The weather is warmer and school is winding down, which can only mean one thing–Summer Reading is here! Start your summer off right with some out of this world entertainment! We are excited to bring children’s musician Justin Roberts to the Missouri Theater and storyteller Linda Gorham to all of our library buildings. Bonus: Attending one or both of these performances can count toward your completion of the Summer Reading program.
Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players
Saturday, June 1, 2019 › 11 a.m.-Noon
Missouri Theatre, 203 S. 9th St.
Rock out to the music of this award-winning band as we kick off Summer Reading. This former Montessori preschool teacher began writing and singing songs for his students. Soon, his career extended beyond the classroom, and he began recording his music professionally. Now a two-time Grammy nominee, he and his band sing about childhood experiences like “Recess” and “Jungle Gym.”
For ADA accommodations, call the Missouri Theatre at (573) 882-3781. For other concert questions, email kids@dbrl.org. This special Justin Roberts performance is partially funded by the Melissa Carr Literacy Through the Arts Fund established by the DBRL Foundation.
This show is for fans of all ages and abilities. Free tickets are available at www.dbrl.org/justinroberts.
Continue reading “Out of This World Performances”
DBRL and the Stephens Lake Amphitheater Concert Series are pleased to present Jim Cosgrove & The Hiccups on Thursday, May 2 from 6-7 pm. The event, which will be held at the Stephens Lake Park Amphitheater at 100 Old Hwy 63, is for families and children of all ages.
Affectionately known as “Mr. Stinky Feet” by his fans, Cosgrove has performed over 3500 shows throughout both North America and Europe. Upbeat and interactive, Cosgrove’s shows are truly a family affair. His wife, Jeni, manages the business, while their two daughters serve as the road crew and sometimes appear with their father on stage.
An award-winning musician and performer, Cosgrove is also a motivational speaker and the author of “Everybody Gets Stinky Feet,” a collection of essays compiled from a parenting column he wrote for the Kansas City Star. Together, Jim and Jeni co-founded Jiggle Jam, once billed as the nation’s largest independent family music festival from 2007-2013.
Continue reading “Jim Cosgrove and The Hiccups Concert!”
In “Sarabella’s Thinking Cap,” the main character has trouble focusing in school. Her head is so full of fantastic thoughts–pandas in flower pots and bears riding bicycles–that Sarabella can’t really concentrate on math. When her teacher asks the class to draw a picture of their favorite daydreams, she becomes inspired. Instead of drawing a single picture, she creates a thinking cap, a paper bag hat covered with illustrations of all the beautiful thoughts in her head.
Following Sarabella’s example, we’re going to make our own thinking caps at the library! Join us as we create extravagant hats and wear our thoughts on the outside of our heads.
This program will be held at the Columbia Public Library on Thursday, April 25 from 4-5:30 p.m., and it’s for ages 5-12. Registration begins on Tuesday, April 16, so stop by the Children’s Desk to sign up or give us a call at (573) 443-3161.
The Unbound Book Festival will return to downtown Columbia for its fourth year! The children’s venue has been generously funded in part by the Friends of the Columbia Public Library. Join us on Saturday, April 20 at the Warehouse Theatre on Stephens College’s campus as we celebrate some of today’s best and brightest children’s authors.
Download a complete schedule of Unbound children’s events and a campus map. This festival is FREE and open to all lovers of children’s literature, no matter your age!
9:30 a.m.
The Singing Princesses
Sing along with princesses Elsa, Anna, Cinderella and Belle. The princesses are part of the TRYPS Children’s Theatre Institute at Stephens College.
Continue reading “Unbound Children’s Events”
For some, spring break means traveling to see exotic animals or taking in some great art and culture. But, did you know you can do all these things and more at your local public library? Check out next week’s line-up of amazing programs for you and your family. Registration is not required for these events.
For Families
Flights of Fancy With Jay and Leslie’s Laughing Matters
Jay and Leslie Cady are award-winning professional entertainers with more than 6,000 performances under their belts. These students of famed mime Marcel Marceau have been twice nominated for Best of Kansas City Theater awards and won the Lighton Prize in 2010 for excellence as teaching artists. At this summer reading preview, enjoy juggling, stories, orbits and more bits to tickle your funny bone. High-flying fun at your library? You can plan on it! Families, ages 4 and older.
Continue reading “Spring Break Preview”
Several months ago, I wrote a blog post wherein I highlighted several podcasts for kids and their families to enjoy. Shortly after it was published, I was contacted by “Book Club for Kids” a podcast book club for kids by kids.
“Book Club for Kids” encourages children from across the nation to read and review middle grade books. They then share their impressions with public radio journalist Kitty Felde. In November, several participants from our Heavy Medal: Mock Newbery book club shared their favorite contenders from 2018. Listen to our special episode below!
Calling all kid writers! If you are in grades K-3 and love to write, KMOS TV is looking for original works for their 2019 Kids Writers Contest. The deadline is March 15, and finalists will be announced April 15.
A work can be fact, fiction, prose or poetry, and all stories must have at least five original illustrations. Be sure to look at the official rules for the all the details before you submit your entry form!
Did you know the library has books to help aspiring authors brainstorm ideas? Check out our list of books to help you get started. Good luck!
Valentine’s Day is coming up this week, and that means candy everywhere! If your child is hyped up on sugar, why not let them smash some hearts to burn off steam? You may have heard that the Sweethearts conversation heart candy won’t be around this year, but don’t worry! We can smash the off-brand.
For this activity, obtain some candy conversation hearts. Next, you’ll need a nutcracker and a large tray to work on. After instructing your kiddo about how to safely use the nutcracker (little fingers need to be careful), let them use those fine motor skills to place a candy heart in the nutcracker. Now they just squeeze down, strengthening their hands and crushing the candy heart with a satisfying crunch! Before they do the next one, take a moment to predict how many pieces it will break into. Then count the pieces afterward, to see how accurate the guesses were. Now your child is not only having fun with destruction, they are also practicing math skills!
The candy hearts themselves offer an opportunity for literacy skills, as your child can recognize letters and tell you the sounds they make. If you’re working on colors, have your child sort the hearts by color before commencing the crushing. Thanks to Mary Catherine at Fun-A-Day blog for the idea.
If you want more Valentine’s Day destruction, check out these baked cotton ball hearts that you get to smash with a hammer!
These colder temperatures have me reminiscing about growing up in the north. One of my favorite activities during the frigid afternoons was digging into an “I Spy” or “Where’s Waldo” book. Remember getting lost in a world of marbles, toy cars and googly eyes? If this brings warm memories to mind, then you might enjoy checking out other search-and-find books. Search-and-find books ask you to locate specific objects or people amidst a crowded scene. They are great for any age and can be a fun family activity that promotes reading!
The library has a variety of search-and-find books that cater to the interests of any reader. Here’s a list of some of our lesser-known search-and-finds for you to browse. Not only will kids love the pictures, but they will practice early literacy skills such as scanning pages, building vocabulary and decoding symbols. It is also a great way to further develop observation skills as you explore detailed illustrations of fantastical worlds, animal habitats and castles from long ago.
Photo credit: I Spy-Shadows by CliffMuller via Flickr.
