who struggles with mental illness. As with all important topics, books can do a great job of exploring these ideas in a way that is both compelling and helpful.
Below are some powerful middle grade books concerning mental health. All of these books are accessible in electronic format through OverDrive using your library card. I recommend these titles for kids in the 8-12 age range. (These books do cover complex and sometimes dark topics, so you may want to read them first or be on standby if your child has questions.)
Elise carries a notebook full of tallies, each page marking a day spent at her new public school, each stroke of her pencil marking a word spoken. A word that can’t be taken back. Five tally marks isn’t so bad. Two is pretty good. But zero? Zero is perfect. Zero means no wrong answers called out in class, no secrets accidentally spilled, no conversations to agonize over at night when sleep is far away.
Elise isn’t sure she could speak even if she wanted to—not to keep her only friend, Mel, from drifting further away or to ask if anyone else has seen her English teacher’s stuffed raven come to life. Suddenly, the discovery of a shocking family secret helps Elise realize that her silence might just be the key to unlocking everything she’s ever hoped for. This book takes you along Elise’s journey, covering subjects such as anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. Continue reading “Middle Grade Fiction Featuring Mental Health”
Welcome to our very first virtual activity bundle! For many years, we’ve been creating book bundles for our patrons. Books bundles are a stack of our favorite books on different subjects, all lovingly bundled together and ready for you to grab and go. They’re a great way for parents and caregivers to quickly pick up quality books without looking through our huge collection of picture books.
While we still plan on making (and possibly even expanding) book bundles, the youth services team is extending this idea so that you have access to great materials from the comfort of your home. That’s where virtual activity bundles come in! In these bundles, we will compile a list of books, songs, videos, at-home activities and other resources that you can use to explore different subjects with your child. Each virtual activity bundle will be based around a theme and will be geared towards a certain age group.
Without further ado, let’s get started with our first virtual activity bundle!
Chirp! Cheep! Caw! These are some of the happy sounds you might hear outside your window from our favorite feathered friends—birds! Birds are such beautiful and interesting creatures; my little one can watch the birds eating from our bird feeder all day long. If you and your child want to explore the fascinating subject of birds, check out the resources and activity below. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Birds”
Having trouble explaining to your kids just what exactly is going on these days? The current pandemic can be confusing and emotional for us adults, which makes discussing it with kids challenging at best. There’s a fine balance between telling children the facts and over-explaining the pandemic to the point of panic or confusion. To help parents out, there have been several picture books quickly created to discuss COVID-19 in a realistic way that is also hopeful and kid-friendly.
Here are two eBooks that I have found helpful when explaining COVID-19 to kids. (You’ll want to read these with your child to explain concepts and field questions.)
This informative and accessible guide for young readers defines the coronavirus, explains why everyday routines have been disrupted and lays out how everyone can do their part to help. With child-appropriate answers and explanations, the book addresses key questions such as:
How do you catch the coronavirus, and what happens if you have it?
Running out of ideas to keep your kids entertained? If so, try out salad spinner art! It’s a fun and creative STEAM project that will have your kids amazed at the results. The artwork always turns out beautiful and unique, and it makes for great gifts or fridge decor.
What you need:
Salad spinner
Thick paper (coffee filters or paper plates also work)
Scissors
Paint
What you do:
Cut the paper into a circle that will fit in the salad spinner.
Place the paper in the salad spinner.
Squeeze some paint onto the paper, mostly in the center. Use as many colors as you’d like.
The librarians of Missouri believe that exposing students to quality literature impacts their future reading habits. The MASL (Missouri Association of School Librarians) Readers Awards encourage students in grades one through twelve to explore new literary genres, to recognize excellence in writing and illustrating and to experience the joy of literature.
DBRL has purchased digital versions of the MASL award winners so you can check out and read them from the comfort of your home. Enjoy!
If you could fit a big budget Hollywood action movie into a tiny and ridiculous picture book for children, this would be it. Rock feels no joy in squashing Apricot. Paper outwits Computer Printer with ease. Not even Dinosaur-shaped Chicken Nuggets can defeat Scissors! Will they ever find worthy adversaries? This is the origin story of the legendary game played across the world.
Against the ominous backdrop of the influenza epidemic of 1918, Annie, a new girl at school, is claimed as best friend by Elsie, a classmate who is a tattletale, a liar, and a thief. Soon Annie makes other friends and finds herself joining them in teasing and tormenting Elsie. Elsie dies from influenza, but then she returns to reclaim Annie’s friendship and punish all the girls who bullied her. Young readers who revel in spooky stories will relish this chilling tale of a girl haunted by a vengeful ghost. Continue reading “2020 Missouri Book Champions!”
Librarian Hilary’s spouse and kiddo enjoying their own porch picnic!
While going on picnics at your local park is always fun, don’t forget that you can have a picnic anywhere! You can have a picnic in your home, in your yard or on your porch. I love porch picnics most because you’re technically outside and can appreciate the great outdoors, but you’re close to your fridge if you forget a tasty treat.
Porch picnics are super easy! Some things you might want to bring:
A blanket, of course. Sheets or towels also work.
A meal or snacks with a drink. Play food also works if you want the fun but not the mess.
Plates and utensils. (Or paper bags for finger foods.)
Stuffed animals. Bring your favorite fluffy friends to enjoy the fun.
Games. These can be board games or simple games like “I spy” (“I spy…something red and crunchy…an apple!”).
Books to enjoy!*
*Don’t have any good books on hand? Try these eBooks from OverDrive on your device.
When the Berenstain Bears set out to find the perfect spot for a picnic, Father Bear says he knows just the place. But each ideal location turns out to be a complete disaster, with a train roaring past or hordes of mosquitoes. At last they find a place with no pesky crowds or noisy planes, and nary a mosquito . . . until it starts to rain.
Summer the kitten loves long days in the meadow, but as she daydreams about climbing trees one afternoon, she notices a large tree nearby and decides to climb it! Suddenly, Summer is stuck high in the tree, and even worse, it begins to rain and lightning! As the thunder roars, Summer spots a girl running through the rain toward the tree. Will Summer ever make it out of the storm? Follow along with word-for-word narration as Summer makes a friend and finds a place to call home.
I just looked at the calendar and realized that this Friday is the day we had originally planned my Bubble Bash program at the library. Though the program is canceled, I thought I would bring the Bubble Bash to you with some ideas! And trust me, almost all kids (and teens and adults!) love bubbles. There’s just something magical about them!
You can make bubbles at home with this simple yet AMAZING recipe and have some bubble fun of your own.
Here’s what you need:
¼ cup dishwashing liquid
2 ½ cups water
2 tsp. white corn syrup
Mixing spoon
Bowl
Sealable container
Bubble wand
Here’s what you do:
Gently mix dishwashing liquid, water and corn syrup.
Pour into a sealable container such as a plastic milk jug.
Let it sit for one day. (The bubble mix improves after sitting. Plus, waiting to play with the bubbles is a great opportunity to practice patience and self-control with your child.)
After you’ve waited a day, it’s time to play with the bubbles! You can use bubble wands, straws or other circular objects from around the house (examples above!) to blow bubbles. When your children jump, run and kick to pop the bubbles, they’re working on their balance and their control over large movements. If you have older kids, you can talk about the science behind bubbles— elasticity, chemistry, light and even geometry! The fun and learning opportunities are endless. Enjoy!
It’s been nearly a month since library staff have been in their library, and the main thing we all agree on is that WE MISS YOU! To pass the time away from our favorite library patrons, we’ve been doing a lot of cool stuff behind the scenes like online training, Summer Reading preparations and getting lots of good resources out to you with our newsletters and our social media platforms.
Want to know what else the youth services team has been up to? Read below!
“We have been spending as much time as possible on the porch. Reading, singing and making art. The backyard is also getting a lot of love as we start the garden and chill in the hammock. And puzzles—we’re putting the dog kennel tray to work.”
~Hilary
“I’ve found so much joy and peace creating a garden in my backyard this spring! I’ve dug a hole for toads, planted a dozen native plants from the Missouri Wildflower Nursery and have prepared three trays of milkweed to help the monarch butterflies!“
~Tess
“I’ve turned our guest bedroom into a studio for working on Summer Reading decorations. I am not very focused as I am also knitting a baby sweater for a dear friend, working in the garden and putting together grocery lists for pick up.”
~Aimee
(We’re bringing in this special library employee for the summer, since the Summer Reading theme, Imagine Your Story, is their specialty!)
“My life has been pretty boring. Did a bit of online shopping and have been walking my dog a little more often in my new outfit. Nothing anyone would find interesting.”
~DBRL Unicorn
“Being stuck at home isn’t so bad. We’re catching up on movies and making sure that we get our veggies in! Popcorn is a vegetable, right?”
Guess when the last Wayside School book came out? 1995! 25 years later and we have the next book in this delightful series. While I haven’t read this newest one yet, what I loved about the first books is the perfect combination of comedy and kindness in each chapter. Definitely check out this new book, but if you want to go back and read the others first, we have all of those in eBook format as well.
Here’s another new book to try! This is the latest in the Magic Tree House series, in which Jack and Annie get to meet Lief Erikson—and narwhals of course. We have this one in eBook and downloadable audiobook. Once you’ve finished it, bring in a little nonfiction fun with the companion book “Narwhals and Other Whales.”
Fans of Percy Jackson should definitely check out this Rick Riordan Presents book. Mbalia crafts an adventure with African-American folklore, West African mythology, and a relatably imperfect hero. When Tristan accidentally punches a hole into another world, he must team up with John Henry and other heroes to save that world.
Running out of ideas to keep your kids entertained? If so, try out salad spinner art! It’s a fun and creative STEAM project that will have your kids amazed at the results. The artwork always turns out beautiful and unique, and it makes for great gifts or fridge decor.
The librarians of Missouri believe that exposing students to quality literature impacts their future reading habits. The 
I just looked at the calendar and realized that this Friday is the day we had originally planned my Bubble Bash program at the library. Though the program is canceled, I thought I would bring the Bubble Bash to you with some ideas! And trust me, almost all kids (and teens and adults!) love bubbles. There’s just something magical about them!
“We have been spending as much time as possible on the porch. Reading, singing and making art. The backyard is also getting a lot of love as we start the garden and chill in the hammock. And puzzles—we’re putting the dog kennel tray to work.”
“I’ve found so much joy and peace creating a garden in my backyard this spring! I’ve dug a hole for toads, planted a dozen native plants from the Missouri Wildflower Nursery and have prepared three trays of milkweed to help the monarch butterflies!“
“I’ve turned our guest bedroom into a studio for working on Summer Reading decorations. I am not very focused as I am also knitting a baby sweater for a dear friend, working in the garden and putting together grocery lists for pick up.”
(We’re bringing in this special library employee for the summer, since the Summer Reading theme, Imagine Your Story, is their specialty!)
“Being stuck at home isn’t so bad. We’re catching up on movies and making sure that we get our veggies in! Popcorn is a vegetable, right?”
