For many, summer wouldn’t be summer without a family camping trip. From sleeping in the great outdoors to s’mores around a campfire, camping is the ultimate get-away-from-it-all vacation! And after months of quarantine, nothing sounds better, right? But is it okay to camp?
For now, the jury is still out regarding the safety of a lot of activities. A recent article, authored by four public health specialists, rated 36 activities by their estimated level of COVID-19 infection risk. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest risk level, camping rated a 3. To put this in perspective, attending a large concert is rated at a 9, whereas gyms, amusement parks and churches come in at a level 8. Continue reading “Camping in the Age of COVID-19”
Running out of ways to entertain your kids this summer? Then let’s get magical! It’s so fun for kids when someone knows exactly which card they’ve picked from a deck or pulls a quarter from behind their ear.
Magic isn’t just for the professionals; Kids can learn the mechanics and science of magic tricks too. Try out this book list to get started on your family’s magical adventures! Below are a few of my favorites.
“Children’s Book of Magic” by DK Publishers
In addition to an introduction to magic from ancient times to the present, this book explores the different types of magic, magicians and tricks using archival illustrations as well as photographs. Twenty different tricks are explained along with their history. These include the secrets of sleight of hand and the mysteries of misdirection. This book will have answers for even the most magic obsessed child. Continue reading “Polish Your Magic Skills and Put on a Show!”
Summer reading is in full swing, and I’m here with some awesome suggestions for you! Since the library is partially reopened again and we are still doing curbside pickup, I chose to highlight physical books I’ve bought recently. But if you enjoy reading things digitally, never fear! I’m still buying all kinds of exciting ebooks and audiobooks for OverDrive.
Picture Books
“The Hidden Rainbow” written and illustrated by Christie Matheson
The sweetest story time I ever did was with a small group of toddlers and Matheson’s “Tap the Magic Tree.” Interactive read-alouds are my favorite, and I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. Gardening! Counting! Colors! This book has so much to offer. Little ones will help brush snow off flowers, blow away raindrops and encourage the bees as they go about their vital business of pollination. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: July Favorites 2020”
“5…4…3…2…1…blast off!” That’s the start of the song “Rocketship Run” by Laurie Berkner, a hit with kids and parents. Kids love to count! Backwards, forwards; it’s all fun. Numbers are everywhere in our daily lives.
I frequently hear questions like these from my grandkids:
- “How many cookies may I have?”
- “How many toy cars do you think I can I line up across the table?”
- “How many cups can I stack before it all falls down?
I love getting these kinds of questions, because they are a great learning opportunity and can make math fun. If you and your child want to play with numbers, check out the resources and activities below. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Counting”
Do you have a middle grader or teen who struggles with reading? This can be difficult, because this age group doesn’t want to read “little kid” books, but they still need to build up their reading skills. A great alternative for them could be high interest, low level books.
What are high-interest, low-level books?
High interest, low level books (hi-lo, hi/low, etc.) are books that typically appeal to struggling readers. High interest means that the books often have suitable content for middle graders and teens, but low level means that they have a lower difficulty level. Continue reading “Books for Struggling Readers”
Have you ever wanted to run away from home? And where would you go if you ran away? In E.L. Konigsburg’s classic children’s novel, “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” the protagonist, twelve-year-old Claudia, feeling under-appreciated by her parents, decides to run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Claudia takes her younger brother Jamie along with her. After the initial fun of being away from home subsides, the two of them get caught up in solving a mystery—the unknown identity of the sculptor of a beautiful angel statue recently purchased from the collection of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a woman who will change the siblings’ lives dramatically. Continue reading “Author Spotlight: E.L. Konigsburg”
Quirky books like “Guinness book of World Records: Biggest and Smaller!” “Strange But True” and “Ripleys Believe It or Not: Eye-popping Oddities” are titles that typically fly off the shelves in the children’s section of the library. But what is it about weird and fascinating facts that appeal to children?
Children see the the world through a wide lens—one without boundaries and limitations—where anything and everything is possible. When children are exposed to new things, this elicits a sense of wonder, or a feeling of awe. According to David Delgado, co-founder of the Museum of Awe, this feeling is “like magic, amazement, mystery, reverence. It’s the moment when we realize it’s a gift and privilege to be alive.”
Encourage this feeling of awe with your own children by urging them to ask questions, learn about unique things and seek out new experiences!
DBRL has a wide variety of books about weird and fascinating subjects that your children will love.
Nearly a year ago now, I posted a book list called “LGBT Picture Books for Kids (That Adults Also Enjoy).”
There were several reasons I created the list:
- MidMO PrideFest was coming up in Columbia
- The youth services team didn’t yet have a list that dealt with LGBT+ picture books
- June is when we remember the Stonewall Riots
- I fell in love with the “Red” book by Michael Hall
- So many reasons!
What I did not expect was the love that poured out from everywhere!
When I first started the LGBT picture book list, I had around 30 books. I asked some staff members, brought in a few of my favorites, read some reviews and did solid amount of research for my list. As of right now, that original list has tripled in size, and it is still growing as we add titles that we receive from our Facebook page, purchase requests, teacher requests and more! My inbox has been flooded with wonderful books recommended by community members. As I get them and read them, I have been adding to this list.
So, one year later, I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who built this list with me!
I also want to showcase some of the new titles I’ve received that I absolutely loved and hope will continue to entertain young readers in our community.
“Maiden & Princess” written by Daniel Haack, illustrated by Becca Human
The kingdom is holding a ball for the crown prince to find a bride. The villagers are thrilled and begin planning immediately. However, one maiden isn’t as excited. She sees the prince as her brother, someone she has fought alongside. The other villagers see this as her opportunity to become his bride. She goes to the ball, hoping to enjoy herself, but finds others pressuring her to dance with the prince. The young maiden escapes and finds herself being comforted by the kingdom’s princess. Continue reading “LBGT+ Picture Books for Kids”
Today is a very exciting day—it’s the first day of Summer Reading! This year’s Summer Reading theme is “Imagine Your Story.” It’s all about fantastic fantasy, fables and fairy tales. If your kids love magical tales, then we’ve got some amazing reading suggestions for them.
The more you read, the quicker you’ll finish Summer Reading and get your reward!
For more information on our Summer Reading program this year, check out our Summer Reading 2020 page.
My grandkids love to build things—they’re young engineers in the making! I keep boxes, paper tubes and empty food containers (like oatmeal cartons and potato chip cans) in a big plastic tub. When they visit, my grandkids love to go through it and figure out something they can create. The most recent creation is a fairy town. (Scroll to the bottom of the page to see what they made!)
If you have a child who loves to imagine, build and create, then try out these fantastic resources on engineering! Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Engineering”
