Ugh, I know it’s painful to admit, but summer is almost over! If you love the freedom of long summer days of no school, the transition to fall can be a bit of a challenge. But I, for one, love the approach of crisp autumn nights and the beautiful yellows, oranges and browns of the changing leaves. What is your favorite part about fall — the first days of school, hay rides, corn mazes, apple cider, falling leaves, haunted houses, Halloween, Thanksgiving? It always seems like the autumn months are packed full of so many different things and new experiences, so here are some books, songs, videos and an activity to help celebrate all of the colorful change that autumn brings. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Autumn”
What’s so great about boring old phonics? Well, it’s the reason you’re able to read this blog! Phonics are the building blocks upon which reading and writing are founded. If you want your kids to be able to “decode” new words, then they’re going to need to know all of the tricky nuances of the English language, and that’s where phonics comes in.
What exactly is phonics? Technically, it’s: “a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system.” But you know it as singing the ABC’s, identifying letters and rhyming words at home with your family. Maybe you remember sitting on a large rug in a kindergarten classroom and sounding out vowels and consonants. Perhaps you brought home tiny books that were 10 pages long with a few words on each page — “The fat cat sat on the mat.” Phonics are the hidden games we play to teach language and build a firm foundation for young readers. Continue reading “Fun With Phonics”
As summertime comes to an end and school starts back up, you may be wondering what’s next for your young learners.
The library offers WONDERFUL online resources to help with continued reading, learning and growing.
Below, I’ve highlighted four of my favorite online resources for kids that the library has to offer.
LOTE (Languages Other Than English) Online offers hundreds of animated stories in various languages. Listen to and read along with over 850 stories in more than 30 languages as well as English.
Brainfuse HelpNow provides live, online tutoring for elementary through college students in a variety of subjects, including writing and test prep.
TumbleBook Library has animated, talking picture books that add sound, music and narration to existing picture books in order to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you.
TumbleMath encourages kids to explore a collection of electronic math picture books that add sound, music and narration to create animated, talking picture books that you can read or have read to you.
Glasses are a just a regular part of life. In 2016, the CDC estimated that between 30 to 40 percent of children age 6 to 17 wears glasses or contact lenses. Unfortunately, your child’s first time getting glasses (or contacts) is not always an easy transition.
Need help introducing tiny readers to the idea of glasses or other vision problems? Try out some of these fun reads!
“Brewster the Rooster”
Written by Devin Scillian, illlustrated by Lee White
Brewster the Rooster is good at his job. Every morning, Brewster crows at the sun to wake the farm. People four farms away can hear him do his job he’s so good at it! However, when Brewster starts crowing throughout the day, at random times of the day, he begins to startle members of his family and the community. What’s gotten into him? Is he sick? Or is this young rooster in need of some spectacles to know what time of day it is? Continue reading “Eye Troubles for Tiny Readers”
So you know I always write about books that are coming out this month right? Well, publishers like to be ahead of things, so if you’re grumpy about my autumn books and 9/11 pick, blame the publishers! Just kidding, you don’t actually have to blame anyone, just enjoy being extra prepared with your new book options!
Picture Books
“Bartholomew and the Morning Monsters” written by Sophie Berger and illustrated by Ruan Van Vliet
Mornings can be hard, but they become even harder when mischievous monsters disrupt your routine. Bartholomew loves his nightly wild rumpus with his monster friends, but they all had so much fun that they decide to stay instead of leaving in the morning. From swallowed alarm clocks to tiny monsters hiding in his toothpaste tube, Bartholomew is confronted by chaos at every turn. As his morning breaks down and leaves him in tears, Dad is quick to step in with calm words and love. Little ones have big emotions that may seem to come out of nowhere, and I love the explanation of silly monsters. This book is a wonderful example of how to move forward after a bad morning, without ever becoming didactic. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: August Favorites 2021”
Full-time school is set to resume this fall. While this news may be exciting for some children, for others it’s a source of anxiety. Typical back to school jitters are compounded by unique uncertainties after a year of quarantines and social distancing. In fact, many children may be afraid to leave the safety of their homes.
According to Brandon Duft, child psychiatrist and head of Kaiser Permanente Northwest’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, transitions can be particularly challenging for young children, whose language skills and emotions are still developing. “You have to be patient and brave to reenter school and social circles. Social skills are skills like any other; people need to practice them or they can get rusty.” Continue reading “Transitioning Back to School”
While searching for books for my Barnyard Bands Virtual Activity Bundle, I discovered several eBooks about other performing animals. They include drumming monkeys, instrument-playing insects, dancing animals and even acting animals. I couldn’t resist creating another bundle, so enjoy the resources below all about animal antics. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Animal Antics”
Just because it’s 90 days from Halloween doesn’t mean you can’t dress up! Today marks the first day of our annual Cosplay Con. Dress up as your favorite character, be it superhero, anime, sci-fi or your own original persona! Fill out the form on Cosplay Contest web page. Submit your photos online by the August 9 deadline, and the winners will be announced August 16. This contest is for all ages, and we’ll award prizes for the best costumes and characterization in different age categories, so be ready to show off your cosplay game!
Don’t worry if you are stumped for costume ideas—we’ve got you covered. With just a few things you have around the house, you can be a superhero in no time. Avengers assemble…your supplies!
DIY Captain America Shield
Materials
- Paper plate
- Scissors
- White paper
- Duct tape
- Red and blue markers
Continue reading “Paper Plate Captain America Shield”
When we talk about living sustainably, we can cover a wide range of topics, including food production, alternative energies, environmental needs, housing and transportation. It is never too early to discuss these issues with children. In fact, our future may depend on it! Check out some of the resources and activities below to get started.
Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Sustainability”
Here is a fun DIY project you can do at home with a few craft supplies and an empty egg carton!
WHALE
Supplies:
- 1 egg carton
- 1/3 of a blue pipe cleaner
- 1/3 of a white pipe cleaner
- Blue paint
- Black paint
- Paint brush
- 2 googly eyes
- Scissors
- Glue
- Printed whale template
Continue reading “DIY Adorable Sea Creatures”