Spring is here! Take a deep breath and enjoy the fresher air and fleeting moments of sunlight… and notice the little bugs that have come out of hiding! We can’t bring you a Take & Make kit, but we can suggest this fun buggy craft that the whole family can get in on!
Of course literacy has everything to do with reading… but your child can do a whole lot of literacy learning before they can actually read! The best pre-reading activity you can do with your baby or toddler is to enjoy a book together, whether you read all the words or not. Making books and reading a cozy experience with a loved one will help kids associate reading with happiness and fun.
Are you working on 1000 Books Before Kindergarten? Keep going! This program is still running even if the library is closed, and you can count absolutely everything anyone read with your child – even ebooks!
The battle is on! Just because you’re not in school right now doesn’t mean the Richardson-Olmsted Battle of the Books can’t continue! In collaboration with your 4th grade teachers, we are presenting the RO Battle of the Books online.
This year, due to our special circumstances, the Battle is open for voting by all RO students in grades 3, 4, or 5! Click here to find out more!
Contact kids@amesfreelibrary.org with any questions.
Bored yet? Try board games! Playing board games is a great way to spend time with kids… and work on literacy, math, and social skills in the process! Reading cards or spaces, counting die pips or spaces moved, and taking turns are all useful skills. Take a break from the screens and spend some quiet time together (or not-so-quiet, depending on the game!).
Looking for something to do while stuck inside? Need something to read? Check out Teen Book Cloud, an online database with ebooks, audio books, and even graphic novels! Including classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, and numerous Shakespeare plays. Thanks to Tumblebooks, our library has access to this resource through the end of August. Visit the library's downloads page and scroll down to access this resource.
As we introduced last week, Early Literacy is what a child knows about reading or writing long before he or she can actually read or write. One part of this knowledge is simply hearing and learning spoken language. Singing is such an excellent way to share new words with babies, toddlers, and even preschoolers!
Missing the library about now? We are too! But you can keep reading – there are always old favorites to revisit, maybe new books at home you’ve never read, and, of course, ebooks through Hoopla, Overdrive, and Libby.
Our first featured author spotlight is on Kate Klise, AFL favorite and frequent visitor! Each summer, Ms. Klise visits Easton and stays in the library’s own Queset House. She offers writing workshops for all ages, and sometimes might even get a little of her own writing done during her stay!
