Posted on Monday, March 8, 2021 by Maria
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”
Posted on Thursday, March 4, 2021 by Adam
Spring is almost here, FINALLY! To celebrate the new season, here are some great books, songs, videos and a fun activity that will hopefully help your family appreciate the joys and wonders of this most rejuvenating time of year.
“Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring,” by Kenard Pak
A boy and his dog take a walk through a winter night and take cover during a snowstorm. When they wake up in the morning, they see the first signs of spring as the ice and snow begin to thaw. On their morning walk, they say hello to the new leaves, budding flowers, green grass and the singing birds who have returned. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Spring”
Posted on Thursday, February 25, 2021 by Jessica S
Bugs are the best. They are the squishiest, the smallest and the creepy crawliest! I love to see them—from a distance. In this Virtual Activity Bundle, I will share some of my favorite bug-themed activities, books, music and more. Enjoy!
“Ask a Bug” by DK
This book will take the reader from the intimate details of the creature’s life (Are bugs born as eggs? What do they eat? How fast do they grow?) to the bigger picture, offering a chance to explore their wider habitat and their friends and enemies. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Bugs”
Posted on Monday, February 22, 2021 by Amy
Children across Missouri have voted, and the winner of the 2020 Missouri Building Block Award goes to “Dandy” written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Charles Santoso. About 8,700 preschoolers and kindergartners participated, choosing “Dandy” as their favorite.
“Dandy” is a laugh-out-loud story of a father desperate to destroy the dandelion marring his perfectly manicured lawn and his daughter’s fierce attempts to save it. When Daddy spots a solitary weed in his lawn, he’s appalled (along with all of his neighborhood friends). But his daughter Sweetie has fallen in love with the beautiful flower, even going so far as to name it Charlotte. Racing against time and the mockery of his friends, Daddy has to find a way to get rid of the errant dandelion without breaking his little girl’s heart.
Continue reading “2020 Missouri Building Block Award Winner”
Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2021 by Molly
Looking for a family-friendly activity to do from the comfort of your home this winter? Try bird watching! February is National Bird Feeding Month, so this is the perfect time to get started. More importantly, as you and your family enjoy watching the different birds that come to visit your bird feeder, you help your feathered friends stay warm and healthy.
Begin your bird watching hobby by first choosing an outside location that is clearly visible from inside your home. For example, our family chose our second-story deck, which is visible through sliding glass doors. Continue reading “Family Fun With Winter Birding!”
Posted on Monday, February 15, 2021 by Megan
Sensory bags can be a great tool to help children get started learning their letters and numbers—especially if they don’t yet have the fine motor control to use writing tools. Children can use their fingers to trace letters and numbers on the bag. If they need some assistance, write the letters or numbers on a piece of paper, and place the paper under the bag for them to trace. Once you’ve gathered your supplies, you can follow along with our YouTube video. Continue reading “Recipes for Fun: Sensory Bags”
Posted on Thursday, February 11, 2021 by Brianna
Hello friends and happy February! This month will slip by, and before we know it March will be here! For my second-to-last blog post of the winter, I’ve got some great options for you. Happy reading!
“Trouble” by Katherine Nicole Battersby
Squirrel is leading a quiet life in her apartment with her pet mouse, Chamomile…until a new neighbor moves in. Bear is large, with terrifying teeth and claws, and Squirrel is sure he is nothing but trouble. Yet the illustrations show a different story, as readers observe that Bear is clumsy but gentle, and loves baking cookies. Chamomile discovers this and spends time with Bear, much to Squirrel’s chagrin when she discovers them sharing a peaceful afternoon together. Not only will this book make a fantastic read aloud, it will be an excellent conversation starter about how to keep an open mind about others, free from misconceptions and prejudice. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: February Favorites 2021”
Posted on Thursday, February 4, 2021 by Adam
In addition to its designation as Black History Month, February is also the birth-month of Rosa Parks (February 4th) and Nina Simone (February 21st)—two luminaries of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s. As a celebration of these remarkable women and their long-lasting contributions, here are some of the many books for kids about the lives of women who accessed their unique gifts to contribute to this important historic movement:
Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1913—a time when Jim Crow laws, which mandated racial segregation in public facilities and transportation, were being enforced mostly in the southern United States. Parks saw the dehumanizing effects of racism firsthand, and in 1955 she entered the national stage when she refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger and helped spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Both “A Girl Named Rosa,” by Denise Lewis Patrick, and Wil Mara’s “Rosa Parks” (which is part of the “Rookie Biographies” series), tell Rosa’s inspiring story for young readers—from daughter of a single mother in the Deep South to civil rights activist and icon. Continue reading “Women of the Civil Rights Movement”
Posted on Monday, February 1, 2021 by Jessica S
Feeling stressed about online education and learning from home? You are not alone. We want to help.
These are guides available through DBRL that include resources, information, links and databases. If you would like to use a database, you have the ability as a resident of Boone or Callaway counties using your library card. The username is your library card number and the password is your PIN—usually your birth date (MMDDYYYY). Many databases request you set up an account and may ask you to make an original username after using your library card the first time.
This guide can direct you to a variety of places for helpful resources. Here are a few of my favorite learning tools:
Need help on a specific subject? This guide can be super useful in locating more information and resources.
Posted on Thursday, January 28, 2021 by Tess
Here at DBRL we are so excited to be able to offer classic stories in languages other than English with LOTE Online! Finding Spanish or French books is difficult, but for speakers of languages like Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Russian, Mandarin and Urdu, it’s next to impossible. Now you and your family can access children’s picture books in 25 different languages, all from the comfort of your own home with your library card. You can choose to have the books “read aloud” or you can read the text yourself. The online library includes many classic tales: “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Little Red Hen” and “Puss in Boots.”
One of the areas of strategic focus for our library is to “foster a community-focused culture of innovation, leadership and access for all.” We believe that reading to children, no matter what language, is an important step in that direction. According to a recent study, reading to your child in your native language will help them learn how to read in other languages in the future. Reading with young children is a lot like putting a child in gymnastics. Even if they don’t go on to become the next Simone Biles, the flexibility, strength and muscle memories they develop will help them learn any other sport in the future. When you read to a child in their home language, the brain starts learning what reading is and will be able to apply the same “muscle memory” if they learn another language, such as English. Having access to stories in languages other than English helps bridge the literacy gap, enabling all children in our community to have access to stories they can share with their families.
Please share this great resource with any families in our community who speak a second language, and stay tuned for 10 more languages being added soon!