What is Early Literacy?

True or False? Early literacy begins at birth.

TRUE!

From the moment your baby is born, he or she is constantly taking in and learning new words, ideas, concepts, and emotions. The process of getting ready to read begins long before a child’s first day of kindergarten. Children’s brains are naturally wired to be curious and make connections in the world around them.

Here are just a few examples of ways your baby is showing early literacy development:

• Making sounds
• Imitating facial expressions
• Babbling
• Pointing to pictures
• Turning pages in a book
• Imitating hand movements (i.e., fingerplays)
• Holding a crayon

Early Literacy Defined

"Early literacy refers to what children know about communication, language (verbal and nonverbal), reading, and writing before they can actually read and write. Early literacy encompasses all of a child’s experiences with conversation, stories (oral and written), books, and print."

(Source: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, www.zerotothree.org)

Sing, Talk, and Read, DC (STAR) is a citywide campaign that was initiated by Mayor Vincent C. Gray last year, which focuses on the importance of singing, talking, and reading with your child to help develop early literacy skills.

Singing helps children learn, memorize, and enjoy new words and rhythms. It also helps children break down and understand the smaller sounds and syllables in words. Picture books by Jane Cabrera such as Row, Row Your Boat add fun verses and colorful pictures to already well-known songs and tunes. 

Talking with children through conversation or storytelling increases the amount of words they hear per day, and proportionally increases their vocabularies. Try telling a story to your little one using a wordless picture book by David Wiesner, such as the 2014 Caldecott Honor Winner Mr. Wuffles.

Reading aloud is not only an important bonding experience to have with your child; it is the single most important way to help your child be ready to read. It also helps motivate a child to read for enjoyment. It is never too early to read to your child. According to Dr. Sally E. Shaywitz, the author of Overcoming Dyslexia, a child can gain 1.8 million words per year by reading only 20 minutes a day. Choose to read a story with great new vocabulary words and wonderful rhythm and rhymes such as Grumpy Gloria by Anna Dewdney.

Interested in more early literacy tips?  Attend a storytime at your local library and check back next month for the next tip in this Early Literacy Series.

A Grinchy Program on the Fly

If you read my blog, you know that I like to be overwhelmingly prepared for my programs. I usually describe the process as "spastic" and "overdone".  Sometimes, however, the situation arises where a librarian needs to come up with a program AT THE LAST MINUTE!  That very day!  As an ultimate test to my Type-A-Librarian personality, someone called in sick on a day they were scheduled to do a program.  Being the only Children's Librarian that day, it became my responsibility to come up with something for the 30+ kids that usually show up to this afternoon program.  

Because TIS THE SEASON, and we had a copy on display, and I saw it, I decided to do a read-aloud of the old classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.  I remember seeing the movie many times as a child (and let's face it, every year into adulthood), but I had never read the book.  I know. Bad librarian!  Thinking this may be the case for other children, I wanted to read the book and show the movie, then talk about differences between book and movie adaptations for this school-age (6-12) program.

As I was prepping for the program, I quickly realized the difference between a CD and a DVD. Unfortunately, our library only had a copy of the CD and not the DVD, and I'd sooner die than play the Jim Carrey version (sorry Jimbo), so; first baby step: adapt!  I did not need to explain to the kids that there was not going to be a movie.  They didn't know that was my plan in the first place.  Instead of beginning a program from a place of disappointment, I set off the program by asking who had ever seen the movie.  About half of the children raised their hands.  I then told them that Dr. Seuss wrote the book long before the movie was ever made, which prompted a great discussion on other books-turned-movies, like Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Harry Potter, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and The Lorax. Apparently Captain Underpants is even going to have his own movie- I did not know!

I also decided to take advantage of some of the lovely resources that are lurking around in the interwebs.  I love Dr. Seuss's website Seussville. There are so many fun games and printable resources.  I have used them in the past for my "Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!" program and Oobleck program.  Seussville has many Grinchy activities, but I liked this activity book most of all.  I spent some time altering the pdf a little bit (BABY STEPS) so I could print out little 4x5" booklets instead of using a few trees' worth of paper (wouldn't the Lorax approve?).  I love this activity because it encourages kids to really think about what acts of kindness and giving can do to make a positive impact in both your and others' lives.  I just had the kids color the booklet and write in their own ideas for good deeds.  They really impressed me with their thoughtfulness and enthusiasm for the mini project.  I explained to a few little ones what "charity" meant and they really liked the idea of donating their old clothes, toys, and books to children in need.  This was a really special group of kids and I think they made MY heart grow at least three sizes that day.

The Muffin Man

I made this Muffin Man "puppet" to dance around as I sing his song during storytime. He is affixed to a long ribbon tied around a wooden stick. He is very flexible and has some great dance moves.

Materials:

• Felt 
• Ribbon 
• Stick 
• Googly eyes (duh) 
• Glitter glue (another duh) 
• Foam beads 
• Card stock


Do you know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man,
Do you know the muffin man,
Who lives on Drury Lane?

Yes, I know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man,
Yes, I know the muffin man,
Who lives on Drury Lane!

Miss Cassie's Tea Party

On Saturday mornings, our library holds a "Family Fun" storytime for all ages.  This is really the only time I use a theme... normally I find themes a little too limiting in terms of choosing titles that are developmentally appropriate for each age group, but this storytime being for all ages lets me broaden my horizons a bit.  And what better time for a tea party? Here is the storytime lineup:

• Hello, How Are You?
• If You’d Like to Read a Book, Clap Your Hands
• The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
• Flannel and Song: I’m a Little Tea Pot
• Madeline’s Tea Party by John Bemelmans Marciano
• Flannel: Birthday Cake
• Song and puppet: Muffin Man
• Rhyme: Patty Cake
• Tea for Me, Tea for You by Edward Gibbs
• Song: Tea for two, two for tea, tea for you, and tea for me! I love you and you love me, we’re a happy family!
• Song: Skidamarink
• May I Bring a Friend? by Beatrice Schenk De Regniers
• Song and dance: Teacup Hokey Pokey (Handle, Spout, Whole Pot)
• Our Hands Say Thank You

After the storytime, we did a craft of making little tea cakes out of sponges, glitter glue, and sequins (inspired by The Craft Train).  I pre-cut the sponges into little rectangles and squares, and had a little "table setting" of materials laid out for each child.  They put their cakes together with "frosting" (glitter glue) and had a wonderful time.  I was also able to find these adorable tiny iced tea juice boxes that I served while we did our craft.  After all, what is a tea party without tea?!

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  But let's not forget about one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving: a day that's wonderful not only because of the delicious meal with which we celebrate it, but also for the reminder to think about the many things for which we are grateful.  I have a lot to be thankful for this year: my one year old puppy, Oliver, my family, my health, and a job that is so incredibly rewarding and fulfilling!  Not many people can say that they have a job that they look forward to going to every day.  Every day except for Monday, that is, but that's just because I sleep like a perpetual teenager.  Once I've had my coffee I am always happy to be back at work again, because I get to do fun stuff like the following.

Every Wednesday our library holds a program called "Wacky Wednesday"- a program intended for school-aged children (6-12), where kids can come to the library after school for a fun activity.  For the night before Thanksgiving, I decided of course to have a turkey related program.

First, I read Turkey Trouble by Wendy Silvano. The kids were really engaged with the story, which was especially great given the wide range of ages: I ended up having children as young as three and as old as eight attend the program.  I have a flannel that I created for the story.  The book adapts well for the flannel format as the turkey keeps on trying to outsmart the farmer by dressing up as different farm animals so he doesn't end up being Thanksgiving dinner!  I like to use a flannel whenever possible to add that extra visual engagement with a story.

Next, we did a Turkey Book craft borrowed from B-Inspired Mama.  I pre-made little books for the kids by folding a paper bag in half, hole punching two holes along the fold, and affixing a rubber band around a popsicle stick to create the book's spine.  Initially, I created a model craft very much like the example from the aforementioned blog post, but instead used AcccCut maple leaves for the turkey's feathers.

However, with a busy week before Thanksgiving, I ran out of time to pre-cut the features of the turkey's face.  To make my life easier, I just used AccuCut turkeys for the kids to decorate and paste onto their books.  I ended up not making an example to show them, which I think helps encourage kids' creativity because they are then not preoccupied with making their craft look just like the example.  I also wrote "I'm Thankful For..." along each spine to encourage kids to think about the true meaning of Thanksgiving and decorate their books with things they are thankful for.  I melted a little bit (actually, a lot) when a little cutie drew herself and me and told me, "I'm thankful for you, Miss Cassie."  Then she drew her mom and dad on the next page.  Sweetness overload!

I really liked this craft and plan on using it again in the future- you could use countless themes by having kids create a book about really anything, and the preparation ended up being a lot easier than I thought, once I decided to calm down and not be so type-A about having everything perfect.  I need to remind myself of this often, I think that a lot of librarians have the tendencies to be perfectionists, but when it comes to kids crafting, letting them do their own thing ends up being much better for all of us.

Thanks for reading and hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Miss Cassie Had a Little Lamb

I created this set of sheep based off of a template from Making Learning Fun.   One of the first flannel sets I ever made, Baa Baa Black Sheep, has been a storytime favorite ever since its creation and was thinking about continuing the song with "Baa Baa Purple Sheep", etc.  This did not turn out as well as I had hoped it would during my Wonderful Ones storytime.  With each color, I sang only the first stanza of the song, ending with "Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full" and moving on to the next color, because I thought 6x Baa Baa Black Sheep in its entirety would be way too long and repetitive. Singing it this way, however, felt awkward and clumsy, especially when parents and caretakers were trying to sing the rest of the song lyrics.  It was just confusing.

So today, I tried something else (for Toddler Storytime).  I told them I knew a girl named Mary who had a little lamb, and its fleece was as white as snow, BUT,

"Miss Cassie had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb!
Miss Cassie had a little lamb, whose fleece was ________ as _________!"

The little ones caught on to identify the colors right away, but it was the parents and caretakers shouting out color comparisons, like "purple as grapes", "blue as the sky", "green as grass", and "orange as pumpkins".  One little girl in the front row did sing "red as strawberries" so that made me happy.

Today's toddler storytime was a large group of kiddies on the younger side of the tiny tot world, so I may try this again with Preschool Storytime. Today, it was still a little awkward.  I usually shy away from singing songs that parents and kids either don't know at all or can't quickly catch along to because I think it's so important for them to sing along.  But I also want to give them to opportunity to think and use their imagination, and identify different colors instead of just doing the same old song.  (Nothing against Baa Baa Black Sheep, I am just trying to shake things up, and build on their learning!)

Any suggestions on successful sheep/ lamb song variations you have used during storytime would be much appreciated!

Read? Read.

I created a simple display and reference/ tribute to John Green's best selling The Fault in Our Stars on the window of our "quiet study room" in Teen Space.  Hazel Grace and Augustus, the star crossed lovers of the novel, use "Okay? Okay." as terms of affection and the expression can be seen in blue and white clouds all over t-shirts, phone cases, and book bags.  Although it killed me a little that we didn't have a white window crayon, I still thought it was worth modifying and creating an image that teens would recognize.  So far, it's gotten a lot of compliments in spite of my inclination to despise it because it's not perfect.

Eric Carle Storytime

I started planning this storytime because I was feeling "lazy" and Eric Carle books are (almost) always a hit, but lo and behold of course I ended up getting super into it. I think/hope the kids could sense my enjoyment, because this seemed to be one of my best storytimes yet, especially for toddlers!

I started by introducing Eric Carle as the author and illustrator of the books we would read today, and spoke about what that meant.

As always, we start out with my favorite, borrowed from a wise colleague: "If You'd Like to Read a Book, Clap Your Hands!":

If you'd like to read a book, clap your hands! (Clap, clap!) If you'd like to read a book, clap your hands! (Clap, clap!) If you'd like to read a book, listen up and take a look! If you'd like too read a book, clap your hands! (Clap, clap) ...followed by stomp your feet, sing hooray!

The first book I read was The Very Hungry Caterpillar in the big book format. Normally I find big books particularly awkward and steer clear of using them for that reason, but to see the lovely details in this book, you really need it for a large audience and it worked well. The little buggers get extra excited about big books, even if Miss Cassie looks like a goon trying to turn the pages. I used our butterfly puppet at the end of the book. Some people are puppet people and some people are not. I am definitely one of the former, as I love the way the little ones' faces light up almost every time I engage them with one of my puppets.

To prepare for our next book, Ten Little Rubber Ducks, we practiced counting to ten with my flannel number set. I like to include a flannel visual whenever possible. We have a huge piece of blue felt, almost blanket sized, which I draped over a large Tupperware bin that served as a little ocean backdrop for the telling of this story. In the beginning of the story, a cardboard box of rubber duckies falls out of a boat and the duckies fall into the ocean. Thus, I dumped my cardboard box of duckies into the "ocean" and squeals of delight ensued. To transition to our next book, we sang Five Little Ducks along with its flannel counterparts.

From Head to Toe is one of Eric Carle's best books for a storytime because of its participatory nature. It gets the kids moving and I like letting them move and stretch about midway through the storytime to get those ants out of their pants.  With vivid and brightly colored pictures of animals doing fun movements, we transitioned after this book to a flannel I made called "I Went to the Zoo One Day". When I went about making this flannel, I picked numerous illustrations from a wide selection of Carle's books and glued them to felt. To perform it, I pick the animals out of an envelope so that each one is a surprise, as we sing (to the tune of "London Bridge"):

I went to the zoo one day, zoo one day, zoo one day! I went to the zoo one day, and I saw a _______! (Let the children identify the animal as you put it on the flannel board)

Finally, we read Eric Carle's Have You Seen My Cat? because I can never resist a cat book. Mostly because it allows me to use my fat cat puppet. When the cat is "found" at the end of the story and I surprised the little ones with Mr. Cat who had been hiding behind the flannel board, they were beyond ecstatic at having "helped" me find my cat. As always, we ended with "Skidamarink" (because I love them oh so much, and want to tell them so) and kitty cat kisses on everyone's noses. Puppet nose kisses are something I started doing at the end of each storytime and as time has gone on, even the shyest of the toodles comes up to me for a kiss. It is actually the cutest thing you could probably ever see in your life. Just today I had a little boy get in line five extra times for a kitty cat kiss.

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Harry Potter!

On July 31st, 2014, Harry Potter turned 34. Instead of thinking about how old that makes me, I decided to embrace the celebration of his birth (and J.K. Rowling's) along with my co-workers in a department-wide Harry Potter Birthday Party. In Teen Space, my colleagues showed a screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, while making pipe cleaner Harry Potter glasses, giving each other face paint lightning bolt scars, and death eater tattoos. They also enjoyed a delicious birthday cake, of course!

Over in the Children's Room, we made owl paper bag crafts, played "Wizard's Chess", and dressed up for photos in front of my Platform 9 & 3/4 Photo Booth. I did not have enough galleons, knuts, or sickles to afford Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans for all of the attendees, so we served "Muggle Beans" (Jelly Bellys), and I made homemade Honeydukes treat bags for them to take home. The little wizards had a ton of fun posing in front of Platform 9 & 3/4 with their handmade owls, although I think I may have gotten the most involved with my Fleur Delacour/ Beauxbatons costume. One of my favorite parts of the day was when the young wizards started using spells on each other (along with my co-workers and me), who would promptly drop our wands at "EXPELLIARMUS!" and stand perfectly still at "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Another extremely high point of the day was when a co-worker burst into the Children's Room, shouted, "TROLL! In the basement!" and then dramatically fainted. Overall, it was a very well attended and wonderful birthday party. I think even 34-year-old Harry Potter would have enjoyed it.

Back to School Display

However you would like to refer to him; Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg, Rosetta Stone, or Theodor Seuss Geisel, the beloved author had quite a way with words.  This specific quote is overdone in schools and libraries in my opinion, but that didn't stop me from using it for our back to school display: one, because it is a great quote, and two, it is long enough to fill our seemingly fifty-foot long bulletin board (I didn't measure it, this may be a gross under or over estimation... and one day I will figure the panoramic feature on my camera phone to post a more accurate picture).  Anyways, I had fun with this one.  I cannot take credit for the beautiful rendering of Donald Crews' Schoolbus, which was made in the past by one of our teen employees.  But I had loads of fun picking out some of my favorite characters to fly around in hot air balloons.  Not pictured are: Rosemary Wells' Yoko, Donald Crews' Peter('s Chair), J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline, Don Freeman's Corduroy, and Eric Carle's Friends.  Pictured below are E.B. White's/ Garth Williams' Fern and Wilbur from Charlotte's Web, Maurice Sendak's Max and Wild Thing from Where the Wild Things Are, Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum, and finally H.A. Rey's Curious George.

Urban Safari Storytime

Albert Paley's work on display at the Corcoran Galleries, July 2014

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to facilitate a storytime at the Corcoran Gallery of Art during a family event they held called "The Ultimate Urban Safari", based on their summer exhibition, American Metal: The Art of Albert Paley.  Paley is perhaps best known for creating the portal gates to the St. Louis Zoo, Animals Always (2006).

The Ultimate Urban Safari involved activities about animals of all types so it was easy to come up with a theme for the event's storytime.  Since this was a family program and I was expecting a variety of ages in my audience, I picked out two selections to choose from during the storytime (for a total of four books) for each storytime.  By having this variety, I was able to tailor and adapt each storytime best to the needs of my audience, along with the all-ages-friendly songs and rhymes I chose to use.

• Opening Song: If You’d Like to Read a Book, Clap Your Hands! 
• (If you'd like to read a book, clap your hands! If you'd like to read a book, clap your hands! If you'd like to read a book, listen up and take a look!  If you'd like to read a book, clap your hands!- Repeat with "stomp your feet, sing hooray!")
• Count the Monkeys  by Mac Barnett OR Way Far Away on a Wild Safari  by Jan Peck 
• Flannel: Five Little Monkeys (Jumping on the Bed)
• If I Were a Jungle Animal  by Tom and Amanda Ellery OR Little Mouse  by Allison Murray
• Flannel and Song: I Went to the Jungle One Day (London Bridge)
• How to Wash a Wooly Mammoth  by Michelle Robinson OR My Rhinoceros  by Jon Agee 
• Finger play: I Had a Little Turtle
• The Baby BeeBee Bird  by Diane Massie OR Birds  by Kevin Henkes 
• Ending Book and Song: If You’re Happy And You Know It  by Jane Cabrera
• Closing Rhyme: Our Hands Say Thank You 
• (...with a clap clap clap, our feet say thank you with a tap tap tap.  Clap clap clap, tap tap tap. And we roooolllllll our hands to say, "Goodbye!")

Of course I wore a safari hat.

Overall, this was a very successful outreach event.  I was able to connect with many families who were otherwise unfamiliar with either our library's location or programming, and even have had one little girl and her mother visit us almost every week since the storytime (this was over a month ago, I know, I am behind on blogging)!  It is also a great experience to be able to adapt your storytime for an all-ages audience.  Frequently, even if I have planned a storytime for Preschoolers and all babies show up, I need to quickly adapt anyways- and this is an important skill for any librarian to have.  And the setting was not too bad either... I believe I was in the Director's Office! The Corcoran is a beautiful building that houses even more beautiful art to see- this outreach was definitely worthwhile in many ways.

STEAM Team: Nature Hide and Seek with the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Peacock in the Woods, Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1907

Science and Art intersected in last week's STEAM Team program for children aged 6-12. Experts from the Smithsonian American Art Museum came to the Library to talk to attendees about Abbott Handerson Thayer and his artwork.

Here are some Thayer's paintings that we discussed.  Thayer is credited by many to be the "Father of Camouflage", in the way he painted animals whose colors adapted to their natural surroundings so that they would be hidden, or camouflaged from predators. We learned about countershading, disruptive patterning, and other ways of camouflaging through art.

According to Richard Meryman from Smithsonian Magazine, "Thayer contended that even brilliantly plumaged birds like the peacock can blend into, and thus be camouflaged by, their habitats." Thayer created the above painting, Peacock in the Woods, to illustrate this theory. Thayer was often criticized for his theories on camouflage, even by Theodore Roosevelt himself, but that never stopped him from rallying for its use as a military strategy during World War I. He thought that a wartime boat could be camouflaged in water the same way an animal camouflages itself in nature, another theory we will be discussing during STEAM Team.

Angel, Abbot Handerson Thayer, 1887

After our discussion about Abbott Handerson Thayer and his artwork, participants of STEAM Team got the chance to create their own piece of art of a camouflaged animal, using collage materials such as magazines, patterned paper, glue, feathers, and more!

My favorite part of the program?  The moment an extremely eager eight year old boy excitedly interrupted the Smithsonian's presentation to announce that Thayer's Angel painting "LOOKS JUST LIKE MISS CASSIE."

Art Attack: Googly Eyed Goons

I picked up an Art Attack (our craft program for teens, 13-19) on short notice and had to come up with something quickly.  If anything, I typically put too much effort and planning into my programs, so this was actually a good exercise for me.  Librarians should be able to come up with craft and program ideas on the fly.

So obviously, I went straight for my favorite craft material: GOOGLY EYES.  Then I glanced at the pictured Seventeen magazine with Miley Cyrus on the cover and it just came to me: she would look so amazing with googly eyes.  So I had teens go through our old magazines and cut out pictures of movie stars, heartthrobs, and the like, and put googly eyes on them.  Very simple and very fun.  I took the one I made of Jonah Hill and passed it to every teen and said "Just try not to laugh. I dare you."  Everyone laughed.  I'd like to think it was at my pun, but I think it was more the image of Jonah Hill with googly eyes.  They just make everything better.

STEAM Team: Oobleck! Dr. Seuss and Science

Literature and/or reading is not a component of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math), but must I mention how much it is a part of LIBRARIES? Didn't think so!  This week's STEAM Team focused on science and literature.

Inspired by Dr. Seuss' Bartholomew and The Oobleck, we conducted a science experiment by creating the mysterious green substance known as Oobleck, which has both solid and liquid properties! That is, if you pour it or dip your fingers in it, it acts like a liquid. But if you squeeze it, push it, or otherwise apply pressure to the mixture, it acts like a solid! Want to "walk on water"? Make enough Oobleck to cover your floor! (Disclaimer: this is not recommended, as clean-up may require a visit from the Cat in the Hat.)

This program was met with much excitement and enthusiasm, which I think is to be expected for anything involving "green slime".  I began the program by book talking Bartholomew and the Oobleck, and then read the Royal Magicians' magic spell aloud (paragraph 32):

Oh, snow and rain are not enough!
Oh, we must make some brand-new stuff!
So feed the fire with wet mouse hair,
Burn an onion. Burn a chair.
Burn a whisker from your chin
And burn a long sour lizard skin.
Burn yellow twigs and burn red rust
And burn a stocking full of dust.
Make magic smoke, green, thick and hot!
(It sure smells dreadful, does it not?)
That means the smoke is now just right
So, quick! Before the day gets light,
Go, magic smoke! Go high! Go high!
Go rise into the kingdom’s sky!
Go make the oobleck tumble down
On every street, in every town!
Go make the wondrous oobleck fall!
Oh, bring down oobleck on us all!

I mixed up a batch of Oobleck myself, explaining the ingredients and measurements as I went along. As I poured a bit in each child's plastic cup, I asked them if they thought it was liquid or solid.  Most of them guessed liquid.  Then I asked them to pick up some of the Oobleck and try to roll it into a ball.  "Is it still liquid?" I asked.  They got very excited when they realized that it was both a liquid AND a solid- the scientific term for which is "non-Newtonian".  Lots of experimenting ensued.

I was glad I did not allow each child to mix up his/her own batch- it actually takes a bit of trial and error to get the exact right consistency; and the mess I was left with after the experiment was plenty.  It looked much worse than it actually was, however.  Since Oobleck is just cornstarch and water, I waited until it dried and vacuumed it right up out of the carpet.  Tables and chairs needed a simple Clorox wipe.

I sent each child home with a handout including the following recipe and and experiment ideas, along with this coloring sheet from Seussville, one of my favorite websites on the interwebs.  The coloring sheet was also a nice supplement for toddling little brothers and sisters who were too young to participate in the experiment (intended for children ages 6-12).

Oobleck Recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1.5 - 2 cups cornstarch
• Green food coloring 

Directions:
Mix water, cornstarch, and food coloring in a bowl. Start with water and add cornstarch slowly until your Oobleck is the right consistency: it should feel a little but like honey and tear a little if you drag your fingers over it.

Experiments:

• Form Oobleck into a ball, then let go, letting the mixture run between your fingers. 
• Pour Oobleck onto a plate and slap it with your hand. 
• Try to form Oobleck into a shape. Can you make it stay that way? 
• Drop different items into Oobleck (pennies, paperclips, popsicle sticks) – do they float or sink? 
• Poke the Oobleck quickly. What happens? How does it feel? 

Continue Experimenting at Home:

• What happens when you put Oobleck in the Freezer? 
• What happens when warm up Oobleck in the sun? 
• Put Oobleck in both a sealed and an unsealed container on the window sill. What happens over time? Draw illustrations of the results. 
• Make Oobleck with different variations of ingredients: hot water, cold water, more water, less water, more cornstarch, less cornstarch, etc. Are the new mixtures’ properties any different?

Fizz, Boom, Read!

Our Library's theme for this year's Summer Reading Program is "Fizz, Boom, Read!" with an emphasis on all things related to science.  We will be encouraging reading and activities with a focus on STEAM (a framework for learning based on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math).  There is a huge push for STEAM (or STEM) in schools and libraries across the nation.  (If you backtrack to my first-ever blog post on Shelf Indulged, you will see that the last Library I worked at had a Summer Reading Program theme of "Full STEAM Ahead... which I also made robots for because they are just the cutest.)

For our large display board in the hallway outside of the Chidren's Department, my very talented colleagues made a bulletin board display involving robots, test tubes, atoms, and DNA sequences!  I made the banner above the board, which reads, "Get Ready For A STEAMY Summer!"  It's being carried in the air by cute little handmade flying robots, upon whom I have not yet bestowed names.

Five Little Ducks

My newest flannel addition- Five Little Ducks!

Five little ducks went out one day,

Over the hill and far away...

Mother duck said,

"Quack quack quack quack!"

But only one little duck came back!

Repeat until all five ducks come back.  For the last one, encourage the kids to give their loudest quacks!

I found a wonderful new way to cut felt from a template.  Draw or print your template, and cover it with a thin coating of glue using a glue stick.  Glue the paper onto the felt, and cut.  Peel off the paper and voila!  You can cut even the most fine details this way.  Also, I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Googly eyes make the world go round.

DIY Book Charms

This week for Art Attack (our craft program for teens, 13-19), I gave participants the materials to make book charms.  I looked at a lot of ideas on the web and the ones that I liked best (and looked the easiest!) were made using little dollhouse books, only 5/8x by 7/8 of an inch!

I picked out some of my favorite YA titles, including old and new favorites:

• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• Divergent by Veronica Roth

If you save the images of these book covers into a Word document, you can right click the images and format them to the exact size of the books, which I bought on Amazon.

I also purchased eye pins to make the clasp on each charm.  I did this step ahead of time: coat the eye pin in superglue and insert it into the spine of the book.  Something about teenagers and superglue did not sit well with me, and quite frankly I got so much on my fingers I probably should not have been allowed to use it either!

Pretty much all of your prep work is done. When the teens were ready to make their book charms, I told the to trim down the cover image of their choice so that no edges were showing, since the image is the exact size of the book.  Next, they applied modge-podge (the homemade kind: Elmer's Glue + water) with a paint brush all over their book. After gluing down their cover, they put on another layer of modge-podge.  Doing these two layers will keep the paper from curling once glued, and give the book charm a nice shiny finish.

Finally, after allowing the books to dry for a few minutes, teens were able to finish off their book charms by adding a chain or cord to make it into a necklace, keychain, or bracelet.  Most wanted to wear their charms proudly around their necks, and one thoughtful brother made a TFIOS necklace for his sister, because "she's obsessed".  Fine by me!

Happy Mommy's Day!

Sometimes unplanned "programs" are the best ones.  When I realized that we didn't have anything planned at the Library for Mother's Day, I quickly googled "how to make tissue paper flowers".  I found an excellent tutorial here.  I put out a sample flower of mine and sign that said, "Happy Mother's Day!  To make a special flower for your mom, please ask a Librarian for materials."  The materials are so simple- tissue paper, scissors and pipe cleaners!  I also cut out some paper butterflies using our AccuCut so that kids could give their flowers a label.  I tried prying a couple of kids off of the computers with no avail, but shortly a couple of families came in and the kids were very eager to make flowers for their mothers.

One little boy was getting ready to write on his butterfly, and asked me if he could write in another language.  I replied, "of course!  It's your flower!"  He wrote, "Te Amo, Mami".  When he handed it to his mother I could see that she was so proud and touched by his sweet little gift.  After making a few flowers, a little girl who spoke English as a second language sat down with me and we read Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann together (she picked it out!), and after that she read it aloud to her mother.  Her mother, who seemed to speak limited English herself, beamed with pride as her little girl read to her.  Even though I had to work today and therefore could not spend the day with my own lovely mother, it's these interactions that make my job truly wonderful.  

Alphabet Display

When it was time to change up one of our themed displays, I first thought of alphabet books because we have gotten a lot of preschool teachers in looking for them lately.  We have a lot of storytimes that focus on early literacy, so I am hoping these books will move quickly.  I thought what better way to bring attention to them than the tree from Bill Martin Jr.'s now classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom?! I had a lot of fun making the tree.  I rolled up brown butcher paper as its trunk, which I then propped up on two bookends.  I stapled palm leaves cut out in Lois Ehlert's distinct style to its top, then finally added letters A-Z to the leaves, which I punched out with our AccuCut. The tree took less effort than I thought it would and has gotten lots of compliments!

YA Quote Quiz Display

I like displays that are interactive, especially when they are for teens.  For my next Teen Space display, I decided to pick out quotes from some of my favorite YA reads, and make a display that would quiz viewers on which book the quote is from (all you have to do is lift the flap to find out).  This display also gave me the chance to display some of the great books that the quotes are from.

How do you think you would do?

SPOILER ALERT!  

If you want to know the answers to the quote quiz, see below.

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

"I am haunted by humans."
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

"You love me. Real or not real?"
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

"My Name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed my father. Prepare to die!"
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman

"Take a person's memories and you change who they are."
- Allegiant by Veronica Roth

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

"Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold."
- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Celebrating Caldecotts

Image via RandophCaldecott.org.uk

Beginning in 1937, the ALA began awarding the prestigious Caldecott medal to the illustrator of America's "most distinguished picture book for children." The medal gets its name from Randolph Caldecott, an influential 19th century English illustrator. The image on the Caldecott medal comes from his illustrations for The Diverting History of John Gilpin, a poem written by William Cowper.  Check out the entire list of Caldecott winners and Honors (runners-up) and pick out your favorite!

Children and their families got to enjoy a special Caldecott-themed storytime and craft this past weekend.  It was a beautiful day so I had a low turn-out for the storytime, but I continued to have the kids do the craft throughout the day and they LOVED it!  I started out the storytime by pointing out the "shiny gold sticker" on each book, and explained that it was a very special award.  I asked them to pay close attention to each book's pictures, since that is what they won their award for.  I had a small group of very eager and interested participants.

Here is the lineup...

• Song: Hello, How Are You?
• Our "Hello" song.
• Book: A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Erin and Philip Stead (Winner, 2011)
• One of my personal favorites, a sleepy story that went over surprisingly well with the little ones.
• Song and Flannel: "I Went to the Zoo One Day" (sung to the tune of London Bridge)
• I went to the zoo one day, zoo one day, zoo one day, I went to the zoo one day and I saw a _________! (Use flannels of different zoo animals and have children identify each one you put up on the board.)
• Book: King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Don and Audrey Wood (Honor, 1986)
• Not as much of a hit as it has been in the past for preschool storytime, probably because this crowd was on the younger side and did not understand the story's silliness.
• Flannel: Rub a Dub Dub Three Bears in a Tub
• Bears are easier to make out of flannel than men!
• Book: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (Winner, 2005)
• Probably the favorite pick for this group, little kitten is so endearing.
• Flannel: Where is Kitten?
• Substituted a flannel kitten for Mouse in the House- this flannel is always a favorite.  By chance the kitten was in the last house picked, and I had the kids meow so that kitten would be less shy and come out of her hiding spot.  They were thrilled.
• Joseph Had an Overcoat by Simms Taback (Winner, 2000)
• Attention spans were wandering at this point.  I would try it again as a first book.
• Our Hands Say Thank You
• Our "Goodbye" song.

For our craft I had children make their own Caldecott books.  The prep work for this project was extremely high but I do believe it was worth the effort because I've never seen a craft go over so well! They were so very proud of their Caldecott creations.  I pre-made booklets out of construction paper and blank white paper, and glued color-printed cutouts of the Caldecott medal to AccuCut award ribbons.  It was their job to glue their award onto the book, and to write and/or color pictures to create their own Caldecott winning story.  We had a story about a kitten, a dog, a bird, and someone named "Crispy" who found a map.  "Reading" their stories as they beamed with pride was my favorite part of the day.