On April 22, Boone and Callaway Counties celebrate Earth Day.
For Americans, Earth Day started as a way to spark action and awareness regarding the global impacts of climate change. Earth Day continues with a focus on activities that individuals can do at home or in their communities to help the environment.
Traditionally, for Boone and Callaway Counties, Earth Day usually involves an amazing Columbia Area Earth Day Festival, with thousands of visitors and hundreds of vendors. This year, the Columbia Earth Day Coalition has put together a series of events to assist with social distancing.
I’ve noted some events below, but check out their website for the full schedule.
The Earth, the Sun, the Art!
Time: Thursday, April 22 from 3-7 p.m.
Location: Logboat Brewing Company
Connect with solar vendors and make community art. Continue reading “Earth Day Celebrations!”
National Banana Day
To begin with, let’s talk nutrition. Bananas are a great source of fiber, potassium and vitamins. Whereas, Banana peels are utilized in everything from animal feed to biochemical production, perhaps the banana peel is better known as a comedic prop. Dating back until at least 1854, banana peel slipping gags have been comedy staples, becoming even more popular as the fruit became more readily available.
Celebrate National Banana Day by trying a new recipe, such as yummy Pan Fried Cinnamon Bananas.
Continue reading “Crazy Calendar Celebrations on Tax Day”
Dinosaurs are fascinating to all ages. It still amazes me how often a small child can tell you exactly what kind of dinosaur is in a picture. And new dinosaur bones and information are being discovered every year. I find it mind-boggling that birds are the descendants of dinosaurs. (When I was growing up, we thought all dinosaurs were related to reptiles.)
Here are some fun resources to share with your dinosaur-loving child. Who knows, you might even learn something new too! Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Dinosaurs”
I adore April (probably because it’s my birthday month!), and I’ve got some fantastic books to celebrate.
Picture Books
“No Pants!” by Jacob Grant
Pablo and his father are preparing to go to a birthday party. All is going well, until Pablo is asked to put on his pants. In a reply familiar to parents of toddlers everywhere, Pablo declares, “NO PANTS!” His patient father explains the benefits and history of pants, pointing out different types of pants around the world, even in space. This battle of wills between a loving father and son is realistic and hilarious, and little ones will appreciate Pablo’s eventual vindication in the final plot twist.
Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: April Favorites 2021”
Spring is in the air! Buds are a blooming, bees are buzzing and kitchens everywhere are smelling like…vinegar? Wait, vinegar? That’s right, because it’s time to dye springtime eggs!
There are two classic ways to dye eggs, the hard-boiled method and the blow-out method. Today I’m going to walk you through the latter. (I prefer the blow-out method, because then I can have breakfast quiche with my crafting!) Continue reading “Egg-cellent Spring Craft”
April Fools’ Day is here — the one day of the year when everyone is given free rein to embrace their inner prankster and practical joker (safely and responsibly, of course). April Fools’ Day has been celebrated for centuries, but historians still can’t agree on exactly when, or with whom, it originated; some say it may have started in France as early as 1582.
Here are some fun picture books and chapter books featuring kids, a few adults and even a fairy-tale character, who have gotten into the spirit of April Fools’ Day:
PICTURE BOOKS
In “April Fool!,” by Karen Gray Ruelle, Harry is preparing for his favorite day of the year with his little sister, Emily, by trying to think of the best new tricks to play on their parents. But Emily has some surprising tricks of her own for her brother.
Horace, a mischievous kitty, in Steven Kroll’s “It’s April Fools’ Day!,” likes to play mean tricks on his neighbor, Alice. But like Emily in “April Fool!,” Alice gets him back with some pranks of her own, until they call a truce and decide to be friends. Continue reading “April Fools!”
This year marks 10 years that I’ve been living in Columbia, and one thing I really appreciate about the city is all the nature areas. (I grew up in a town that had a small number of trees and only three parks.) By celebrating the Missouri Bicentennial, I am constantly learning more about Mid-Missouri. When the weather gets warmer, I cannot wait to see more of Columbia and the surrounding areas. My hope this spring is that you will explore beautiful Missouri, too.
Need ideas on activities to do while you’re out and about? Look no further than this nature journal! In it you’ll find multiple days’ worth of prompts and suggestions to enhance your outdoor adventures. Continue reading “Nature Journal”
Ура! 万岁! Ouah! 만세! Hurra!مَرْحى!
You asked, and we delivered! Here at the Daniel Boone Regional Library, we’re proud to share our new multicultural collection with our community. We now have a small selection of bilingual children’s books in Spanish, French, Korean, Arabic, Chinese and Russian.
Continue reading “Bilingual Children’s Collection”
As always, I am so excited to share these books with you! Don’t forget to put holds on whatever interests you, and remember that not all of these have been released yet. I can’t buy the ebooks or downloadable audio until their release date, so if you check the catalog later you might be able to snag a digital copy!
Picture Books
“I Am Not a Dog Toy” written by Ethan T. Berlin and illustrated by Jared Chapman
Sometimes friendship can surprise us. When a fancy stuffed animal bear (with pockets!) is given to a little girl for her birthday, the girl is unimpressed. The bear is sure they will be best friends, but the girl carelessly tosses him into the dog’s water bowl instead. The dog is delighted. The bear endures callous treatment from the girl, all while the dog tries to convince him how much fun they could have together. Eventually the bear comes to realize that friendship only means something when it’s reciprocated. Not only is this a great chance to discuss friendship with your little one, the story is told all in dialogue, which makes it a perfect choice to read aloud! Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: March Favorites 2021”
This arts and crafts project encourages children to use their fine motor skills and creativity to make a hanging to celebrate spring. Younger children can tear the different papers into strips to create the sky and the elements of the little bird’s nest. Older children may enjoy cutting the twigs rather than tearing and weaving them together to form the nest. This is a fun project that will result in a pretty hanging your child will be proud of. Continue reading “Build a Bird Nest”
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