Take a Walk with Us Through Middle Earth!

by Catherine Stanton | May 18, 2020 | Adult Arena, Blog, Kid's Corner, Teen Zone, Tween Scene | 9 comments

Take a Walk with Us Through Middle Earth!

A Walk Through Middle Earth

A 15 Week Journey: May 23 – September 7, 2020

Since the world is an uncertain place, we thought it would be fun to journey with some of our own favorite literary characters, and create our own Fellowship of Wanderers who journey throughout Madison County.

We’ll have some fun prizes, and everyone in the family can join in! Keep track of the miles you walk this summer. You may create your own log, or use ours. You can download a digital copy here, or pick up a paper version from the Library during our curbside pickup hours.

Remember, you may only count miles after you begin the challenge. Scroll down for full details.

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door … You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. Do you realize that this is the very path that goes through Mirkwood, and that if you let it, it might take you to the Lonely Mountain or even further and to worse places?

Bilbo Baggins

The Fellowship of the Ring

Pick Your Challenge!

Stroll Around the Shire

Walk 45 miles this summer = 3 miles per week

Visit the Ents in Fanghorn Forest

Walk 90 miles this summer = 6 miles per week

Climb Mount Doom

Walk 150 miles this summer = 10 miles per week

Rewards

After Every Challenge:

Pick up a coupon for a refreshing beverage at the “Shire Pub” (a 20 oz drink from Great Scott’s) after completing your stroll of 45 miles around the Shire, after walking 90 miles to the “Ents’ Spring,” and after your 150 mile trek up to the summit of Mt. Doom.

The week following Labor Day, turn in your log at the Library to show us how far you got. The five “Hobbits” with the top mileage in each age group will get a copy of a Tolkien novel. The three with the most mileage from all ages combined will get a boxed set of Lord of the Rings. The walker with the most miles overall will receive a Ring to Rule Them All.

Age Groups:

6-11
12-18
19-54
55 +

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring

Toddler Time and Book Babies – May 11 and 13, 2020

by Lauren Abbott | May 13, 2020 | Blog, Book Babies, Kid's Corner | 0 comments

Toddler Time and Book Babies – May 11 and 13, 2020

Toddler Time for ages 10 to 23 months – 9:45 am Mondays (May 11)

Book Babies for ages 0 to 9 months – 9:45 am Wednesdays (May 13)

Look down the tracks… the animal train is rolling by again this week, and what is that in the forest car? It’s a bear, an owl, and a skunk.

Welcome Songs

Here We Are Together

Here we are together, together, together!
Oh, here we are together in our library.
There’s (sing names)…
Here we are together in our library!

Hello Everybody

Hello everybody let’s clap our hands*,
clap our hands,
clap our hands.
Hello everybody let’s clap our hands today!

*pat our head, stretch up high, wiggle our fingers, tickle our knees, kick our feet, bounce up high!

S, T, R, W, P

(Sing while pointing to each finger on your child’s hand.)

Sing, talk, read, write, play!
Sing, talk, read write, play!
Sing, talk, read, write, play!
Sing, talk, read, write, play each day!

Books Presented

Bouncing and Diaper Changing Rhymes

Bouncing: Ride the Train

(Tune: Row, Row Your Boat)
Ride, ride, ride the train
Up and down the track.
Clickety, clickety, clickety clack
When will you be back?

Ride, ride, ride the train
Slowly down the track.
Clickety, clickety, clickety clack
When will you be back?

Ride, ride, ride the train
Quickly down the track.
Clickety, clickety, clickety clack
When will you be back?

-Traditional

Diaper Changing: The Little Train

The little train went up the track,
It went “Toot-toot” and then it chugged back.
Another train went up the track,
It went “Toot-toot” and then it chugged back.
Two little trains went up the track,
They went “Toot-toot” and then they chugged back.

-Lambert

Diaper Changing: Round the Garden

Round and round the garden
(draw a circle on your baby’s tummy)
Goes the teddy bear.
One step, two steps…
(walk your fingers up his chest)
Tickle him under there!
(tickle under his chin)

– www.pampers.com/en-us/baby/activities/article/fingerplays-for-preschoolers

Movement Songs and Fingerplays

If You’re Ever in a Forest

If You’re Ever in the Forest
(Tune: Did You Ever See a Lassie?)

If you’re ever in the forest,
The forest, the forest,
If you’re ever in the forest,
You might see some deer—
A young one and an old one,
And some that can quickly run. (Run in place.)
If you’re ever in the forest,
You might see some deer.

If you’re ever in the forest,
The forest, the forest,
If you’re ever in the forest,
You might see some rabbits.—
They hop here, and they hop there, (Jump like rabbits.)
they hop, hop, hop everywhere.
If you’re ever in the forest,
You might see some rabbits.

…
You might hear some birds.
A tweet here, and a tweet there,
they are flying around everywhere. (Fly like bird.)
If you’re ever in the forest.
You might hear some birds.

…
You might see some squirrels.
They are high up, and over there,
they climb up the trees everywhere. (Pretend to climb up a tree.)
If you’re ever in the forest.
You might see some squirrels.

…
You’ll surely see lots of trees.
There are tall ones and short ones, (Stretch high, and then get low.)
and young ones and old ones.
If you’re ever in the forest.
You surely see lots of tree.

~ Adapted by Jolanda Garcia, KidsSoup Inc.

Two Little Black Bears

2 Little black bears sitting on a hill.
One named Jack, the other named Jill.
Run away Jack, run away Jill.
Come back Jack, come back Jill.

Two little black bears digging in the snow.
One name Quick, the other named Slow.
Run away Quick, Run away Slow.
Come back Quick, come back Slow.

Two little black bears feeling very proud.
One named Soft, the other named Loud.
Run away Soft, run away Loud.
Come back Soft, come back Loud.

-Jbrary.com

The Train Wheels Are Rolling

1. There’s an animal train coming down the track,
Hear those wheels go clickety clack.

Chorus: And the train wheels are rolling, Rolling rolling rolling,
And the train wheels are rolling, rolling right along.

2. There’s a forest car where the animals ride,
There’s an owl, deer, and a skunk inside.

3. In the forest car where the animals ride,
There’s a fox, turkey and a bear inside.

4. Now the animal train’s going down the track,
Hear those wheels go clickety clack.

– Kathy Reid-Naiman

Craft Activity

DIY Lift the Flap Post-It book

Toddlers love lift-the-flap books. You can create your own with your toddler’s favorite board book. Place Post-It notes on strategic places in the book, perhaps over the face of an animal, and talk with your toddler about who or what is hiding under the flap. Then they can pull it off themselves and see the surprise!

Bottle Roll

Coax your crawler a little more with this fun activity. Just fill a clear bottle partially with beans or grains and roll it across the floor in front of your baby. Make sure the top is tightly secured. Then show him how to roll it back and forth himself. This “play” helps develop eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills.

– Baby Play

Find full instructions here!

Signing Songs

“Milk”

(tune “The Farmer in Dell)
We ask for MILK like this,
we ask for MILK like this.
(squeeze fingers together to make a fist)
When we’re thirsty and want a drink,
we ask for MILK like this.

“Food”

(tune “The Farmer in Dell)
We ask for food like this,
we ask for food like this.
(Bring fingers together & up to mouth)
When we’re hungry and need a snack,
we ask for food like this.

Early Literacy Tip and Activity:

Tip

Between the ages of 1-3, children make big leaps in vocabulary and learn about letters, shapes, colors, weather, animals, seasons. This can be strengthened through books. Choose books with many pictures your child can point to and name.

– www.kidshealth.com

“Talk & Read” Activity

Let your child choose a book. Talk about the pictures. Point to items and name them. Then ask your child to name them with you and praise your child for their response.

Additional Books

From

Toast by Book Dash

Story Time – May 12, 2020

by Rebekka Hanson | May 12, 2020 | Blog, Kid's Corner, Story Time | 0 comments

Story Time – May 12, 2020

10:30 am ONLINE on Facebook – ages 2 to 5

In our storytime trip around the world, we have lost our giant teddy bear, Balloo!

He’s gone to the mountains! Can you help us find him? Make sure you fill out your passport and come along with us. Do you know what animals live in the mountains? What is the tallest mountain in the world? Find out in the following books and activities. Parent tip- when watching a read-aloud video with your children, try muting the volume and reading the story with your child.

For the next two weeks in online storytime, we will visit four different biomes around the world. We have included a link to print off a passport so the children can keep a record of all the places we will visit.

Download Your Free Passport!

Early Literacy Tip and Activity:

Tip

Rhyming is an important part of phonological awareness. It helps children break down words into smaller sounds and identify similar sounds in different words. This skill will help them when they sound out words to learn to read.

Activity

Sing “The Bear Went Over the Mountain”, but insert rhyming words such as: The bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain The bear went over the mountain, to see what he could see. And what do you think he saw? And what do you think he saw? He saw a goat in a boat, he saw a goat in a boat. He saw a goat in a boat, That is what he saw.

-- http://www.earlylit.net/read-storytime-share/39

Books Presented

Songs, Rhymes and Fingerplays

The Bear Went Over the Mountain

The bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain The bear went over the mountain, to see what he could see. And what do you think he saw? And what do you think he saw? He saw another mountain, he saw another mountain, he saw another mountain, And that is what he saw.

He saw a skunk in a bunk…
And that is what he saw.

He saw a goat in a coat…

He saw some toes and a nose…

He saw a squirrel with a girl…

He saw a deer with a mirror…

He saw a bear in a chair…

He saw a stone with a bone…

– Sesame Street

Stinky Skunk

I’m a little stinky skunk,
I’m sleeping under someone’s bunk
Nobody wants to sleep with me,
I’m as stinky as can be
Honk, honk, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Honk, honk, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.

– Lesathestorytimelady.blogspot.com

Five Little Owls

Five little owls on a moonlit night
Five little owls are quite a sight.
Five little owls, are you keeping score?
One flew away! And then there were four.
Four little owls, happy as can be,
One flew away! Then there were three.
Three little owls calling “Whoo! Whoo!”
One flew away! And that left two.
Two little owls having lots of fun.
One flew away! And that left one.
One little owl, we are almost done.
He flew away! And that leaves none.

– Mansfield/Richland County Public Library

This Mountain

– https://laurieberkner.com/song-lyrics/this-mountain

Craft Activities

boy-climbing-on-a-mountain-summit-coloring-page

Print out this mountain coloring page or color online.

Go to the coloring page!

Tear paper and layer the pieces to make colorful landscapes. Each one turns out completely unique and beautiful, and all you need is paper and a glue stick.

Find full instructions here!

Additional Books

Toddler Time and Book Babies – May 4 and 6, 2020

by Gina Miller | May 6, 2020 | Blog, Book Babies, Kid's Corner | 0 comments

Toddler Time and Book Babies – May 4 and 6, 2020

Toddler Time and Book Babies –May 4 and 6, 2020

Toddler Time for ages 10 to 23 months – 9:45 am Mondays (May 4)

Book Babies for ages 0 to 9 months – 9:45 am Wednesdays (May 6)

In the month of May…

…we will hop on the animal train and sing a song to help the train keep “rolling, rolling, rolling.”

This week, we visited the jungle car and met a lot of animals from the jungle like monkeys, lizards, birds, and even a tiger!

See the Videos on Facebook!

Early Literacy Tip and Activity:

Tip

Young children are often fascinated by trains. Reciting rhymes, reading books about trains together, waving at trains as they pass, and looking at toy trains in magazines and store windows are all ways to extend this interest.

-- Lambert

Activity

As you say the rhyme, The Little Train”, walk your fingers up one side of baby’s body, starting with toes and gently tap “toot” on the top of baby’s head and tickle him while coming down. Repeat using the other foot, and repeat again walking fingers up both sides of baby’s body ending with a giant tickle!