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Brush up Your Summertime Fun Skills!

Posted on Thursday, June 21, 2018 by Molly

Kids playing outsideThe 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!

Coding for Kids

Posted on Monday, June 18, 2018 by Brandy

LittleBits DroidComputer 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:

Weaving With CDs

Posted on Thursday, June 14, 2018 by Brianna

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”

Summer Songs for Kids

Posted on Monday, June 11, 2018 by Kristy

libraries rock playlist 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 libraries rock playlist 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!

Benefits of Playing a Musical Instrument

Posted on Thursday, June 7, 2018 by Lyndsey

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!

Music Makers and Toys book coverYour 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.

Music Is... by Brandon Stosuy book cover

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!

Watch Free Videos With Kanopy Kids

Posted on Monday, June 4, 2018 by Josh

Kanopy For Kids

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!

Play Dough-Palooza Recap

Posted on Monday, May 21, 2018 by Megan

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”

Summer Reading Rocks!

Posted on Thursday, May 17, 2018 by Molly

Summer Reading 2018

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!”

Mother’s Day Crêpes

Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2018 by Brianna

Happy almost Mother’s Day! If you’re like me and you don’t have a plan for Mother’s Day yet, listen up. While handmade cards are great, sometimes we run out of fridge space to display art. If you and your kiddos want to create something that you won’t have to feel guilty about recycling later (and something that won’t break the bank) why not make a tasty treat? Maybe you’re not chefs, but that’s okay! Crêpes are among my favorite foods to spruce up a meal.

crêpes on a plate with baking supplies Continue reading “Mother’s Day Crêpes”

Read Harder Challenge 2018: Children’s Book Edition

Posted on Monday, April 30, 2018 by Megan

The Daniel Boone Regional Library is hosting a year-long program for adults called the Read Harder Challenge 2018. Book Riot, a literature website, publishes a challenge each year designed to encourage readers to “explore topics or formats or genres that you otherwise wouldn’t try.” You can find this year’s list on Book Riot’s website.

Though most of the challenges listed are for grown-up books, there are a couple of challenges that appeal to a younger audience. Here are the books I listened to in audiobook format for two of the challenges.

 The first book in a new-to-you YA or middle grade series

https://www.dbrl.org/cat/au/williams+garcia/ti/one+crazy+summer“One Crazy Summer” by Rita Williams-Garcia.

I had planned to only listen to the first book in the series to complete this challenge, but I just couldn’t stop! The full series is read by Sisi Aisha Johnson, and her portrayal of Williams-Garcia’s characters is truly inspiring.

Picture it: The year is 1968 and eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters are forced to spend the summer with their estranged mother in California. The sisters are expecting a summer filled with Tinker Bell and Disneyland, but instead they attend a Black Panther summer camp (the political movement, not the superhero). The series follows them over the course of a year and a half and covers everything from their discovery of the Jackson 5 to their melodramatic relatives in Alabama.

A children’s classic published before 1980

Watership Down book cover“Watership Down” by Richard Adams.

This is a classic that I had often heard about but had never actually read before, and I loved it! One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was finding out how it originally came to be. Adams said he would often tell stories in the car to his daughters, and on a particularly long trip, they demanded something new. So he told them the story of what would later become “Watership Down.” They loved it so much that they said he should write it down, and, after much cajoling, he did. “Watership Down” is the epic tale of adventure, survival and bunnies. What more could you want?

For more information about how you can participate in the Read Harder Challenge 2018, join our Facebook group and look for other events throughout the year.