5 - 2020 - Kids

Riddle Me This

May 27, 2020/in Play/by Julia

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been inspired by the creativity and positive spirit of our community. One of my favorite examples of this is a house in my neighborhood that hangs a daily riddle, written in marker on white paper, on their front door. My family is always eager to see what the new riddle will be and to test our collective wits.

In this spirit, I encourage you to try these brainteasers from Riddles at Home by Lisa Regan, part of the Riddle Me This! series, available on Hoopla at the time of this post (pages 7, 12).

Try this! Make your own riddle

1. Choose an answer
For example, choose an animal, a famous book character, or an object from your house.

2. Write down a few clues that describe your answer
Can you think of creative ways to describe it? What does it look, feel, smell, taste, sound like?
Add a second part to some of your sentences that starts with “but not.” For example, I am tall, but not large.

3. Share your riddle!
Can you stump your friends or family members?

4. Ready to take it up a notch?
Check out these wordplay tips from Reading Rockets!

Looking for more puzzles, brainteasers, and riddles? Take a peek at these activities from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Riddle One Answer

Riddle Two Answer

Stories Aloud: Friday Night Wrestlefest

May 22, 2020/in Read/by YS Librarian

It’s time for FRIDAY NIGHT WRESTLEFEST by J. F. Fox! Enjoy this spirited telling of our newest Stories Aloud with Miss Riss.

Stories Aloud: My Toothbrush is Missing

May 15, 2020/in Read/by YS Librarian

Help Miss Riss get to bottom of this case of the missing toothbrush. Enjoy My Toothbrush is Missing by Jan Thomas!

Preschool STEM: Resources

May 13, 2020/in Learn, Read/by Alisha

If you’re looking for some fun and interactive experiments to introduce, expand, or enhance your kids’ knowledge in the areas of STEAM (or if you’re simply looking for a fun afternoon project!), check out this great selection of STEAM activity e-books through Hoopla. Look for the “Learning with STEAM” categories. There are activity books for young children through teen to support Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. E-materials may be checked out from Hoopla with your Eau Claire library card.

Quick Links

Try-It Tray: Toilet Paper Roll Book Festival

May 11, 2020/in Learn, Play/by YS Librarian

Have you ever heard of an edible book festival? The library has hosted a few. You make a cake inspired by a favorite book. A few photos from past library festivals are shown here.

Well, I’m no baker, but I do like crafts. I decided to take a common household recyclable—the toilet paper roll—and see if I could turn that into a representation of a favorite book. First I made a hobbit house to celebrate the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which my daughter and I are reading aloud right now. See the round door?

Then I made another. And another. Then my daughter made a few. So, what we really have here is The Shire!

Now it’s your turn to use your imagination! Bake a cake. Turn a toilet paper roll into Pete the Cat. Or Jack and Annie’s treehouse. Are you having trouble imagining how to do that? No worries. Just give your child a toilet paper roll and whatever materials you can find, from extra buttons to sticks in the yard. Kids can do amazing things, and they really like trying!

Whatever you do, send your pictures to us—we’d love to see them. Send us your project photos via email or post them to our Facebook page. They may end up in our Community Photo gallery!

Parent Play & Learn: Make a Wish

May 6, 2020/in Learn, Play/by Jerissa

May there always be…wishes!

For the month of May, Jim Gill—an award-winning children’s musician—is collecting wishes from children around the country which he will share while performing his song “May There Always Be Sunshine” on his YouTube channel.

To participate in this special opportunity, start by talking with your child about their favorite things. What people, places, activities, and objects do they love? What makes those things special? Then, invite them to select their favorite thing to complete the sentence “May there always be….” Have your child write (or help them write) their sentence on a piece of paper, and encourage them to draw a picture about it.

View the explanation of the activity on Jim Gill’s YouTube channel.

Find the complete instructions under the News section of Jim Gill’s website.

Early Literacy Connection

Serve-and-return or back-and-forth conversations with children are brain-building activities. While you talk to them, they are exercising their listening and comprehension skills, and when they talk to you, they are building their capacity for expressive vocabulary. Early writing strengthens fine-motor skills, letter knowledge, and helps children understand that print on a page is associated with spoken language.

We’d love to see your wishes! Email your photos to Youth Services and we may feature them on our Community Photo gallery.

Preschool STEM: Flashlight Assembly

May 6, 2020/in Learn/by Alisha

Engineering is all about finding out how things are built and why. Explore the inside of a flashlight with your kids!

Flashlight Assembly: Activity & Conversation Starters

Sometimes trial and error is the best way to see what works and what doesn’t! Take time to explore the flashlight and all of its parts.

1. Take apart a flashlight and see what’s inside. How do you think this flashlight works?

2. Let’s put the flashlight back together again.

3. Explore! It is ok if the battery isn’t put in the right direction the first time. This allows the chance for problem solving!

4. Time to play! What games can you play with a flashlight? How about flashlight tag or “I Spy” in the dark? Or build a blanket fort (another engineering project!) and read a bedtime story with a flashlight in the fort.

Have fun!

Click for printable instructions (pdf)

Scavenger Hunt: Characters

May 4, 2020/in Play/by YS Librarian

Scavenger Hunt @ Home: Book, Movie, and TV Characters

Hello, library families! Are you searching for fun family activities to do at home, especially as the weather turns cooler and rainier this week? Try this fun indoor scavenger hunt! I’ve included prompts for talking, playing, and writing for various ages, just as I do in the Play and Learn at the library in order to bring a bit of the library home to you. Have fun! We’d love to see a picture of you and your character treasures, so be sure to email us with how your scavenger hunt @ home went.

For this scavenger hunt, I searched all over my house for objects relating to 1) book characters and, 2) movie and television characters. Maybe you could try that, too? Or go on an “I Spy” scavenger hunt with the pictures below.

Scavenger Hunt 1: Book Characters

• How many objects relating to book characters did you find at your home? Make a list!

• Tell the story about where a favorite object came from

OR

• How many objects relating to book characters do you see here? Count them up!

• Which book character is your favorite?

• Do you see the gold ring? Do you know who it belongs to?

Scavenger Hunt 2: Movie and Television Characters

• How many objects relating to movie/television characters did you find at your home? Make a list!

• Use the objects and your imagination to act out a new scene or write a piece of fanfiction.

OR

• How many objects relating to movie and television characters do you see here?

• Which movie or television character is your favorite?

• That is a very special dolphin in the picture! Do you know her name?

Read This: The Strangers

May 2, 2020/in Read/by YS Librarian

We have a new Read This personality this week: Julia, from Youth Services, has a great recommendation perfect for upper-elementary and middle school readers.

The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix is available for download at Wisconsin’s Digital Library or Hoopla with your Eau Claire library card. Happy reading!

Stories Aloud: Max Speed