So last week’s circus post got your creative juices flowing, and now you’re looking for the next big adventure? Why not give puppetry a try? It’s easy to make your own puppets from materials you’ve probably got lying around the house, and making up stories is a great way for the kiddies to work on narrative skills. So break out the craft glue and googly eyes and get cracking! Then come to our Winter Puppet Show to see how the librarians do it!
More books about puppets and puppetry!
Get over your winter blues with a circus at home! Pretend to juggle with cotton balls. Place a long piece of masking tape on the floor and practice walking it like a tight rope walker. Pretend to be a lion and lion tamer. Do somersaults and other amazing acrobatic feats. Do the action rhyme listed below, then pop some popcorn and enjoy some great circus books!
If you love this idea, check out Saturday Tales every week at 11:00 for more great storytime themes!
The American Library Association has announced the 2010 children’s literary award winners!
The Randolph Caldecott Medal: The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Honor Books:
The John Newbery Medal: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Honor books:
(Illustrator) My People by Langston Hughes, ill. by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
(Author) Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
More about the ALA book awards.
You read it — and loved it — when you were a kid. (Heck, maybe your mom read it, too!) Don’t worry, your kids won’t think it’s lame. Classics never get old!
More classics for kids!
This early literacy skill might sound intimidating, but it’s actually quite fun! Phonological awareness is simply the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. There are so many easy ways help your child develop phonological awareness! Singing is great because words are broken into smaller chunks when the pitch moves up and down. Rhyming is also great, and clapping on every syllable of a word is surprisingly fun for the kiddies. Try this fun chant:
Who took the cookies from the cookie jar? Who took the cookies from the cookie jar? Who took the cookies from the cookie jar? {Insert child’s name} took the cookies from the cookie jar! (clap on each syllable of child’s name) Who, me? Yes, you! Couldn’t be! Then who? {Insert sibling’s name/mom/grandma, etc.} Took the cookies from the cookie jar! Who, me? Yes, you! Couldn’t be! Then who? Continue with as many names as you want, then end with someone funny — daddy, or cookie monster, or Santa — taking all the cookies!
More great phonological awareness, rhyming, and nursery rhyme books!
More info on the six early literacy skills: print motivation, vocabulary, print awareness, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and narrative skills.
What are clouds made of? Why is the sky blue? Why do cats purr? Why does soap make bubbles? Why do stars twinkle? Answer these unaswerable questions, and keep the kids entertained during the holiday break, with books about children’s questions and answers.
Gather ’round, ya’ll, it’s time for the next installment in our series of posts about the six early literacy skills: print motivation, vocabulary, print awareness, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and narrative skills.
Letter knowledge is understanding that letters are different from one another, and that they have different names and sounds. Older kids can work on this skill by reading fun alphabet books, picking out favorite letters on signs, or playing a game to see how many words they can think of that start with the same sound/letter. You can work on early literacy skills anywhere and anytime with a little creativity!
Babies start developing letter knowledge by learning about shapes. Think of it this way — the only difference between a lower case “n” and a lower case “h” is the height of the stem. If your child is used to looking at shapes and can differentiate one from another, it’ll be much easier for them to pick out different letter shapes when the time comes.
J. Patrick Lewis, popular children’s author and poet, is coming to town! The whole family can meet him at a FREE event at Otterbein College’s Courtright Memorial Library Monday, December 7th from 4:00 — 6:00 p.m. More info is available on Otterbein’s website.
Read some of J. Patrick Lewis’ books before you go!
‘Tis the season, and chances are you’re looking for a few good gifts for the kids in your life. Check out our Gift Guide 2009 for some great book suggestions. (Hint, click on the tabs for suggestions for teens and adults.)
Take a look at our Gift Guide 2008 for even more suggestions!
Who doesn’t love Star Wars? Luckily, we’ve got your Star Wars reading needs covered, with a few visual guides and even a drawing book or two thrown in for good measure. These books are guaranteed to entrance even the most reluctant reader.
And don’t forget to sign up for our super special Star Wars at the Library program!
More Star Wars books for kids!
Book Picks
