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!
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”
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.
Here’s a picture of my bird feeder. It stays busy during these cold winter months.
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!”
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”
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!
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”
One of the first things we teach children are the names of colors. Color words offer us a way to describe things in our world. Knowing colors is an important part of a child’s development. It helps children understand the objects around them and put words and concepts together. One of the best ways to introduce and reinforce this knowledge is through fun books and activities like the ones listed below.
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”
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 is a tutoring resource that comes with a variety of help options, including live tutors from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. every day, a writing lab tool, a question-and-answer style help tool, a language tool and other ways to meet and study virtually, whether alone or with a group
This is a newer DBRL resource we are trying out. This resource offers a variety of stories in different languages, including the English translation to help develop reading and listening skills. Some languages included are German, Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish, Korean and Mandarin.
Universal Class offers classes taught by real teachers, but it is self-paced. There are hundreds of classes available for users to take, including a tab labeled “Homeschooling” that lists courses for science, writing and more!
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!
Each year the American Library Association honors books, videos and other outstanding materials for children and teens. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media.
The following titles and contributors are some of the 2021 YMA winners!
One of the first things we teach children are the names of colors. Color words offer us a way to describe things in our world. Knowing colors is an important part of a child’s development. It helps children understand the objects around them and put words and concepts together. One of the best ways to introduce and reinforce this knowledge is through fun books and activities like the ones listed below.
