Kent District Library
Early Bit Lits

May,  2014
Issue No . 48
KDL Blue
 
In This Issue
Fine Motor Skills
Music Minute
Learning with Crafts
Book Review
App Review
Fine Motor Skills

 Fun with Scissors

 

Now that the snow has finally melted and temperatures have improved, it's time to think about gardening. Children can create their own Spring scene with this fun cutting page. 

 

Cutting and coloring  are great ways to improve fine motor skills and prepare young children for school. Crafting with children is a great way to spend a rainy Spring day.

 

 

Gardening Fun with Katie L. Cutting Page

  

-Chris S.

Englehardt Branch

Music Minute

The Sounds of Spring

 

Spring gives us gentle breezes and gusting winds. It's a great time of the year to talk about sounds and music in nature. 

 

Talks about the songs birds sing, and point out the way the wind blows the trees. Ask children to sway like a tree when they listen to music. Use scarves and ribbons to wave through the air like a kite in the wind.

 

Listen to the sound of the wind as it blows. Try to mimic the whistling sound by blowing over a bottle top. Have children try too. To improve this skill, have children practice blowing lots of bubbles.

 

Orchestral instruments often imitate sounds from nature in classical music. Which parts of the music sound like rain and wind? Do the bass drums sound like thunder?

 

Enjoy KDL's collection of classical children's music and talk about how weather is depicted in the music with children.

 

 

 

-Sara M.

Sand Lake Branch


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!

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. 

Walker Branch

 Book Review

 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