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Drop-In Craft Time
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Is your family into arts and crafts? Drop in at the library for some creative fun with this self-directed activity. Many branches offer this fun and easy program.
Check the online events calendar for dates and times.
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Nursery Nook
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Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain, rain go away
Come again another day
Children want to play!
Obviously great to sing on rainy days, but it's also fun to add a rain stick or other soft instruments while you're singing to add a fun effect to the song.
It is also a great "Name Game" song, as you can add each child's name to the last line (i.e., Johnny wants to play; Katie wants to play...) which helps everyone get to know each other's names as you sing!
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Music Minute
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Music is a great way to get the wiggles out! It's great seeing kids get excited about dancing to their favorite songs. Music and movement help young brains build connections, but music can also help kids learn to stop moving!
STOP can be a hard word to teach excited little ones, and all too often it's a word they really don't want to hear. Self-regulating is the ability to make your body listen to your brain, and to the requests of those around you. Using Freeze songs is a great way to practice stopping and starting on cue. It can also become a fun way to get young children to pay attention to important words, like "Stop," "Wait" or "Freeze," when they become a little too revved up during movement activities, or just day-to-day events.
Some great songs to use include:
"I Can Dance" by Ronno
"Can't Wait to Celebrate" by Jim Gill
"Bop & Stop" by Merry Music Maker
"Freeze" or "Stop & Go" by Greg & Steve
Any song can be used to play freeze games, though. Fast moving classical songs, or even rock & roll, can be paused for great freeze-song fun!
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Greetings!
Kent District Library is here to provide you and your child with the skills needed to succeed in school and in life. KDL's Early Lit Bits newsletter is full of FUN and simple activities that will help foster that growth. For more information regarding the skills your child needs before he or she learns to read, visit the Play-Grow-Read section of the KDL website. You can also stop by any KDL branch to speak with one of our helpful youth librarians. We hope to see you soon!
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| Learning with Crafts |
Fishing for Letters
Now that the weather is warming up it's time to take early literacy activities outdoors. Here's a simple activity to make pool time fun and educational this summer.
Materials
Child's plastic pool or large basin or bucket
Water (optional)
Plastic magnetic letters
Child's fishing rod with no hook on it (or a short piece of string tied to a stick)
Large metal washer
Basket or bowl
Directions
Tie the large metal washer to the end of the fishing pole string, making sure that the washer is secure. Fill the pool or basin with water and throw the magnetic letters into the pool.
To Use
"Fish" for magnetic letters with the fishing pole. As a child catches each letter, say the name of the letter and make the sounds that the letter makes. Ask older children to think of a word that starts with the letter they have caught. Try catching magnetic numbers too!
Other Ideas
Give children real fishing poles (child sized) with the hooks removed. Tie small, soft objects to the end of the lines and have children practice casting out and reeling the line in. Take children fishing! Try local parks with small, well-stocked ponds and playgrounds nearby. Talk about different types of fish and check out a book about fish from your local library.
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| Book Review | |
Tiger in My Soup by Kashmira Sheth
A little boy grows frustrated when left in the care of his big sister, as she is too busy with her own book to read to him. Finally he asks for lunch instead, and what should form in the steam of his hot soup but a tiger! This imaginative book is bursting with colorful illustrations, which help tell the story. In one-on-one reading, point out the details of the illustrations and ask questions as you read. What does the boy wear on his head as a helmet? It's a colander! What do we use that for in the kitchen? Helping your child explain what is happening not only boosts comprehension, but also expands vocabulary. Practice your best growls and pretend to be tigers together. Pretend play allows children to narrate their own stories and is a great way to get ready to read!
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| App Review |
If you have an emerging reader in your life, you may have heard o f the book series called Bob Books. This popular series also has an app where you can have a fun, interactive experience with the books. It can be a new way to help a child learn to read. The app focuses on spelling and letter knowledge in stages that build. An interactive format like this can help motivate and encourage children who are more reluctant to begin reading. If you are a fan of the BOB series or looking for something to aid a child in early reading, try Bob Books Reading Magic Lite for Apple. You can purchase the full version for $3.99.
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