Time to Plant!

 This week's take-home craft is a kit for starting sunflower seeds. In the take-home kit, you’ll find a paper cup, a small bag of potting soil, and an envelope. Inside the envelope are some spring stickers and four sunflower seeds. Use the peel-and-stick stickers to decorate the outside of the cup. Then plant the seeds in the cup and put it somewhere where your child can water it and watch the plants grow. After a few weeks, move them to the garden or to a bigger pot. They can get tall pretty fast!

Alternatively, you can plant them directly in the ground. They should germinate at about the same rate with the warm weather we've been having. I think I'll add a plant marker to the kit!

Spring!

I think it's finally Spring! Those trees that had flowers last week are getting leaves this week! Hooray for Spring!

This week's take-home craft is a flower arrangement on a cup. Each flower is made from two white circles, colored or cut, with a pipe cleaner glued between them. Twisty pipe cleaner stems make the flowers look "Spring-y"! The cup can be decorated using the special-cut paper in the kit. A cute spring arrangement for someone special!

Happy Spring!

Poetry, and a Poet-Tree!

April is Poetry Month and April 29th is Poem In Your Pocket Day - a day to carry a favorite poem and to share it with others. Since I can't share a poem from my pocket this year, I'll share one of my favorites with you here on the blog. 

I love Jack Prelutsky (what kid doesn't?) and this is one of my favorite poems by him - perfect for Spring weather! You can read it here...or listen to it here (sung by one of my favorite musicians Natalie Merchant!)... or watch an animated version here!

It's a very silly poem, but I like it because it's cleverly written - and it's about ice cream!

And, since it's Poetry Month, this week's take home craft is a Spring (Poet) Tree! Up until a few weeks ago, many trees here looked like this one:

Now, after a few weeks of warm weather and a little rain, some trees look like this:

Lots of trees get flowers in the Spring. Sometimes they're green so you think they must be leaves - but if you look carefully, you'll see tiny or odd-shaped little flowers that appear before the leaves. Take a walk, and go look at a tree! See how it's growing. 

Then, make your own Spring tree with our take-home kit: a paper plate, a sturdy brown paper trunk, and some thin strips of brown paper to snip or tear into branches. You can color the plate first if you want, or make some grass, or a blue sky. Then make the tree and add tissue paper "flowers" or "leaves" with the tiny tissue squares in the kit. A little Springtime for your wall or your refrigerator door!

Nesting Time

Here's this week's take-home craft, just in time for Spring weather. Made of paper with real-but-fake feathers, some birds in a nest. All pieces are in the kit, and circles can be used to make two 2-part birds or four birds with one part only. The brown paper is fun to shred and can be used to add texture to the nest shape. Call or email if you'd like a kit. 

My favorite "nest" story is The Perfect Nest, by Catherine Friend. It's also one of my favorite read-alouds, because there are so many different voices to be made. It's another book where the detail in the pictures is important to the story, and I couldn't manipulate the book well enough to film it while reading it myself. So here's someone else's very good rendition of this very funny story!

March on: Rabbits!

MARCH of the Animals wraps up with a "HOP"! A Spring rabbit made of an envelope - with a hidden space and some fancy paper for a message or a drawing to surprise someone special. All the materials are enclosed in the envelope! You just need a glue stick and some imagination!

And here's the read aloud for this week - about Jasper the Rabbit, who loves carrots - until he meets a new kind of carrot!!

MARCH of the Animals: Elephants!

March of the Animals month continues, this week with elephants! I love this week's story, Elmer by David McKee. It's about a very different elephant who gets tired of his looks and what happens when he tries to change his appearance.  Such a cute story!

All the elephants of the jungle were gray except Elmer, who was a patchwork of brilliant colors - until the day he got tired of being different and making the other elephants laugh.

I'm always so interested to watch authors reading their own books. They know exactly how they wanted their writing to sound! And David McKee has a wonderful British accent! Check it out!

I also wanted to find some elephant facts and video, since elephants are so magnificent to watch. I wanted to be sure to link to an expert, and have decided that World Wildlife Federation is it. Here's the link to their elephant information: https://www.worldwildlife.org/media?page=2&species_id=elephant

And here is this week's craft - it's a black & white Elmer, to color as your child sees fit, and it's seen here with some of the other Elmer books we have in the Children's Room. Give us a call if you want an Elmer book and a coloring paper or click here to print out Elmer at your house!

MARCH of the Animals: Dogs!

 So I added this one animal to the list because there was story I wanted to read. It's sooo funny!! After you watch the read-aloud, make your own little dog craft with one of this week's take-home kits. Lots of coloring, some cutting, and easy to put together. Arf!

And here's the funny read-aloud story: Bark, George! I really did crack up the first time I read it!

MARCH of the Animals: Giraffes!

At the request of a young patron, this week's focus is giraffes! Check out the read-aloud below, and make your own little dancing giraffe with this week's craft kit. Call or email if you want us to put one in the Curbside Bin for your little animal lovers!

MARCH of the Animals. Week 1: Cats!

MARCH of the Animals has begun! This week: CATS, and here's our Take-Home project. Each kit has pre-cut white card stock pieces, a black paper for cutting features (if you want), and a sheet of directions if you need them. You child will need crayons or markers, a glue stick, and maybe scissors (or someone to cut for them). Lots of options for customization with this craft! Call or email if you'd like one delivered to the Curbside Bin.

MARCH of the Animals

It's almost a new month, it's almost March! That's the month that we hope comes in like a LION and goes out like a LAMB. Let's focus on animals this month! There are five Mondays in March, so we could have a take-home animal craft kit (and an animal story read-aloud, if I can find one) for each new week. I have some ideas already, but I'd love to hear from you. In the comments below, tell me which animals you would like to see included in our "Animal March"!

photo by KBicknell

Snowflakes!

If you're like me, you've been dreaming of Spring! But we know realistically that winter will be here at least for a few weeks longer. So this week's take-home craft is coffee filter snowflakes - because they're fun for all ages, they can be enhanced with the addition of color, and they can be as simple or as intricate as you like. And because some of the most beautiful snowflakes fall as winter ends. The kit has folding and cutting instructions and eight flat (ironed!) coffee filters. Let us know if you need more and, as always, we'd love to see your creations. 

Here's one of my favorite read-aloud stories to go along with this week's craft. This book is set in Vermont, it's about a little boy with a big dream, and it's illustrated by one of my favorite New England artists. And, I just realized this: while filming, I did not answer a math question! The first patron to find it and post the correct answer in the comments gets a free book! 

Mid-February Craft Kits for Kids

Do you want to build a snowman? This week's craft kits will give you some materials to make your own snowy picture to hang on your door, your fridge, or a wall. It's filled with felt circles, paper scraps, pompoms, pieces of ribbon, and cotton so your child can create their own snowy scene! As always, we would love to see photos of the finished creations. Call the library or email us for a kit!

Speaking of snow, forty-plus years ago New England saw the Blizzard of '78. I'm not sure what it was like here in NH, but in Massachusetts we had almost four feet of snow. I was a first grade teacher at the time with a 3 year old at home. I went to bed wondering if we'd have school the next day and woke up to more snow than I'd seen in a long time! We didn't go back to school for two weeks!

John Rocco has written a children's book based on his experiences as a 10 year-old during this very blizzard. We have the book here at the library if you want to read it! There's a read-aloud of it, here - and it's not me!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IPmDmXzT1o

A 💖 Story for Valentine's Day!

It's almost Valentine's Day, so here's a story about LOVE - from a cute little dog's point of view! 

You can make your own cute little Valentine puppy if you call or email for a kit from the library, or maybe you can just cut your own hearts at home! You saw mine. I just moved the hearts around until I found a dog face I loved, then I glued all the pieces to the black paper. I also gave him some crayon spots on his cute little ears! 

Happy Valentine's Day! 💖

Groundhog Day: Books, Craft, and Shadow Art!

It's February! Will Groundhog see his shadow? We have groundhog books and a groundhog craft kit for your children available Curbside. Call or email for a kit to make your groundhog puppets. Add your own flashlight for some Groundhog shadow fun! And speaking of shadows, there are some really neat ideas for shadow art at this website....easy to do with a lamp and some toys. I bet kids would love it - check it out! 

Look! A happy young patron!! Thank you for the photo!

Penguin Project!

 A new take-home craft this week! All materials are in the bag for your child to make a paper penguin, complete with googly eyes, icy-colored sequins, and a fish dinner! Since this is not at all what a real penguin looks like, there are also links to two short made-for-kids videos of penguins you can watch with your family. In addition, below are a few penguin titles you might want to check out. So email or call if you're interested and we will put your book and kit requests in the curbside bin at the lower level entrance. By the way, we still have a few painting kits from last week!

Flight School by Lita Judge. Little Penguin, who has the "soul of an eagle," enrolls in flight school.

Little Penguin Gets The Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley.  A little penguin enlists the help of the reader to get rid of his major hiccups.

Love, Mama by Jeanette Bradley. When Mama leaves her young penguin Kipling, he knows she'll return home soon - yet he still can't help but miss her.

Penguin and Little Blue by Megan McDonald.  For Penguin and Little Blue, home is far, far away and they are missing it and all their feathered friends. But how can they escape show business to reach Antarctica?

Playful little penguins by Tony Mitton. While enjoying a full day of their favorite activities, a group of young penguins helps a baby seal that has been separated from her mother.

Virgil & Owen by Paulette Bogan. Virgil the penguin finds a polar bear and tries to claim it as his own, but the polar bear wants to splash with the terns, slide with the seals, twirl with all the penguins, and be called by his name--Owen.

Penguins! by Gail Gibbons. Describes the habitat, physical characteristics, and behavior of different kinds of penguins.

Penguins. by Seymour Simon. Penguin facts from an acclaimed science writer and detailed photos from expert photographers. A book geared to older children, but you could read and discuss with a younger one.

Christmas Tree Craft

For this week's take-home craft, we’re making a simple two-sided Christmas tree decoration. There are three steps to this craft - covering a cardboard triangle with foil, collaging over the foil with tissue paper, and finally bedazzling the tree with jewels and sequins. Your child will need glue, scissors, crayons, and some patience (or help!) turning a gold disc into a tree topper. Directions and all the materials are included in this week's take-home craft kit. Give us a call or email to let us know how many kits you'd like to pick up curbside. Quantities are limited! That said, we have a couple of Advent calendar chain kits left from last week - and we even have a leftover moose kit if you'd like to make a Christmoose! 🤣

Let us know too if you'd like some holiday books - we have lots!

December Holidays!

Does your family celebrate a big holiday in December?  There are lots of special days!  Hanukkah starts December 10th, Las Posadas begins December 16th, Christmas is December 25th, and Kwanza starts December 26. The Yule, or the Winter Solstice (the longest night of the year!) is December 21st. And there are more! This week’s craft will help your child see the number of days left until your family's BIG DAY!

Kids connect lots of colorful or sparkly loops, with one for every day of December leading up to your holiday. Each day, they remove the bottom loop. When the loops are gone, it's time to celebrate!

Contact the library for your kit(s), available to pick up from the Curbside Bin. December starts tomorrow!! 

Thanksgiving Dinner

Even though Thanksgiving this year will not be our traditional celebration, I'm trying to find ways to make it a memorable one for my family. This week's craft is a way for your child to take part in the planning and preparation of your special day by making place cards for each person at your table. Craft bags this week contain cut-out white cardstock oak leaf shapes, tiny paper leaves, stickers, and stick-on gems. All your child needs is crayons, markers, or paints, a glue stick, and imagination! Give the library a call or email us so we'll know how many leaves you need in your child's craft bag. We'll gather them up, get back in touch with you, and we'll leave the kits for you at our Curbside location.  We also have several craft bags left from last week if kids in your house would like to make a turkey!

Maybe your child would like to help with food preparation. Here are a few websites with easy recipes for kids - there are lots more online!

Two Ingredient Cream Biscuits: https://addapinch.com/two-ingredient-cream-biscuit-recipe/#axzz30oMVd89O

Apple Pie Bites (I'm going to make these myself!)

https://theblondcook.com/apple-pie-bites/print/18012/#respond

Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix

https://thenovicechefblog.com/wp-json/mv-create/v1/creations/409/print

Calls for a bag of Candy Corn or Harvest Mix but I bet you don’t need it. 

Butter!

My favorite thing to make with kids is butter! Heavy cream in a jar, shaken vigorously for several minutes. Just past the whipped cream(!) stage, the cream will separate into a lump of butter and a bit of buttermilk. Take out the lump, mix in a little salt, and put it in a small bowl on your table. Believe me, your child will be so proud when that butter is passed for rolls, potatoes, etc. If you need a recipe, there's one here: https://buggyandbuddy.com/make-butter/

Want a read-aloud story with a recipe to follow? We have several in the Children's Room! 

Pancakes pancakes by Eric Carle, with a recipe for pancakes. 

Cranberry Thanksgiving by Harry Devlin and Wende Devlin featuring "Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread" 

Amelia Bedelia’s first apple pie has a recipe for apple pie. 

Bear and chicken - make "Bear’s vegetable soup"

The Mitten, with a recipe for Grandma’s delicious hot cocoa.

The gingerbread man, with a recipe for gingerbread cookies!

Pumpkin Soup!: with a recipe for that! 

Soup Day: make delicious "Snowy day vegetable soup" 

And we have two books with pie recipes...

How to make a cherry pie and see the USA

How to make an apple pie and see the world

This year, I am thankful that our community is supporting the library and each other. I'm thankful that kids have resources and adults who are committed to helping them grow and learn in and outside of school. I'm thankful that there is hope for a time when we can all be together again as we were before.

Have a safe and a memorable holiday with your family.

Time for Turkey!

There's a new craft kit for kids this week, available for Curbside Pickup now. Here's the start of it - all these pieces are in the kit along with long paper strips to attach to the back for feathers. Kids need crayons, scissors, a glue stick, and some imagination to make this turkey for display at your house! We also have some Thanksgiving books - search our catalog HERE or tell us your child's age and we can pick a few for you. Just call us or email and we'll save a kit for you. I also have a few moose kits left if you'd rather have a moose for Thanksgiving!

Make a Moose!

I had so much fun reading our new children's book, Jefferson Measures a Moose by Mara Rockliff, that I wanted a craft to go with it. And here it is: a moose puppet in a take-home bag with all pieces and directions included. Aren't those unbleached coffee filter antlers funny? 

Let us know if you'd like to request a kit or two for your children and maybe a moose book to go with it - here's what we have:

Moose Tracks by Karma Wilson
If you Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
This is a Moose by Richard Morris
This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
Z is for Moose by Kathy Bingham
Jefferson Measures a Moose by Mara Rockliff

Email library@newhampton.org or call us 677-3740 and we'll deliver a kit and books to you curbside!