National Princess Day was created after the 1994 animated film “The Swan Princess” was released. The production studio wanted people of all ages to have a day to celebrate royalty, embodying the kindness and grace associated with princesses of the ’90s. Continue reading “National Princess Day”
As the days get shorter and colder, now is the perfect time to cuddle up with a blanket, pop some popcorn and watch some of your favorite YouTube videos! Here at the library, we have been creating fantastic content just for you. No matter how young or how old you are, we have something for everyone.
Music & Movement — Ages birth-5.
There’s no shhhing us, because we love to sing and dance at the library! In these videos, we’ll teach you some of our favorite songs and rhymes.
November 9 is National Young Readers Day, founded in 1989 as a special day to recognize the joys and benefits of reading and encourage parents and their young children to read together. To commemorate, I want to take a trip back to my childhood and explore the books that made a positive impact on me as a young reader, from the very first book I ever read by myself to the Newbery winners and book series that I escaped into in my grade school years, in the hope that kids and their parents will find something new here to read or something old to return to.
I started reading by memorizing, then connecting the words I knew by heart to the words that were on the page. The first book that I memorized was an illustrated edition of “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” more commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas,” by Clement Clarke Moore, which famously tells the story of Saint Nicholas and his eight reindeer bringing gifts and merriment to a family’s house on Christmas Eve. Continue reading “Young Readers Day”
A crisp chill in the air, crunchy leaves underfoot, chattering squirrels gathering nuts for the long winter ahead…
There’s no better time to enjoy a hike or a nature walk than fall! Months of blistering hot Missouri summer kept me inside with a good book and a cold drink, but this cooler weather beckons me back to the great outdoors.
Photo via Pexels.
My partner and I have been exploring all of the amazing green spaces and hiking trails the Columbia area has to offer. On this particular hiking trip, we explored the Shooting Star Trail at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. Even a visit to your local playground, a stroll around the neighborhood or a quiet afternoon in the backyard can provide great ways to share the joys of autumn with your child.
Having a mission in mind before you venture out can help keep reluctant kiddos engaged in your outdoor excursion. Look high in the trees and low on the ground to appreciate even the smallest members of the ecosystem. Slowing down and taking in the world around you is an easy way to practice mindfulness, too! Continue reading “Autumn Scavenger Hunt”
This fun and easy project encourages small children to use their fine motor skills and creativity to make a small hanging to celebrate autumn. Small children can sort the leaves by color, shape or texture before attaching them to the paper wreath form. You may enjoy adding colorful leaves you find on a nature walk or tracing your child’s hand onto a piece of paper and adding it to your wreath. Finish your wreath off with a bow and enjoy the results!
As adults, we don’t always understand things from a child’s perspective. This is particularly true when it comes to moving to a new home. We forget how hard it is to say goodbye to dear friends, familiar surroundings and comfortable routines. In the book, “Paper Planes,” by Jim Helmorea, Mia and Ben are best friends, who love to make paper airplanes. But when Ben and his family move away, Mia struggles with her feelings of sadness. At the same time, she wonders if Ben is lonely too. In “Bad Bye, Good Bye,” by Deborah Underwood, a young child uses rhyming words to express their feelings about moving: “Bad day, bad box, bad mop, bad blocks.”
Maybe it’s a bad case of the sniffles, a runny nose, a scratchy throat or a dreaded short-term fairytale curse? Either way, we’ve got some great reads to help your young ones navigate their sick day woes.
In this fun sick day classic from David Shannon, poor Camilla Cream is worried about pleasing everybody. Camilla loves lima beans, but she decides not to eat lima beans at school in case the other kids make fun of her. Once she makes this decision, Camilla suddenly comes down with a bad case of stripes. No one knows where it came from or how to cure it. As the case of stripes gets worse, Camilla is changing at every person’s suggestion. It cannot be stopped until Camilla decides to just be herself. Continue reading “Sick Day Picture Books”
Did you know thatour state lies on the ancestral landsof the Chickasaw nation, the Otoe-Missouria tribe, the Illini tribe, the Osage nation, the Ioway tribe and the Quapaw tribe? Because the federal government does not formally recognize any Native American communities currently living in Missouri, we often forget about this part of our state’s history and culture. It’s important to remember that this is the direct result of forced removal and violence at the hands of the U.S. government. Entire thriving nations were forcefully confined to reservations in neighboring states like Kansas and Oklahoma and stripped of their land, language, culture and most basic rights. Continue reading “Honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2021”
Based on the tune of, “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” this book invites kids to become monsters and snort / growl / smack / stomp / twitch / wiggle / roar with the other monsters! Continue reading “Not-So-Scary Monsters”
“Old MacDonald Had a Farm” was always a favorite with my kids, and now my grandkids like singing it too! Making animal sounds is so much fun. Want to learn all about farms and farm animals? Here are resources to share about the work it takes to run a farm. I’ve included some fun farm songs and hands-on activities too!Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Farms”
Finding a reason to celebrate each day can be a simple as a quick internet search. Today, November 18, we celebrate Apple Cider Day, National Rural Health Day, and, most importantly, National Princess Day!
This fun and easy project encourages small children to use their fine motor skills and creativity to make a small hanging to celebrate autumn. Small children can sort the leaves by color, shape or texture before attaching them to the paper wreath form. You may enjoy adding colorful leaves you find on a nature walk or tracing your child’s hand onto a piece of paper and adding it to your wreath. Finish your wreath off with a bow and enjoy the results!
