While summer is a time for swimming and playing outdoors, sometimes you just want to sit inside in the air conditioning! If you’re looking for a relaxing activity you can do inside with your kiddos, try weaving on an old CD. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a fun and relaxing way to spend some time. All you need is some yarn, a plastic darning needle and old or scratched CDs. Here’s the instructions — go forth and create! Continue reading “Weaving With CDs”
Last week, the Columbia Public Library hosted a lively group of kiddos and parents for our Play Dough-Palooza program. But don’t worry if you missed out on the fun! Using the printable dinner plate template, you and your little one can make a delicious play dough dinner, snack, or brunch. (It’s never too early to learn about the finer things in life.) For extra sensory sensations, you can even make your own scented play dough. See the recipe below. While it may be appealing to the eyes and nostrils, I wouldn’t recommend eating your creations, since you might surpass your sodium intake for the year.
What’s the best part about summer? More time to read! For school-age children in particular, these lazy, hazy days are ideal for diving into books that they may not get a chance to read during the school year. Summer is also a great time to explore award-winning books. Be sure to check out DBRL’s many children’s book lists for inspiration. Equally important, summer reading helps keep reading skills sharp!
Of course, for parents and guardians, the beautiful weather and plethora of outdoor activities can make reading a hard sell this time of year. But don’t dismay! We’re here to help.
First and foremost, beginning May 30, visit one of our DBRL branches or stop by a bookmobile, and sign up for our free “Libraries Rock!” Summer Reading program! Kids and teens who complete their reading challenge receive a free book and will also be entered into our drawing for some awesome prizes.
Live in a rural area? Children and teens in grades K-12 who attend school in Auxvase, Hallsville, Harrisburg, Hatton, Holts Summit, Kingdom City, Mokane New Bloomfield, Sturgeon or Williamsburg can participate in Summer Reading through our “Books by Snail” program.
On the second Monday of every month, we welcome therapy dogs to the Columbia Public Library for “Reading to Rover.” These trained and certified dogs listen happily as children Kindergarten age and older read books to them—and they might even roll over for tummy rubs! Dogs are very friendly listeners and never judge for mispronounced words.
If your child is working on English as a second language, this program is a great low-risk opportunity to practice reading aloud. It can even be a chance for kids who are nervous around dogs to meet calm dogs in a safe environment.
At “Reading to Rover,” we offer books for your children to choose from, and I like to select dog-themed books especially! Here’s a few of my favorite dog books that you might just see if you join us next time on May 14th, or any second Monday.
It’s finally spring! As warmer weather approaches, we can expect plenty of rain. Many people associate rain with long days stuck indoors, but encouraging kids to play out in the rain is a great way to keep them active and expand their imagination.
Are you looking to incorporate more STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) activities into your child’s life? Have them design and build boats out of aluminum foil, then race them down streams or see if they float in a puddle. Let your kids experiment with the shape of the boats to see which float the best. Then add twigs and little rocks to see how much weight each boat can carry. When you’re ready to warm up inside, you can read “Things That Float and Things That Don’t” by David Adler. This book is full of illustrations and simple definitions for complex subjects such as density and buoyancy.
For more nautical STEAM-inspired fun, be sure to sign up for the Wiggle-Bot Boats program at the Columbia Public Library on Monday, April 23. Kids age 8 and older will have the opportunity to design and build a motorized robot boat. And, even better, they get to keep their creations! Registration begins April 10.
Spring is here, which means lots of rainy days ahead. If your family is stuck inside during a downpour (and you’re not afraid of a bit of a mess) then try out this glitter slime recipe. This slime is super shiny, stretchy, squishy and sparkly! And it’s pretty easy to make, so include your kids in on the messy fun of creating this recipe.
What you need:
1/2 cup white glue (Clear works too!)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon saline solution
Food coloring and glitter
Bowl
Spoon
What you do:
Add glue to your bowl.
Add water to glue, and stir until they are combined.
Stir in the baking soda.
Add food coloring and glitter. (We used fine glitter. It doesn’t show up well in photos, but it looks really pretty up close!)
Add saline solution and stir vigorously to form the slime. This takes a few minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it starts bubbling and pulling up from the sides of the bowl.
Play! Explore the fun, sticky texture of the slime. It’s a bit messy, so wear clothes you don’t mind getting a little grubby. Store your slime in a baggie or reusable container.
It’s one thing to know that Daniel Boone Regional Library offers fantastic events and services. It’s another thing to know what makes them so special. Let me share a story with you.
5-month-old Rebekah, Nathana and Mitch Clay
My wife and I had just moved to Columbia, MO with our 5-month-old daughter. We had loved the libraries where we moved from and knew that we needed to check out DBRL whenever we had the chance. Our daughter had an attachment to books as soon as she made acquaintance with the world.
A random evening opened up for us, so we brought the whole family to a baby story time. That night, Paula (that evening’s story time leader) focused a theme around “noisy sounds.” We had a blast listening to the books and singing library classics such as “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom” and “Webster Waddles.” But then Paula got out some toys and everything changed. Continue reading “Why We Bring Our Children to Story Time”
We do lots of cool things at our library branches for kids, parents and caregivers. DBRL hosts hundreds of programs for kids every year — from story times to magic shows. We also continuously get new books and other new library materials for our youngest patrons.
To get the word out about the fun things we do and have here at the library, we have created a bimonthly Kids & Parents email newsletter. If you sign up, you’ll be the first to know about our library programs, resources and maybe even a few library secrets!
On February 1, the Southern Boone County Library hosted a stuffed animal sleepover for ten of our closest friends. Everyone got along really well, but some of our group got a little mischievous! A couple of our furry pals learned that the photocopier is not the most efficient way to take a selfie and had to go to time out. Some of the stuffed animals read books while others took turns on the iPads. They also played games and had snacks, though the beaver preferred chewing on pencils to popcorn. After everyone got a sip of water, it was off to bed and sweet dreams!
This past fall, theColumbia Public Library hosted its sixth season of the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Awards program. Youth in grades 4-8 were invited to join us twice per month to discuss possible Newbery Medalcontenders for 2018. At these interactive sessions, we discussed six Newbery contender books, and participants were able to defend the book that they felt deserved the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Award.
While summer is a time for swimming and playing outdoors, sometimes you just want to sit inside in the air conditioning! If you’re looking for a relaxing activity you can do inside with your kiddos, try weaving on an old CD. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a fun and relaxing way to spend some time. All you need is some yarn, a plastic darning needle and old or scratched CDs. Here’s the instructions — go forth and create! Continue reading “Weaving With CDs”
On the second Monday of every month, we welcome therapy dogs to the Columbia Public Library for “Reading to Rover.” These trained and certified dogs listen happily as children Kindergarten age and older read books to them—and they might even roll over for tummy rubs! Dogs are very friendly listeners and never judge for mispronounced words.
If your child is working on English as a second language, this program is a great low-risk opportunity to practice reading aloud. It can even be a chance for kids who are nervous around dogs to meet calm dogs in a safe environment.
What you need:
Stir in the baking soda.
