Welcome to our very first virtual activity bundle! For many years, we’ve been creating book bundles for our patrons. Books bundles are a stack of our favorite books on different subjects, all lovingly bundled together and ready for you to grab and go. They’re a great way for parents and caregivers to quickly pick up quality books without looking through our huge collection of picture books.
While we still plan on making (and possibly even expanding) book bundles, the youth services team is extending this idea so that you have access to great materials from the comfort of your home. That’s where virtual activity bundles come in! In these bundles, we will compile a list of books, songs, videos, at-home activities and other resources that you can use to explore different subjects with your child. Each virtual activity bundle will be based around a theme and will be geared towards a certain age group.
Without further ado, let’s get started with our first virtual activity bundle!
Chirp! Cheep! Caw! These are some of the happy sounds you might hear outside your window from our favorite feathered friends—birds! Birds are such beautiful and interesting creatures; my little one can watch the birds eating from our bird feeder all day long. If you and your child want to explore the fascinating subject of birds, check out the resources and activity below. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Birds”
Having trouble explaining to your kids just what exactly is going on these days? The current pandemic can be confusing and emotional for us adults, which makes discussing it with kids challenging at best. There’s a fine balance between telling children the facts and over-explaining the pandemic to the point of panic or confusion. To help parents out, there have been several picture books quickly created to discuss COVID-19 in a realistic way that is also hopeful and kid-friendly.
Here are two eBooks that I have found helpful when explaining COVID-19 to kids. (You’ll want to read these with your child to explain concepts and field questions.)
This informative and accessible guide for young readers defines the coronavirus, explains why everyday routines have been disrupted and lays out how everyone can do their part to help. With child-appropriate answers and explanations, the book addresses key questions such as:
How do you catch the coronavirus, and what happens if you have it?
Running out of ideas to keep your kids entertained? If so, try out salad spinner art! It’s a fun and creative STEAM project that will have your kids amazed at the results. The artwork always turns out beautiful and unique, and it makes for great gifts or fridge decor.
What you need:
Salad spinner
Thick paper (coffee filters or paper plates also work)
Scissors
Paint
What you do:
Cut the paper into a circle that will fit in the salad spinner.
Place the paper in the salad spinner.
Squeeze some paint onto the paper, mostly in the center. Use as many colors as you’d like.
The librarians of Missouri believe that exposing students to quality literature impacts their future reading habits. The MASL (Missouri Association of School Librarians) Readers Awards encourage students in grades one through twelve to explore new literary genres, to recognize excellence in writing and illustrating and to experience the joy of literature.
DBRL has purchased digital versions of the MASL award winners so you can check out and read them from the comfort of your home. Enjoy!
If you could fit a big budget Hollywood action movie into a tiny and ridiculous picture book for children, this would be it. Rock feels no joy in squashing Apricot. Paper outwits Computer Printer with ease. Not even Dinosaur-shaped Chicken Nuggets can defeat Scissors! Will they ever find worthy adversaries? This is the origin story of the legendary game played across the world.
Against the ominous backdrop of the influenza epidemic of 1918, Annie, a new girl at school, is claimed as best friend by Elsie, a classmate who is a tattletale, a liar, and a thief. Soon Annie makes other friends and finds herself joining them in teasing and tormenting Elsie. Elsie dies from influenza, but then she returns to reclaim Annie’s friendship and punish all the girls who bullied her. Young readers who revel in spooky stories will relish this chilling tale of a girl haunted by a vengeful ghost. Continue reading “2020 Missouri Book Champions!”
Librarian Hilary’s spouse and kiddo enjoying their own porch picnic!
While going on picnics at your local park is always fun, don’t forget that you can have a picnic anywhere! You can have a picnic in your home, in your yard or on your porch. I love porch picnics most because you’re technically outside and can appreciate the great outdoors, but you’re close to your fridge if you forget a tasty treat.
Porch picnics are super easy! Some things you might want to bring:
A blanket, of course. Sheets or towels also work.
A meal or snacks with a drink. Play food also works if you want the fun but not the mess.
Plates and utensils. (Or paper bags for finger foods.)
Stuffed animals. Bring your favorite fluffy friends to enjoy the fun.
Games. These can be board games or simple games like “I spy” (“I spy…something red and crunchy…an apple!”).
Books to enjoy!*
*Don’t have any good books on hand? Try these eBooks from OverDrive on your device.
When the Berenstain Bears set out to find the perfect spot for a picnic, Father Bear says he knows just the place. But each ideal location turns out to be a complete disaster, with a train roaring past or hordes of mosquitoes. At last they find a place with no pesky crowds or noisy planes, and nary a mosquito . . . until it starts to rain.
Summer the kitten loves long days in the meadow, but as she daydreams about climbing trees one afternoon, she notices a large tree nearby and decides to climb it! Suddenly, Summer is stuck high in the tree, and even worse, it begins to rain and lightning! As the thunder roars, Summer spots a girl running through the rain toward the tree. Will Summer ever make it out of the storm? Follow along with word-for-word narration as Summer makes a friend and finds a place to call home.
I just looked at the calendar and realized that this Friday is the day we had originally planned my Bubble Bash program at the library. Though the program is canceled, I thought I would bring the Bubble Bash to you with some ideas! And trust me, almost all kids (and teens and adults!) love bubbles. There’s just something magical about them!
You can make bubbles at home with this simple yet AMAZING recipe and have some bubble fun of your own.
Here’s what you need:
¼ cup dishwashing liquid
2 ½ cups water
2 tsp. white corn syrup
Mixing spoon
Bowl
Sealable container
Bubble wand
Here’s what you do:
Gently mix dishwashing liquid, water and corn syrup.
Pour into a sealable container such as a plastic milk jug.
Let it sit for one day. (The bubble mix improves after sitting. Plus, waiting to play with the bubbles is a great opportunity to practice patience and self-control with your child.)
After you’ve waited a day, it’s time to play with the bubbles! You can use bubble wands, straws or other circular objects from around the house (examples above!) to blow bubbles. When your children jump, run and kick to pop the bubbles, they’re working on their balance and their control over large movements. If you have older kids, you can talk about the science behind bubbles— elasticity, chemistry, light and even geometry! The fun and learning opportunities are endless. Enjoy!
It’s been nearly a month since library staff have been in their library, and the main thing we all agree on is that WE MISS YOU! To pass the time away from our favorite library patrons, we’ve been doing a lot of cool stuff behind the scenes like online training, Summer Reading preparations and getting lots of good resources out to you with our newsletters and our social media platforms.
Want to know what else the youth services team has been up to? Read below!
“We have been spending as much time as possible on the porch. Reading, singing and making art. The backyard is also getting a lot of love as we start the garden and chill in the hammock. And puzzles—we’re putting the dog kennel tray to work.”
~Hilary
“I’ve found so much joy and peace creating a garden in my backyard this spring! I’ve dug a hole for toads, planted a dozen native plants from the Missouri Wildflower Nursery and have prepared three trays of milkweed to help the monarch butterflies!“
~Tess
“I’ve turned our guest bedroom into a studio for working on Summer Reading decorations. I am not very focused as I am also knitting a baby sweater for a dear friend, working in the garden and putting together grocery lists for pick up.”
~Aimee
(We’re bringing in this special library employee for the summer, since the Summer Reading theme, Imagine Your Story, is their specialty!)
“My life has been pretty boring. Did a bit of online shopping and have been walking my dog a little more often in my new outfit. Nothing anyone would find interesting.”
~DBRL Unicorn
“Being stuck at home isn’t so bad. We’re catching up on movies and making sure that we get our veggies in! Popcorn is a vegetable, right?”
Guess when the last Wayside School book came out? 1995! 25 years later and we have the next book in this delightful series. While I haven’t read this newest one yet, what I loved about the first books is the perfect combination of comedy and kindness in each chapter. Definitely check out this new book, but if you want to go back and read the others first, we have all of those in eBook format as well.
Here’s another new book to try! This is the latest in the Magic Tree House series, in which Jack and Annie get to meet Lief Erikson—and narwhals of course. We have this one in eBook and downloadable audiobook. Once you’ve finished it, bring in a little nonfiction fun with the companion book “Narwhals and Other Whales.”
Fans of Percy Jackson should definitely check out this Rick Riordan Presents book. Mbalia crafts an adventure with African-American folklore, West African mythology, and a relatably imperfect hero. When Tristan accidentally punches a hole into another world, he must team up with John Henry and other heroes to save that world.
My own personal pile of library books is starting to dwindle at this point. If your family is in the same boat, why not check out some of our materials on OverDrive/Libby? The great thing about these eBooks and audiobooks is that I can purchase them and they show up in our catalog later that same day. With no shipping times, it makes it easy for me to keep up with your holds, so hopefully you won’t have to wait too long for anything!
Below are some electronic picture books that I’ve recently purchased for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
“Dragons Love Tacos” written by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Dragons and tacos. Enough said. If you haven’t read this delightful picture book yet, definitely check out this eBook. This particular one is actually an audiobook as well, so if your kiddo loves this story as much as I expect, they can just keep listening on repeat. Of course we have the sequel too!
“Grumpy Monkey” written by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang
Grumpy days are inevitable, especially with all the changes little ones are experiencing recently. Not only is this a fun read-aloud, it also teaches an important lesson about giving others space to work through their feelings.
“Sulwe” written by Lupita Nyong’o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison
Actress Lupita Nyong’o has written this beautiful story about colorism and self-love. Sulwe is the darkest person in her family and struggles to come to terms with that. She tries various ways to lighten her skin, to no avail. When a shooting star comes through her window and relates a fable of the two sisters Night and Day, Sulwe realizes that dark is beautiful.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog coming on Wednesday, April 8, where I’ll write about some awesome eBooks for older kids that I’ve purchased. See you then!
Calling all Ravenclaws, Slytherins, Gryffindors and (my personal favorite) Hufflepuffs! This is not a drill!
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling is now accessible online in eBook and audiobook formats with no wait lists or holds through OverDrive. The eBooks and audiobooks are in over 10 different languages and will be available through May 31.
Never used OverDrive before? Here’s some information to get you started.
Running out of ideas to keep your kids entertained? If so, try out salad spinner art! It’s a fun and creative STEAM project that will have your kids amazed at the results. The artwork always turns out beautiful and unique, and it makes for great gifts or fridge decor.
The librarians of Missouri believe that exposing students to quality literature impacts their future reading habits. The 
I just looked at the calendar and realized that this Friday is the day we had originally planned my Bubble Bash program at the library. Though the program is canceled, I thought I would bring the Bubble Bash to you with some ideas! And trust me, almost all kids (and teens and adults!) love bubbles. There’s just something magical about them!
“We have been spending as much time as possible on the porch. Reading, singing and making art. The backyard is also getting a lot of love as we start the garden and chill in the hammock. And puzzles—we’re putting the dog kennel tray to work.”
“I’ve found so much joy and peace creating a garden in my backyard this spring! I’ve dug a hole for toads, planted a dozen native plants from the Missouri Wildflower Nursery and have prepared three trays of milkweed to help the monarch butterflies!“
“I’ve turned our guest bedroom into a studio for working on Summer Reading decorations. I am not very focused as I am also knitting a baby sweater for a dear friend, working in the garden and putting together grocery lists for pick up.”
(We’re bringing in this special library employee for the summer, since the Summer Reading theme, Imagine Your Story, is their specialty!)
“Being stuck at home isn’t so bad. We’re catching up on movies and making sure that we get our veggies in! Popcorn is a vegetable, right?”
