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 |
Windy Weather
With the warmth of Spring comes lots of fun things to do outside with small children. Take advantage of a windy or wet day to talk about the weather. Is it windy, cloudy, sunny or wet outside? Is it warm or cool? Have fun making simple weather crafts with recycled materials from around the house. Plastic grocery bags make wonderful kites and parachutes. Empty plastic bottles can be turned into rain gauges. When the fun is done, simply toss the materials into your recycling bin.
Materials:
- plastic grocery bags
- plastic pop bottles
- tape
- string or yarn
- permanent marker
- scissors
Directions:
Kite
Make a simple kite by tying a piece of string to each handle of a grocery bag. Tie the two pieces of string together with a knot about 12 inches from the end of the handles. Attach a long piece of string to the point where the two strings meet. Take the kite outside on a windy day to see if you can get the kite to fly.
Parachute
Tape together the two handles of a plastic grocery bag. Use tape to secure small objects such as sticks to the joint where the two handles meet. Stand on a raised deck or playground equipment to release the parachutes so that they float to the ground. Experiment by attaching several parachutes to heavier items such as small toy cars to see if you can make them float slowly to the ground.
Rain Gauge
Cut the bottom 4 inches off a plastic pop bottle. Use a permanent marker to mark one inch increments on the side of the plastic bottle. Set the bottle in an open space with the open end pointed up. Check the gauge the next time it rains to see how much rain has fallen.
-Anjie G.
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Book Review |
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Some Bugs by Angela Diterlizzi
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Bugs are hopping, gliding, swimming and hiding in this new picture book. With a bouncy rhythm and colorful illustrations, Some Bugs is sure to appeal to the junior bug hunter in your house. As you read together, pause and talk about each action word. Ask your child if he or she can curl up in a ball or flutter through the room. Have you seen bugs like this outside or at the park? Grab a magnifying glass and see what bugs you can find in the grass. This book even has a handy bug guide to help with identification. Talking and playing like bugs are both great ways to get your child ready to read!
-Liz W.
Plainfield Branch |
| App Review |
AlphaTots
The interactive animations and engaging sound effects in AlphaTots helps children learn the alphabet and letter sounds. Users can listen to a version of the traditional alphabet song and then work on related word activities for each letter of the alphabet. Children will be entertained while learning letters and new vocabulary as they build a robot for the letter "B" or help the plants grow for the letter "G". Talk to your child and reinforce letters and words as you play this fun and educational app together. It is available for both Apple and Android devices.
-Julie R.
Caledonia Township Branch |
