Wag your tails and put your paws in the air—August 26th is National Dog Day! This special day of celebration was created to honor dogs for all that they do for us. Beyond the sweet snuggles and slobbery kisses, dogs help humans out in countless ways. From watch dogs who guard and keep us safe to service dogs who lead and assist people with special needs, there’s no end to the love and companionship dogs provide us. Sometimes dogs even need our help too. Rescuing a dog from a troubled situation and providing a loving home is a great way to spread love and joy.
To help with the celebration, check out some of the great reads the library has to offer.
“Operation Rescue Dog” by Maria Gianferrari
Seven-year-old Alma, lonely and desperately missing her mother, decides to get a dog as a surprise for Mami’s return. Not only does she find a puppy that needs rescuing, but she also discovers that the pup rescues her in return.
“Search and Rescue Dogs on the Job” by Mirella S. Miller
This book describes the awesome work search and rescue dogs do. It goes into what makes a good search and rescue dog and all the different places they work.
“Lucky Dog: Twelve Tales of Rescued Dogs” by Kirby Larson
This chapter book is a collection of stories about the Pawley Rescue Center, where rescued dogs find their way into hearts and homes.
“Craig & Fred: A marine, A Stray Dog, and How They Rescued Each Other” by Craig Grossi
”Craig and Fred” tells the uplifting true story of a U.S. Marine, the stray dog he met on an Afghan battlefield, and how they saved each other and now travel America spreading a positive message.
“When You Wander: A Search-and-Rescue Dog Story” by Margarita Engle
A dog that has just graduated from “sniffing school” advises readers what to do if they become lost in the woods; he assures them that his smart nose will lead him to where they are. “When You Wonder” also includes lots of cool facts about dogs’ noses!
In 1973, the United States passed the Endangered Species Act ”to provide a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats.” According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an endangered species “is one that meets any one of the following criteria: a 50–70 percent population decrease over 10 years, a total geographic area less than 5,000 km2 (or local population area less than 500 km2), a population size less than 2,500 adults, a restricted population of 250 adults or a statistical prediction that it will go extinct within the next 20 years.”
Why should human beings be concerned about vanishing species?
First, individual species do not live in vacuums, but rather as part of unique communities known as ecosystems. As such, the struggles of one species can profoundly impact the rest. Further, like dominoes, ecosystems impact one other. Ultimately, we are all affected. According to the Endangered Species Coalition, “Humans depend on healthy ecosystems to purify our environment. Without healthy forests, grasslands, rivers, oceans and other ecosystems, we will not have clean air, water or land. If we allow our environment to become contaminated, we risk our own health.”
In her book, “Don’t Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe,” author Chelsea Clinton profiles 12 of today’s endangered species. This title, beautifully illustrated by Gianna Marino, is an informative read that includes a “What can you do?” section for those looking for ways to help endangered and threatened species.
DBRL carries a wide variety of books on this subject. Here are just a few!
Summer Reading is over, but that’s no reason to leave behind all the fun you can have with an outer space theme! Just last month was the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, so why not celebrate with these moon landing activities?
Blast Off Collage
Try making this blast off collage with your little ones. You’ll need the following supplies:
- Rocket on any color paper (You can use the template on page 4 of this file)
- Black paper
- Tissue paper (various night sky and fire colors)
- Glue sticks
- Star stickers (optional)
- Markers or crayons
After coloring and cutting out the rocket from the template, set it aside and prepare your night sky background. Tear up bits of tissue paper (that’s the extra fun part!) and glue them on the black paper to give texture to the sky. Try using blues and purples for the sky, and save orange and red for the rocket. If you have star stickers, add them to the sky as well! Then glue the rocket onto the black paper, and add some flame colored tissue paper to the bottom of the rocket. We have liftoff!
Moon Sand
Now that you have a rocket, it’s time to create a moon surface to land on. Little astronauts will delight in playing with this extremely soft moon sand! You’ll need the following:
- 4 cups flour
- ½ cup baby oil
- Large bowl
- Spoon (optional)
- Large bin or tray
- Toy cars or people (optional)
Using your hands or a spoon, mix the flour and baby oil together in a bowl to make moon sand. Double the recipe if you want more sand to enjoy. Spread out the moon sand in a large bin, and invite the kids to play! (For easy cleanup, set up this activity on a tarp or old sheet.) Toss in some toy people or cars, and your little ones can reenact the moon landing or start the first lunar colonization attempt. Let them lead the play, and see where their imaginations take you!
One of my favorite events is coming up in Columbia! On Saturday, August 24, MidMO PrideFest will be kicking up a glitter storm down at the Rose Music Hall.
While June is traditionally set aside as Pride Month to honor the Stonewall Riots, residents of Mid-Missouri are lucky enough to celebrate Pride twice. This family-friendly event celebrates the LGBT+ community and their allies. The event includes fun vendors, information booths and live performances. Continue reading “LGBT+ Picture Books for Kids (That Adults Also Enjoy)”
This summer has flown by! How is it already August? But have no fear, there’s still some time before the kids head back to school. If you’re planning a family vacation or staycation to wrap up your summer, then check out these books to prepare your kids and build excitement for the upcoming adventure!
“Hattie and Hudson
” by Chris Van Dusen
Hattie enjoys a day at the lake and makes an unexpected friend. Next time you’re at the lake, you might just wonder what magic lay beneath the surface.
“Chu’s Day at the Beach” by Neil Gaiman and Adam Rex
Follow Chu and his family on their trip to the beach! All goes awry when Chu has a big sneeze and breaks the sea. Will he and the other beachgoers be able to fix it?
“Fergus Barnaby Goes on Vacation
” by David Barrow
Packing is my least favorite part of vacation. I always forget something. Fergus also has a hard time and must run around his apartment building gathering the items he needs for his trip.
“Harry and Clare’s Amazing Staycation” by Ted Staunton
Staying home can sometimes take you the farthest distance. Harry and Clare use their imaginations to travel to Mars and fight pirates, all while navigating sibling dynamics.
“Arthur’s Family Vacation” by Marc Brown
Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and that’s ok! See how Arthur learns to make the best of a bad situation.
You can check out these and the following titles about vacation at your local DBRL branch:
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
We all know the truth in the old adage, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” The great triumph isn’t in arriving at the park with your child; it is in smelling the flowers in the neighbor’s garden, seeing a bluebird’s nest and hearing the wind rustling in the trees. The same principle applies whenever we make art with children. This is called process art! The Museum of Contemporary Art says that “in process art, the means count for more than the ends.” Children learn more through play and experimentation than coloring inside the lines and making cookie-cutter crafts. Below are some fun ideas you can try at home to begin incorporating process art into your child’s play time!
Infants:
Squeeze two paint colors inside of a ziplock bag, gently roll out the extra air, and seal it tight. Duct Tape the top, and then let your little one explore the bag. Your infant will enjoy watching the colors combine as they squish the bag with their hands and feet. (Realistically, they’ll also explore them with their little mouths, so keep a close eye on them!)
Older Infants:
When your little one begins to cruise and walk, take the ziplock painting and tape it to a low window! They’ll use their legs and core to hold themselves up as they combine colors with the light pouring in behind the ziplock bag.
Toddlers:
There’s lots of nontoxic and washable paint on the market, but one of my favorite art activities with toddlers is yogurt painting! Lay out a tarp outside in the shade, put a variety of flavors in small cups, and let your little artists have fun! They’ll explore color, texture and scents. (And let’s be honest, they’ll take a taste too.)
Preschoolers:
Let your preschooler create with a tried and true classic—bathtub paint. They can spread it on their feet, hands, the bathtub, rubber ducky and the walls, and then scrub it all off at the end of bathtime. This is a great incentive to get reluctant bathers in the tub, and the cleanup is so easy!
Want to extend the fun? Come join us at our upcoming program “Painting Without Brushes” at the Columbia Public Library where toddlers and preschoolers will be using an assortment of non-traditional mediums to create open ended art. To register, please call 573-817-7160.
Painting Without Brushes
New shoes? Check! Fresh pack of crayons? Check! Books to help your future preschooler or kindergartener transition into school…? Fear not! Your local library has you covered. We have done the work for you and compiled a list of books perfect for your new student-to-be. (Here’s a PDF if you want to print it!) Below I have highlighted a few of my personal favorite back to school books to share with your kiddos.
“Kindergarten is COOL!” by Linda Elovitz Marshall
Whether it’s early-morning jitters or becoming familiar with new classroom routines, this sweet and bouncy story will have expectant kindergarteners saying, “Kindergarten is cool!”`
“K is for Kindergarten” by Erin Dealey
Here comes kindergarten! Whether your little reader is gearing up for the first day of school or making their way through the school year, “K is for Kindergarten” will help guide them with silly rhymes and fun activities from A to Z.
“Pete the Kitty’s First Day of Preschool” by Kimberly & James Dean
It’s a big day for Pete the Kitty; it’s his first day of preschool! He meets his cool teacher, sings a few fun songs and even 
gets to paint. Who knew preschool could be so much fun?
“It’s the First Day of Preschool, Chloe Zoe!” by Jane Smith
Chloe Zoe is starting preschool today, but she’s a little nervous. What if she doesn’t like it? Mommy tells her that she will get to do lots of cool activities, but Chloe Zoe isn’t so sure. She’d rather stay at home and play with her little sister. Will Chloe Zoe discover how fun preschool is before the day is over?
Merriam Webster defines the term hobby as “a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation.” But when it comes to children, this definition seems too limited. This is because new and different experiences are fundamental to helping children learn about themselves and the world around them, whether they are collecting rocks or participating in sports.
According to the Child Development Institute, hobbies “teach children to set and achieve goals, solve problems and make decisions.” Hobbies open doors to meeting others with similar interests. Further, childhood hobbies can lead to future careers. For instance, a child is interested in the weather may become a meteorologist. A child who enjoys bird watching might pursue ornithology. Or, if they are fascinated by outer space, your child might become an astronaut!
If you and your child are looking for some new and exciting hobby options, DBRL offers a wide variety of books to get you started. Here are just a few, which are guaranteed to spark some interest.
Recently we had a sensory program at the library for little ones birth to three years old. To fit with Summer Reading, we made everything outer space themed! You can try recreating these at home, or go in your own direction.
Constellation Box
This station was very popular with some of our youngest participants! Babies loved laying on the soft blanket and looking up at the ‘stars.’ To make this, we found a large box and grabbed a string of Christmas lights. After reinforcing the edges of the box with duct tape, we poked holes in the cardboard so we could stick individual lights through. You could create specific constellations, or just fill the space with the lights like we did. Creating the box will take a little time, but it’s well worth the effort!
Asteroid Field Ball Pit
In Star Wars, Han Solo tells C-3PO to never tell him the odds of surviving an asteroid field. Our asteroid field is much more safe! Toss some balls of various sizes into a plastic pool to contain them, and with a little imagination, you’ve got your very own asteroid field. We threw in some pieces of foil blanket for some extra texture, and little ones were delighted. Not only are the asteroid balls fun to play with, they’re a great way to improve motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination if you take turns rolling them to each other.
Hubble Telescope Light Board Art
For this station, we were inspired by images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. We glued stars onto overhead transparencies, then placed them on a light board. Little ones put different colors of cellophane on the light board and had fun layering them to make new color combinations. The results were beautiful!
Galaxy Calming Bottles
We love sensory bottles, and these were no exception. We used Voss water bottles, but you can use whatever you like as long as it’s sturdy and you can seal it. To stick with our outer space theme, we made one night sky bottle, one inspired by the sun, and one glow in the dark. To make the night and sun ones, we used baby oil, candy coloring dye, lots of glitter and some star-shaped confetti. The glow in the dark bottle is just glow in the dark glue and hot water. Continue reading “Sensory Space Activities”
Space has been the inspiration and setting for many fictional stages. Authors like Orson Scott Card, H. G. Wells, George Lucas, and Jason Fry have dazzled us with their out of this world narratives of aliens and space adventure. Each fictional world creates its own idea of the strange and interesting things that might be going on in our universe. However, sometimes the facts can be stranger than fiction!
Reading nonfiction with your child can be just as fun as reading fiction, and it’s a good way to introduce young minds to the world around them. It’s never too early to share nonfiction books with young readers! You can get started with some great nonfiction based on this year’s Summer’s Reading program “A Universe of Stories.” Below is just a suggested list. If the text seems too complex, read what you’d like from it and just talk about the pictures with your child. In this way, nonfiction books for all ages can be shared as a family.
Books for babies and toddlers
Continue reading “Stranger Than Fiction: A Universe of Facts”
