Check out November’s upcoming teen Take n’ Go craft kits!
Teen craft 1:
Popsicle stick shelves, available for pickup starting Thursday November 5th.
Teen craft 2:
Magic circle crochet, available for pickup starting Thursday November 19th.
Can you find the “creepy creatures” in the night? These are the nocturnal animals that stay up at night and sleep during the day. You might go outside in the evening and, using your senses, discover which of these animals are creeping around your neighborhood.
Ages 2-5
Don’t shy away from informational or non-fiction books when sharing a story with your child. Children love to find out about the world around them and how things work. Even if you don’t read all the words, point out the illustrations and talk about them with your child.
Using an informational book about animals, sing, “There’s Something in the Nighttime,” with your child and have them fill in the noises. Then talk about where the animals live, what they eat, and when they sleep.
Describes various nocturnal animals and their nighttime activities, including the opossum, brown bat, and tree frog.
Three owl babies whose mother has gone out in the night try to stay calm while she is gone.
It’s daytime and night animals are all sleeping soundly. Well, all except for Possum. Skunk tries to be helpful, pointing out a cave, then a tree, then a den. But the more places Possum tries to sleep, the more night animals he wakes up.
What’s a witch to do when a rainstorm threatens the Halloween Parade? Make it fun, that’s what!
One little bat was trying to behave.
He hung upside down from his feet in a cave.
Another bat flew in, and said, “How do you do?”
The 2nd joined the first, and then there were 2!
2 little bats were trying to behave.
They hung upside down from their feet in a cave.
To help pass the time, they sang “Do re me”
Another bat joined the song, and then there were 3.
3 little bats were trying to behave
They hung upside down from their feet in a cave
From their cave perch, they looked down at the floor,
A new bat joined the game, and then there were 4.
4 little bats were trying to behave.
They hung upside down from their feet in a cave.
One little bat zoomed inside and did a dive.
He stayed to take a rest, and with him there were 5.
– www.Missbarbaraatthelibrary.blogspot.com
Two little hoot owls, sitting on a hill
One named Jack and the other named Jill
Fly away Jack! Fly away Jill!
Come back, Jack! Come back, Jill!
– www.Storytimekatie.com
(Modified from There’s something in my garden)
There’s something in the nighttime that I can’t really see.
There’s something in the nighttime, now what can it be?
Whoo, Whoo. Hear it’s funny sound? Whoo, Whoo. An Owl is what I found!
(Continue with other animals, I used an Owl, a cat, a mouse, and a skunk ‘Smell that funny smell? Sniff, sniff, A skunk! You sure can tell!’)
– www.Missbarbaraatthelibrary.blogspot.com
Make this owl paper bag puppet craft!
Mother Owl hears a mysterious noise in the night and tries to identify it.
Possum is hiding from the sounds in the night, and his fear sets off a chain reaction in the other night animals.
When Chester the raccoon is reluctant to go to kindergarten for the first time, his mother teaches him a secret way to carry her love with him.
After she falls headfirst into a bird’s nest, a baby bat is raised like a bird until she is reunited with her mother.
“Creepy” cats start with the letter “C”! For story time, we read about cats, sang about cats, and found a lot of cats in the bookshelves of the library. Try checking out some of the additional books listed below about how to take care of a cat. You can also watch the great video of Elijah Wood reading, “Me and my Cat.” Then practice spelling the word, C-A-T.
Ages 2-5
Giving your children paper and crayons, markers, or pencils when they can scribble is the beginning of early writing. It takes a lot of coordination to write. Scribbling and drawing are the beginning steps to writing. Posting your child’s work on the on the refrigerator or around the house will show her how proud you are of her efforts.
Read a story together about a cat. Then give your child drawing materials and ask her to “draw” the story again or some aspect of it.
Mr. Cat and Mr. Rat enjoy playing tricks on one another, but they discover true friendship after one receives a tasty gift that he believes is from the other.
Splat the Cat is determined to be the scariest cat in the class, but unfortunately his costume is more silly than scary.
Down around the corner at my mom’s pet store
Were six little cats and not one more
Along came someone with a nickel to pay
And they bought a cat and took it away!
– www.Literaryhoots.com
Six little kittens found a box of paint.
They jumped right in…their mother will faint!
The first little kitten came out all red.
“I’ll be orange,” the second kitten said.
The third little kitten turned bright yellow.
“I’ll be green,” said the next little fellow.
The fifth kitten said, “My favorite is blue.”
“Purple for me,” said the sixth with a mew.
Dancing home the kittens go
To show their mother a KITTEN RAINBOW!
– www.Literaryhoots.com
Make this bobblehead cat craft!
Explains the different types of cats to own as a pet and how to care for them.
When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it.
Late one night, an old lady in a pointed hat climbs through the window into Nicholas’ bedroom. She brandishes her broom, fires out some words, and then leaves as abruptly as she came. It’s puzzling at the time, but not nearly as puzzling as what happens the next day!
Learn the ancient art of gold leaf illumination. Pick up a kit with supplies and tools and develop an idea for your project before our online lesson is posted on October 16 at 7pm.
The tools in the kit will need to be returned, but we’ll let you keep them a week to experiment a bit on your own. A limited number of kits will be available beginning Monday, October 12.
This week in online story time, we learned a new letter, “C”, which is the first letter in the words, “Creepy Crawlies”. Have fun with creepy crawlies as you read books, go outside, and discover what insects and spiders do.
Ages 2-5
See the world: “Illustrations convey meaning and carry information, especially in non-fiction books where pages are often filled with commentary that is not in the text. Be sure to “read” your way around the pages-read and discuss the captions, tables, charts, and the information conveyed by the illustrations themselves.”
Help your child check out a junior non-fiction book from the library such as, “Creepy Crawlers.” Look at the illustrations or pictures first, and then “read” your way around the pages. Ask your child questions like, “Have you seen this before?” or “What does this look like to you?”
Describes unusual species of insects and spiders that have unique features and behaviors that help them adapt to their habitats.
I’m Trying to Love Spiders will help you see these amazing arachnids in a whole new light, from their awesomely excessive eight eyes, to the seventy-five pounds of bugs a spider can eat in a single year!
A ladybug invites the reader to play a game of “let’s pretend.”
Busy bee, Busy bee, where are you?
There you are, there you are!
How do you do?
Busy bee, busy bee, what do you do?
I build a hive and make honey
That’s what I do
Clever spider…
I spin a web and catch a fly
That’s what I do
Small red Ant…
I carry things heavier than me
That’s what I do
Ladybug…
I eat aphids all day long
That’s what I do
Caterpillar…
I eat lots of leaves so I can sleep
That’s what I do
Butterfly…
I pollinate summer flowers
That’s what I do
– Adapted from Nurseryrhymes.org
Here is the beehive,
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive. One…two…three…four…five!
Buzz…buzz…buzz…buzz…buzz.
Here is the beehive,
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch and you’ll see them land on the floor.
One…two…three…four!
Buzz…buzz…buzz…buzz.
Here is the beehive,
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the tree.
One…two…three! Buzz…buzz…buzz.
Here is the beehive, Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive. One…two…three…four…five.
Buzz…buzz…buzz…buzz…buzz.
Buzzzzzzzzz…they’ve all flown away!
– Nurseryrhymes.org
Make this hungry caterpillar craft!
A close-up look at 13 different types of caterpillars.
Die-cut pages reveal the scary and mean parts of a bullybug as it prepares to attack some itty-bitty baby bugs, but a rescuer arrives on the scene before the bully can make good on its threats.
Can you count all the insects? Check out this ebook on the StoryBerries website!
Offers a close look at baby insects.
A variety of different bugs compare their relative sizes while going on parade.
Check out our October kid and tween STEAM Take N’ Go kits below. Each will be available for pickup at the Youth Reference desk. Instructions will be available on our website and our YouTube channel.
Pumpkin Patch Marble Maze – available starting October 13
Learn about balance and gravity as you assemble a marble maze with paper, pom poms, and a paper plate.
Stained glass spiderweb craft – available starting October 276
Make colorful stained glass spiderwebs using tissue paper.
