Tuesday, March 31, 2020

TumbleBooks! - eBooks for eKids!


TumbleBooks is offering their ebook databases TumbleBookLibrary, TumbleMath, and TeenBookCloud FREE to all public libraries for a limited time. Check out some great stories (and videos!) by using the links below!

TumbleBookLibrary




TumbleMath






TeenBookCloud





Saturday, March 21, 2020

How Well Do You Know Your Library Director?

So, after decades, Library Director Nancy Wood is retiring this spring. Well, she's hoping for spring but with this virus thing, is anything certain anymore? Anyway, we thought it would be fun to have a little contest called, How Well Do You Know Your Library Director?

Find the 1-letter answer to the following 10 questions. Either comment on the Facebook post about this (only the How Well Do You Know Your Director? post) with your ten letters, like this:

Junie B. Jones
ABCDABCDAB

OR - email your answers in the same format - 10 letter answers - to richmondprograms@gmail.com


YOU MUST HAVE ONLY 10 LETTERS FOR YOUR ANSWERS TO COUNT SO DOUBLE-CHECK!

CONTEST ENDS SUNDAY 3/22/20 AT 8PM (THAT IS TOMORROW FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW OR CARE)


1. Nancy started working at RML in what year?

A. 1986

B. 1977

C. 1993

D. 1919

2. Nancy has how many children?

A. None

B. Two

C. Seven

D. 15 children and 14 dogs


3. When Nancy was hired she not only did she manage the library, but she also did story time.
A. True

B. False

C. Did they have storytime in the Dark Ages?

D. I don't know so I will choose D



4. After 27 years, what is she going to miss the most about RML?
A. The library staff

B. The customers & questions

C. Ordering Books

D. All of the above (+ her amazing Children's Librarian the most)


5. Nancy previously worked at which library?
A. Welles- Turner Memorial Library

B. New Britain Public Library

C. No experience, we hired her right out of high school

D. Both A&B


6. Nancy's Inner Sanctum, aka her office, has what stuffed animal on top of the cabinet?
A. Chicken

B. Dog

C. Leftover Santa from the Holiday Auction

D. The petrified body of the former Library Director


7. Nancy's favorite activity is:
A. Reading

B. Biking

C. Eating popcorn or chocolate (sometimes burning one in the microwave)

D. All of the above


8. Nancy's most exciting day at the library was:

A. The day Author Jim Trelease (The Read-Aloud Handbook) stopped by (we think he had to use the restroom, but it was still exciting)

B. The day the library flooded!

C. The day RML was named to the HAPLR list, as one of the top 100 libraries in the U.S. for under 10,000 population!

D. All of these, plus the day we dialed into the Internet. Ok, so it wasn't the Internet as we now know it, but hey, a 2400 baud modem, we were rockin'!!!


9. Nancy prides herself on doing any job that needs to be done.

What’s the one job she won’t do?

A. Planting the planters

B. Anything that has to do with the men’s room

C. Shoveling the walk

D. Cleaning the staff refrigerator!


10. What makes her laugh:
A. The time the squirrel came into the library

B. Mike imitating the Internet fishing guy who thought he had caught a whale

C. Any First Selectman, when talking about the library budget

D. All of these things

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Storytime: Senses - 2s



Books:

Crash! Boom! A Math Tale by Robie H. Harris
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr.
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett
Too Pickley! by Jean Reidy
What the Ladybug Heard by Julia Donaldson
Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli
 
Songs/Fingerplays:

Touch Game
Five Little Monkeys
Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes
Splendid Senses (Bear Went Over the Mountain tune)

Activities: 
I set up 4 Sensory Stations around the room after stories. One represented 'hard', another 'soft' and another was a ball-rolling game. The last - and most popular - were the bins full of beads they could funnel, sort, dig and hunt for things in.

Flannelboard:

Guessing: pictures of things like food, flowers, and a dog. Which of our senses do we use for this?

Storytime: Bears & Berries

I'm currently doing a 2s Storytime at one library, and a 3-5 Storytime at another. So in order to maintain some sanity, I'm trying to pick one theme for both each week and adapt it for the different ages. Some of my 2s are REALLY little and some of my 5s are already in school.

Books:



The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson
 
Songs/Fingerplays:

'A Little Brown Bear'
'Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear'

To the tune of 'Pop Goes the Weasel'

"All around the strawberry fields, we picked some juicy berries.
We brought them home and washed them off,
Pop! Go the berries!" (jump up)

(blueberry, blackberry, huckleberry, raspberry, make up a pretend berry)

Activities: 
With the 2s, I brought out colored pom-poms and handed out the ones that were red, blue or purple to keep with the 'berry' theme. We used them with a few songs on our 'Shakers' playlist.

Flannelboard:

Ten in a Bed
Find the Berries Hidden Under the Bears! (older kids)

Craft (3-5s):
I cut out some bears using the Cricut machine and had the older kids color them in and glue to paper. then they used sponges on sticks to add berry bushes.






Saturday, March 7, 2020

Storytime: Colors 2

Storytime: Colors 2


I'm currently doing a 2s Storytime at one library, and a 3-5 Storytime at another. So in order to maintain some sanity, I'm trying to pick one theme for both each week and adapt it for the different ages. Some of my 2s are REALLY little and some of my 5s are already in school.


Books:


 Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Little Owl's Orange Scarf by Tatyana Feeney
Five Green and Speckled Frogs by Priscilla Burris
Yellow is My Color Star by Judy Horacek
Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.
Mouse Paint! by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Freight Train by Donald Crews 
 Songs/Fingerplays:
  
Driving Round in My Car (10 Little Indians), credit: Storytime Katie

If Your Clothes Haves Any Red

If your clothes have any red, Put your finger on your head.
If your clothes have any blue, Put your finger on your shoe,
If your clothes have any green, Wave your hand so that you're seen.
If your clothes have any yellow, Smile like a happy fellow,
If your clothes have any brown, Turn your smile into a frown,
If your clothes have any black, Put your hands behind your back.
If your clothes have any white, Stamp your feet with all your might



2s Activity:
A while back I made these laminated 'dogs' to use with Dog's Colorful Day. I've tried crayons (not great) and markers (depends on the kind) but the funnest and best thing to use on them is playdough. Make your own or used the canned stuff. The kids love getting dog dirty and clean again!



3-5s Craft:
My co-worker made extra Sheep for her storytime and gave me the leftovers! We added lots of green things (crayons, chalk, glitter, stickers). This is a good one to do around St. Patrick's Day too.

Storytime: Things That Go

I'm currently doing a 2s Storytime at one library, and a 3-5 Storytime at another. So in order to maintain some sanity, I'm trying to pick one theme for both each week and adapt it for the different ages. Some of my 2s are REALLY little and some of my 5s are already in school.

Books:


 Fire Truck by Peter Sis
Boats Go by Steve Light
The Bus Is For Us! by Michael Rosen
Freight Train by Donald Crews
A Truck Goes Rattley Bumpa by Jonathan London
Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia
 
Songs/Fingerplays:

Wheels on the Bus
Where Is Fire Truck? (to tune of Thumbkin)
Zoom Zoom Zoom, I'm Off to the Moon
I'm A Windshield Wiper
Hurry, Hurry Drive the Fire Truck

Activities: 
Green Means Go! (Jbrary)
Car Wash (scarves and bubbles)
Things that Go stickers on paper


Craft for older kids:



Storytime: Leaves & Ladybugs

I'm currently doing a 2s Storytime at one library, and a 3-5 Storytime at another. So in order to maintain some sanity, I'm trying to pick one theme for both each week and adapt it for the different ages. Some of my 2s are REALLY little and some of my 5s are already in school.

Books:

 The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
What the Ladybug Heard by Julia Donaldson
 
Songs/Fingerplays:

Down, Down, Yellow and Brown

Activities: 

  
Flannelboard:

The Letter 'L'

Add Spots on the Ladybug















Flannelboard:

The Letter 'L'
Add Spots on the Ladybug