Believe it or not, June 28th is National Paul Bunyan Day. (Yes, there really is a day for everything!) If you’re unaware, Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe are legendary folktale heroes, first mentioned in print in 1904. Throughout the following century, the tales grew taller. Some of my favorite accounts of Mr. Bunyan include him requiring five gigantic storks to carry him to his parents, the creation of the Grand Canyon and Babe digging out the many lakes of Michigan.
Reading Paul Bunyan stories with your children is a a great way to spark their imaginations. The tales are wholesome and full of pure Americana. Here’s a few books we have in our catalog. As you read them, make sure to keep track of your time with your Summer Reading trackers!
Below are three of my favorite Paul Bunyan books for kids.
- “Paul Bunyan’s Sweetheart” by Marybeth Lorbiecki
Paul restores Michigan’s natural landscape in hopes of winning Lucette Diana Kensack’s heart.
The great outdoors is officially open! Time to jump into all those warm weather activities you and your family have been dreaming of for the past several months, right? Then again, what if your child is dreading their first swim lesson or struggling to ride their bike? Do you really know the official rules for sports such as four square, soccer or softball?
Don’t panic. You simply need to brush up on some of your summertime fun skills. Fortunately, DBRL offers a wide variety of books to help your family make a real splash this summer!
For instance, when it comes to helping your child master that two-wheeler, look no further than “Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle” by Christopher Raschka. This story features a father teaching his daughter about bicycle riding, covering everything from selecting the right bike to never giving up.
Calm your little one’s swimming jitters by reading “Maisy Learns to Swim” by Lucy Cousins or “Froggy Learns to Swim” by Jonathan London. Refresh your own aquatic safety skills with the book, “Learn to Swim Step-by-step: Water Confidence and Safety Skills for Babies and Young Children.”
Want to avoid (at least a few) squabbles this summer? Review the rules of traditional playground games and activities. Check out “The Kingfisher Playtime Treasury: A collection of Playground Rhymes, Games and Action Songs” for singing and dancing games, as well as ball-bouncing rhymes. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about jumping rope by reading “Jump Rope” by Dana Meachen Rau. For the rules for more than 250 games and sports, pick up “Hopscotch, Hangman, Hot Potato and Ha, Ha, Ha” by Jack Maguire.
Finally, so you don’t drop the ball on team sports, pick up a few tips from books like these!
Computer programming helps kids cultivate creativity and problem-solving skills while strengthening their ability to apply scientific thinking. To help youth enhance their coding skills in a fun and collaborative environment, the Columbia Public Library is hosting five sessions of “Coding Lab” later this month.
Youth will code their own robot or video game using visual programming. Instead of manually typing complex commands, kids can drag and drop graphical buttons to create a sequence of commands. This approach is far more intuitive for new coders.
“Coding Lab” attendees choose among several learning stations that feature our newest tech toys such as littleBits, Osmo, LEGO MINDSTORMS, Cubelets and more! This program is for those ages 10 and up. To register, call (573) 443-3161.
The library carries many titles to teach yourself computer programming, including these great books for kids:
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”
Need some travel tunes while you’re vacationing this summer? Or perhaps you want some kid-friendly commercial-free music to play for a celebration? Then check out Freegal, a free music service provided by DBRL. To get you started, Freegal has created two awesome playlists to go with our 2018 Summer Reading theme, “Libraries Rock.” Check out the playlist for kids or 
the playlist for pre-teens.
Freegal also has music for teens and adults, offering more than 9 million songs and music from over 28,000 labels. Download up to 5 songs a week and stream up to 5 hours of music a day with your library card.
Happy listening!
Most people have been influenced by music, whether it be classical, folk, pop, hip-hop or rock. Kids love to clap along and sing to their favorite tunes. So why not encourage them to participate in the music and learn how to play an instrument?
Learning how to play an instrument offers many benefits, and it can be super fun! Playing a musical instrument can–
- Help with expression.
- Enhance self-esteem and responsibility.
- Increase math and reading comprehension skills.
- Require the interpretation of symbols in order to play the correct notes at the right time. The developing brain craves this type of workout!
Your child could learn how to play the piano, trombone, cello, the didgeridoo or even a homemade instrument. If you are looking for a DIY instrument, “Music Makers & Toys” has instructions for creating tambourines, box guitars and a kazoo.
“My First Classical Music Book” by Genevieve Helsby teaches kids where music is heard, who writes it and what the instruments sound like. The book even comes with a CD that has classical songs from the Harry Potter films to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6.
For the younger kids, “Music Is…” by Brandon Stosuy is a beautifully illustrated board book that introduces the most simple concepts of music.
For more information on the amazing benefits of music you can visit the Peterson Family Foundation website. And be sure to look for all of the upcoming music-related DBRL events for our “Libraries Rock!” Summer Reading Program!
Kanopy has been a great resource for library patrons when it comes to educational media, including documentaries, international movies and critically acclaimed independent films. Recently, however, Kanopy has expanded towards our younger audiences, creating Kanopy Kids!
“You’ll find hundreds of educational and enriching videos that help children develop empathy, mindfulness, and self-esteem, with more titles added every month.”-Kanopy Website
Kanopy has partnered with Common Sense Media to ensure that all programming is accurately rated and categorized. This helps kids and their parents find shows and movies that are appropriate for their development level. Library patrons get six free downloads a month, so get watching!
Summer is but a breath away. Your children know it, and somewhere deep down (even through all the denial) you do too. How do you prepare your kiddos for the long summer days? You can start a list of amazing brand new books to read with them! Here’s just a few new books coming to the library soon.
“Nothing Stopped Sophie” by Cheryl Bardoe and Barbara McClintock
Nothing stopped Sophie Germain. Not her parents who tried to get her to sleep. Not her professors who couldn’t imagine that a girl could calculate like the boys could. Not even an unsolvable math problem could stop Sophie. This children’s biography is perfect for keeping your kiddos motivated to learn through the summer.
“My Feelings and Me” by Holde Kreul
Sometimes emotions flair up as hot as the summer sun. Sometimes they’re as chill as winter. “My Feelings and Me” is a fantastic discussion starter about feelings, without the labels of “good” or “bad.” With beautiful art, this book could help navigate some of those long hot days in your home.
“Llama Llama Loves to Read” by Anna Dewdney and Reed Duncan
A whole new world opens up for Llama Llama as he learns the alphabet. And he can’t wait to show his Mama Llama I’ll bet!
Click here to see an entire list of new children’s books coming soon. Put them on hold to make sure you don’t miss them once they hit our shelves. And don’t forget to check in with us as Summer Reading starts May 30th!
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.
Continue reading “Play Dough-Palooza Recap”
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.
Continue reading “Summer Reading Rocks!”
