S.T.E.A.M. Storytime/Craft : Valentine's Day & Friendship -- Clarence Dillon Public Library

 

STEAM Story Time & Craft

School Age S.T.E.A.M. Storytime & Craft: Valentine's Day & Friendship

 Wednesday February 5th   4:30-5:30 p.m.

(geared to ages 5-9, but older/younger siblings are welcomed - most of the kids were between 3 & 6 today)

Join us as we share stories about kindness, then create geometric cut paper valentines for our friends and family members.

Opened with a book about a shadow friend (a nod to this week's Groundhog's Day)

Read: I have a Friend by Keiko Narahashi (great figurative language) 
(Science snippet: talk about when shadows are short and long -- midday & ends of day because of the position of the sun.)

Action Song: I Am Your Shadow by Carol Simon Levin (Tune: “I'm A Little Teapot”)

I am your shadow, short and fat,
Lift up your hand, I can do that,
Lift up your foot, I'll do that too,
I do anything that you do.

I am your shadow, long and thin,
Put your finger to your chin,
Then watch me, I do that too,
I do anything that you do!

More Shadow Songs & Stories here: https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Shadows

Book: The Other Side -- Jacqueline Woodson -- the story of two girls, one black and one white, who overcame segregation  (represented by a dividing fence in their town) to cleverly find a way to play together.  

Group today was too young for Sister Anne’s Hands – Marybeth Lorbiecki – Beautifully-written & illustrated story of a black nun who comes to all-white school to teach – history, heart, and humor – including counting buttons on underwear!  For more funky math problems, check out the website www.bedtimemath.com.  Includes handprint art project:

Book/Song: This Little Light of Mine illustrated by E.B. Lewis – with hand motions

More Black History Month ideas; https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Black%20History%20Month

Book: My Friend Rabbit – Eric Rohmann (Caldecott Winner - talked about the award, author/illustrator definition)  sometimes friends drive us crazy! - kids loved this silly book

Book: My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall  --> Valentine crafts 

(supplies: construction paper, children's scissors, hole punches, glue sticks, markers)

More Valentine's Day ideas: https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Valentine%27s%20Day

CDPL 2.5.25

Literacy Volunteers/Middle Earth "Soup's On"

 Participatory Stories & Songs: Soup & Thanksgiving

Asked about everyone's favorite kinds of soup, then opened with a very strange recipe:

Book: Monkey Soup by Louis Sachar (child makes her father a special kind of soup to help get him well – silly! -- Don't try this at home! )   

Song/Flannel:  "Alphabet Soup" by Tom Chapin (another silly recipe, reinforces alphabet, lyrics here: Soup's On)

 

Book: Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt (how to handle a "bad day" - could also make "Mean Cheerios!")

Interactive story with props (pot, puppets, & veggies): Stone Soup  (Participatory storytelling, mentioned old story many variants – I use the Ann McGovern version with old lady and young man - script here: Soup's On)

Book/Cards/Song: Chicken Soup with Rice – Maurice Sendak, tune by Carole King from “Really Rosie” (audio & video available, concept: the names of the months, lyrics here: Soup's On)

Craft: decorating potholders with fabric markers, then concluded with a "snowball fight" (details here) on this cold evening!

School Age S.T.E.A.M. Storytime & Craft: The "Wright" Stuff

 

School Age S.T.E.A.M. Storytime & Craft: The "Wright" Stuff

(geared to ages 5-9, but older/younger siblings are welcomed)

Wednesday January 8th 4:30 p.m. Registration Required.

Join us as we share a story about the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, then explore the geometry of his designs, a fantasy house, and create some buildings and designs of our own.

As kids entered, had assorted coloring sheets of his buildings and windows from the internet as well as pages photocopied from Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids: His Life & Work along with books on architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright to browse (including some adult “coffee table” books to look at pictures).

Opened by asking if anyone knew what architect/architecture was?  Said we’d be reading a book about an architect who some consider America’s best.  Man who loved shapes…had kids look for shapes on the cover of The Shape of the World (one kid even pointed out the rhombus = diamond!), notice what was on the end-papers – items from nature…

Read the book aloud then showed pictures of some of his famous buildings: Falling Water, The Johnson Wax building interior with the “lilypads”, Guggenheim – asked kids to respond with what shapes they saw.  Showed pictures of a few things he dreamed up but never built – future city with helicopters, mile high skyscraper. Then shared another book of imaginitive architecture If I Built A House by Chris Van Dusen

Booktalked Dreaming Up by Christy Hale (poems & children's versions of iconic buildings), The Wright 3 mystery,  Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids: His Life & Work.

“Design It” - encouraged kids to create their own Wright-inspired  designs or imagine a future city

• tables with coloring sheets, paper and cardboard, grid paper, pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers, rulers, scissors
• on the floor -- magnetiles, foam shapes, straws & connectors, Toobers &  Zots.

More ideas: https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2017/09/steam-storytimethe-wright-stuff.html

CDPL 1/2025

Winter Holiday Singalong: Bernardsville Library

 

Holiday Sing-Along (Need Easel, Promethean, Board and Musical Instruments)

Action Song:  You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song 

Flannelboards:  

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah 

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Candles

Action: Spin Little Dreidel, Turn Around

Flannelboards:  

I have a Little Dreidel

Flying on the North Wind

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Active Music Play (with videos - next time, use audio only, kids were too glued to video to participate very actively with instruments)

**Pass Out Musical Instruments**

Videos: 

Jingle Bells

Little drummer boy (omitted)

Feliz Navidad (omitted)

Deck the Halls

Singable book: The Marvelous Toy by Tom Paxton

Wish For Snow and a white holiday Break!

Videos: 

Frosty the Snowman (prefer singable book when I can get it)

Let it Go

Flannelboard: In the Freezer by Joe Scruggs

Snowball Fight Play – Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson

Goodbye/Wind Down - action songs

This Little Light of Mine 

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Sing, Sing a Song (clasp hands and make a circle - go in and out - sing louder 2nd time)

Distribute Stickers

Lyrics for the songs can be found at: 

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2015/01/singalong-winters-day.html

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/12/singalong-keep-spiritwinter-holiday.html

December 2024

Family Storytime/Craft "All Presents Accounted For" - Clarence Dillon Library

 

Family Storytime/Craft "All Presents Accounted For" - Clarence Dillon Library

Come join us for a STEM Story & Craft ---  Saturday 12/21  10:30

                         Ages 4 and up (siblings welcomed). Saturday, Dec. 21, 10:30 am

Join Carol Levin for a great story plus a fun wrapping paper & card craft afterwards!

Booktalked: Rabbit's Gift (A Fable from China) by George Shannon, Silver Packages (An Appalachian Story) by Cynthia Rylant, and Boxes for Katje (a story of American packages to Europe after WW2) - had kids vote for which one I should read. 

Read: Silver Packages by Cynthia Rylant

Song/Flannel pieces: He'll be coming round the mountain when he comes

Read (silly story): The Gift by Gabriela Keselman (a child's parents try to figure out what kind of gift could be big, strong, soft, sweet and other qualities...)

Song (silly verses): I had a little driedel, I made it out of clay... soap, ice, straw, etc.

Booktalked: Gifts by Jo Ellen Bogart (a grandmother brings her granddaughter gifts from all over the world - illustrations created from plasticine), The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Christmas Tree by David Rubin, Night Tree by Cynthia Rylant (a family decorates a tree  with edibles for the forest animals), December by Eve Bunting (a homeless mother and child experience a Christmas miracle), The Extraordinary Gift by Florence Langlois (celebrates all the marvelous imaginary things a kid can find in the pages of a book)

Singable Book: The Marvelous Toy by Tom Paxton

and, in celebration of today's snowfall:

Song/Flannel: In the Freezer by Joe Scruggs

Action Song: I'm a little snowman 

Plastic bag snowball fight to the song Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson 

Crafts: making wrapping paper with stamps & stamp pads, cards with stickers and markers

Lyrics: 

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2015/01/singalong-winters-day.html

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/12/singalong-keep-spiritwinter-holiday.html

More info on these books & themes: 

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Gifts%20and%20Giving

Making History - STEM Ideas to bring History to Life

  

Making History - STEM Ideas to bring History to Life

I was one of the participants in this NJ Makers Day Event, which brought together museum educators and librarians to share some of their ideas for interactive history.

A resource guide was compiled from those presentations - my slides are also reproduced below
(click on the Resource Guide link for full-sized slides & more info):

More info: https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Archaelogy

Ancient civilizations: 

More info: 

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Ancient%20Egypt

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Ancient%20Greece

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Ancient%20Rome%20%28Pompeii%29

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Chinese%20New%20Year

More “Picture This” program ideas:

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Art%20%26%20Artist%20Programs

More info:

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Architects

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Empire%20State%20Building

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Houses%20%20Homes%20and%20Habitats

More info: 

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Brooklyn%20Bridge

https://tellingherstories.com/school-visits/

https://tellingherstories.com

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Bridge-Building

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Aviators has many other programs 

I also have several Telling Her Stories programs on female aviators, details at www.tellingherstories.com & https://tellingherstories.com/school-visits/

Details & more ideas: 

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Engineering

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Eggs

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Houses%20%20Homes%20and%20Habitats

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Recycled%20Orchestra

Many more ideas:

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/S.T.E.A.M.%20Storytime%20Surprise

https://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/S.T.E.A.M.

www.tellingherstories.com

Making History: A History Focused Maker Event
Brought to you by the League of Historical Societies of NJ, LibraryLinkNJ, and NJ Makers Day
10/22/2024
Piscataway Public Library, Kennedy Branch
500 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854