Dinosaurs (Go to School) -- 7/28/26

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Dinosaur vs. School by Bob Shea
We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

Books:
Can I Bring My Pteradactyl to School, Miss Johnson? by Lois Grambling
Dino-School by Lisa Wheeler
How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen
My Teacher Is a Dinosaur! by Bill Canterbury
Tiny T.Rex and the First Day Oopsies by Jonathan Stutzman
What the Dinosaurs Did at School by Refe Tuma

Craft: Pteradactyl

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out pieces (body, wings)

- Color pieces

- Fold wings at line and glue to either side of body

Extension Activities:

- Start preparing your child for the start of school.  Talk about the activities they will be doing as well as their expected behavior.  If possible, see if you can take a tour of the school they will be attending in the fall.

- We have been reading dinosaur books for two months.  See how many of the books they remember reading.  Which one was their favorite?  Which ones did they not care for?

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Dinosaurs -- 7/14/26

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night by Refe & Amy Tuma

Books:
Chill Chomp Chill by Chris Ayala-Kronos
How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen
The Stompysaurus by Rachel Bright

T Is For Terrible by Peter McCarty
We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

Craft: Standing Dinosaur

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out pieces (body, legs)

- Color pieces

- Fold legs in half and then cut along dotted line

- Slide body into slit in legs to stand

Extension Activities:

- Have fun with building and wrecking.  Build a block tower as tall as you can before wrecking it.

- Design a Dinosaur Trap that would be able to keep dinosaurs from making trouble.

Template --

Dinosaurs (Are Extinct) -- 6/30/26

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
Dig Those Dinosaurs by Lori Haskins Houran

Books:
The Dinosaur in the Garden by Deb Pilutti
Here We Go Digging for Dinosaur Bones by Susan Lendroth
How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide by Ame Dyckman
Penny & Pip by Candace Fleming
T.Rex by Vivian French

Craft: Dinosaur Skeleton

- Draw a simple dinosaur outline onto colored cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out dinosaur

- Glue whole and cut Q-tips to dinosaur as its skeleton

Extension Activities:

- Make a dinosaur fossil by making imprints in playdough.

- Visit a science museum to look at dinosaur skeletons.

Dinosaurs (and Goldilocks) -- 6/23/26

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

Books:
#Goldilocks by Jeanne Willis
Goatilocks and the Three Bears by Eric S. Perl
Goldie and the Three Hares by  Margie Palatini
Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Jim Aylesworth

Craft: Triceratops Crown
- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out pieces (head, strips)

- Color pieces

- Glue pieces together into crown

Extension Activities:

- Have fun changing up the Goldilocks story.  Replace the characters, food, furniture and see how it would change the story.
- Click HERE for a link to several activities from Harper Collins to go along with Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs.

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Dinosaurs (and Food) -- 6/16/26

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

I'm Hungry! Tengo Hambre! by Angela Dominguez
Cookiesaurus Rex by Amy Fellner Dominy

Books:
Groovy Joe: Ice Cream & Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin
How Do Dinosaurs Their Food? by Jane Yolen
Regina Is Not a Little Dinosaur by Andrea Zuill
T. Rex Time Machine by Jared Chapman
Tea Rex by Molly Idle
When Dinosaurs Walked the Earth by Sean Taylor

Craft: Folded Dinosaur Puppet

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out pieces (dinosaur, tongue)

- Color pieces

- Glue tongue inside mouth

- Fold mouth in half

- Fold back above dinosaur's top teeth

- Fold back below dinosaur's bottom teeth

Extension Activities:

- Make and decorate dinosaur cookies.  What is the perfect decoration for dinosaurs in cookie form?

- Discuss the difference between herbivore and carnivore dinosaurs and what they eat.  Ask your child to plan a menu for both types of dinosaurs.

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Dinosaurs (In the Library) -- 6/9/26

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Dinosaur vs. the Library by Bob Shea
Chicken Story Time by Sandy Asher

Books (Library):
Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss 
The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli
How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read? by Jane Yolen
The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
Stanley's Library by William Bee

Craft: Dinosaur Magnetic Bookmark

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out bookmark

- Color bookmark

- Fold bookmark in half

- Place two magnets onto bottom inside of bookmark

Extension Activities:

- Talk about expected behavior in a library -- inside voices, no running, etc.

- Ask your child to lead a story time for the family.  Let them pick the books to read and an activity to go along with it.

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Dinosaurs (Week 1) -- 6/2/26

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Dinosaur Countdown by Nicholas Oldland
How Many Dinosaurs Is Too Many? by Lou Peacock

Books:
Rex by Simon James
Shape by Shape by Suse MacDonald
Some Dinosaurs Are Small by Charlotte Voake
T Is for Terrible by Peter McCarty

Craft: Name Dinosaur

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out pieces (dinosaur, spikes)

- Color pieces

- Write name on spike -- one letter on each spike

- Glue spikes to dinosaur's back so spells out name

Extension Activities:

- Practice counting at the library.  Visit the Arnold Branch and count the number of dinosaurs hanging up in the Kids Area.  For extra practice, count how many of each type of dinosaur or color of dinosaur.

- Practice letter recognition by asking your child to find the letters of their name in the book you are reading.

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Virtual Story Time: Unearth a Story -- June 2026

Each month, Miss Amy records a virtual Story Time that goes along with the monthly theme.  It will be posted monthly in the morning of the first Tuesday of the month.  (The video is available to watch for one month before a new one is uploaded.)

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur? by Helen Yoon
Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus

Books:
Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap
Dinosaurs Are Extinct: Real Facts About Real Dinosaurs by Drew Sheneman
Lizard from the Park by Mark Pett
Surprise Dinosaur! by Lucas Klauss
That's What Dinosaurs Do by Jory John
Three Little Dinosaurs by Charles Fuge


Extension Activities:

- Learn about the different sizes of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures.  Compare them to see which was the tallest?  Shortest?  Which ones were your size?

- Make some invisible dinosaur chalk art (either on paper or outside on the sidewalk).  Print and cut out various dinosaur templates.  Then place the template onto paper/sidewalk.  Then color over the template making sure to go past the sides with chalk.  Remove the template to see your invisible dinosaur.

- Go on a dinosaur hunt.  Hide a stuffed dinosaur or picture of a dinosaur and ask your child(ren) to find it.

DiNovember: Week 4 -- 11/26/24

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Some Dinosaurs Are Small by Charlotte Voake
Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Edna the Very First Chicken by Douglas Rees

Books:
Bigger Than You by Hyewon Kyung
The Dinos on the Bus by Peter Millett
Dinosaurs Don't Have Bedtimes! by Timothy Knapman
How to Be a T. Rex by Ryan North
I'm Bad! by Kate McMullan
T is for Terrible by Peter McCarty

Craft: Standing Dinosaur

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Color and cut out pieces

- Fold legs in half and cut along dotted line to make slits

- Slip the folded legs onto bottom of dinosaur's body to make it stand

Extension Activities:

- After reading Tyrannosaur Wrecks, have a discussion with your child about how the wrecks in the beginning of the book are different than the ones at the end.  What makes them different?  Why would reactions to those wrecks be different?

- Hold a dance party to go along with reading Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Edna the Very FirstChicken.  Ask your child to dance like different kinds of dinosaurs.  Make sure to include the Chicken Dance.

Template --

DiNovember: Week 3 -- 11/19/24

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Duck, Duck, Dinosaur by Kallie George
Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein

Books:
Chill, Chomp, Chill! by Chri Ayala-Kronos
The Little Green Goose by Adele Sansone
Lizard from the Park by Mark Pett
Penny & Pip by Candace Fleming
Regina Is Not a Little Dinosaur by Andrea Zuill
Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman

Craft: Hatching Dinosaur

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out pieces (egg and dinosaur) and color

- Fold egg in half along dotted line

- Cut along solid jagged line of egg

- Glue dinosaur "popping" out of egg

Extension Activities:

- After reading Dinosaur Kisses, ask your child to come up with directions on how to do simple activities as if teaching a baby dinosaur (ex - kiss, clap, etc.).

- Have your children poll people to find out the favorite dinosaur.


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DiNovember: Week 2 -- 11/12/24

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

One-osaurus, Two-osaurus by Kim Norman
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea

Books:

Can I Have a Stegosaurus, Mom? Can I? Please!? by Lois G. Grambling

Dinosaur vs. Mommy by Bob Shea

If I Had a Triceratops by George O'Connor

I'm Hungry! Tengo Hambre! by Angela Dominguez

Rory the Dinosaur: Me and My Dad by Liz Climo

Craft: Pterodactyl Headband

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out pieces and color

- Cut two long strips of paper and glue into headband

- Glue head to front of headband

- Glue wings to side and fold so they flap outwards

Extension Activities:

- Focus on fine motor skills by having your child "rescue" a dinosaur.  Wrap several small rubber bands around a larger toy dinosaur.  Then have your child unwrap the rubber bands to "save" it.

- Create a Dinosaur Hopscotch board.  Use chalk to draw a hopscotch board outside.  Include other activities in the board such as Dinosaur Stomps, Dinosaur Hops, etc.

Template --

DiNovember: Week 1 -- 11/5/24

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night by Refe & Susan Tuma
Cookiesaurus Rex by Amy Fellner Dominy

Books:

The Dinosaur Expert by Margaret McNamara

Dinosaurs in Disguise by Stephen Krensky

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

Groovy Joe: Ice Cream & Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin

When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach

Craft: Dinosaur Magnets

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out dinosaurs

- Color dinosaurs

- Attach a small piece of magnet to the back of each dinosaur

- Optional: Glue on sequins for extra decoration

Extension Activities:

- Make some dinosaur cutout cookies.  Have your child decorate the cookies.

- Hide some toy dinosaurs for your kid(s) to search for in the house.

Virtual Story Time: DiNovember -- November 2024

Each month, Miss Amy records a virtual Story Time that goes along with the monthly theme.  It will be posted monthly in the morning of the first Tuesday of the month.  (The video is available to watch for one month before a new one is uploaded.) 

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Dino by Diego Vaisberg
Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems

Books:

Bop Bop Dinosaur by Jim Cosgrove

Dinosaur Countdown by Nicholas Oldland

Kitties on Dinosaurs by Michael Slack

The Littlest Dinosaur by Michael Foreman

Three Little Dinosaurs by Charles Fuge

Extension Activities:

- Edwina liked to bake chocolate chip cookies to share with people.  Make cookies with your child(ren) to share with their friends and family.

- Check out books from the library to learn more about dinosaurs.  There are a multitude of great nonfiction dinosaur books for kids.

- Make a dinosaur egg with your child.  Decoupage tissue paper or construction paper onto a plastic Easter egg.

Virtual Story Time: Dinosaurs -- 6/1/21

Join us weekly for an online story time featuring a book read by Miss Amy on Tuesdays at 10:00 am.  The video is available to watch for one week before a new one is uploaded.


Click HERE to view the latest video.


Some Dinosaurs Are Small by Charlotte Voake
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night by Refe & Susan Tuma
Dig Those Dinosaurs by Lori Haskins Houran

Books:  (Dinosaurs)
Crunch the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap
Dinosaur Countdown by Nicholas Oldland
Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein
Dinosaur Roar! by Paul Stickland
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
I'm Big by Kate McMullan
The Littlest Dinosaur by Michael Foreman
When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach

Craft:  Dinosaur Hat
- Cut out two 2-1/2"x11" strips from green paper.  Glue into one long strip.
- Draw eyes and nose onto large strip to make head.
- Cut out five large triangles (around 3") from red paper.  Glue to top of long strip over facial features as spikes.
- Cut out eight small triangles (around 1") from white paper.  Glue to bottom of long strip under facial features as teeth.
- Glue long strip into circle to make a headband.


Extension Activities:
- Learn about different types of dinosaurs.  There are a lot of great nonfiction books on dinosaurs at the library.  Try to pick your favorite dinosaur.
- Visit the St. Louis Science Center to learn more about dinosaurs.
- Pretend play by pretending to be dinosaurs.  Ask your child to do different kind of dinosaur walks.

Facebook Story Time: How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen -- 7/7/20

This is a weekly story time featuring a book read by Miss Amy on Tuesdays on Facebooks.  The video is available to watch on Facebook for one week before a new one is uploaded.

Go to www.facebook.com/JeffCoLibMo and click on Videos to view the latest video.


How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen

Books:
Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap
Dig Those Dinosaurs by Lori Haskins Houran
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
How Do Dinosaurs series by Jane Yolen
I Am a Tyrannosaurus by Tatsuya Miyanishi
I'm Big! by Kate McMullan
T. Rex by Vivian French
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night by Refe Tuma


TumbleBook Stories: (Available through www.jeffcolib.org by clicking on E-Content.)
All Aboard the Dinotrain by Deb Lund
Digger the Dinosaur by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Craft: Dinosaur Magnets
- Print out dinosaurs template (at left) onto cardstock.
- Cut out dinosaurs.
- Decorate dinosaurs with crayons, sequins, etc.
- Attach a magnet to the back of the dinosaurs.





Extension Activities:
- Learn more about dinosaurs. There are several great nonfiction dinosaur books available at the library for kids of all ages.
- Watch a dinosaur themed movie (i.e. - Dinosaur, The Good Dinosaur, The Land Before Time, etc.).
- Pretend play by acting as a dinosaur.  Different things to act out include walking, eating, etc.

Music & Movement: Dinosaurs -- January 9, 2019

Most Amazing Dinosaur Songs CD from Music for Little People played before and after program for extra dancing.





Opening Action Song: "Move Like the Dinosaurs" by Pinkfong
YouTube Video

Book: Dinosaur Countdown by Nicholas Oldland

Action Rhyme: We're Going On A Dino Hunt
(Kids chant back each line while keeping a clap rhythm until "Run out of the cave" when simply do actions.)

Going on a dino hunt.
I'm not a afraid.
There's a tall mountain.
Can't go under it.
Can't go around it.
Guess we'll go over it.
Going on a dino hunt.
I'm not afraid.
There's a river.
Can't go over it.
Can't go under it.
Guess we'll swim across it.
Going on a dino hunt.
I'm not afraid.
There's some tall grass.
Can't go over it.
Can't go around it.
Guess we'll go through it.
Going on a dino hunt.
I'm not afraid.
There's a cave.
Can't go over it.
Can't go under it.
Guess we'll go in it.
I feel some scales.
I feel some big teeth!
Oooooh! It's a dinosaur!
Run out of the cave (running motion)
Go through the grass (parting motion)
Swim across the river (swimming motion)
Climb the mountain (climbing motion)
Run, hope (running motion)
Open the door (opening motion)
Jump into bed.
I went on a dino hunt (clapping rhythm until end)
And I wasn't afraid!

Action Song: "We Are the Dinosaurs" by Laurie Berkner
YouTube video

Book: Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin

Action Song: "Dinosaur Stomp" by Mother Goose Club
YouTube Video

Book: What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night by Refe & Susan Tuma

Closing Action Song: "Baby T-Rex" by Pinkfong
YouTube Video

Dinosaurs Story Time: April 3-4, 2017

Books:
Brontorina by James Howe
Dig Those Dinosaurs by Lori Haskins Houran *
Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein *
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
How to Raise a Dinosaur by Natasha Wing
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night by Refe Tuma *



Craft: Pterodactyl
This week's craft was based on the picture at right.  We simplified it a little by only adding a head and two feet to a small plate cut in half.  We also only used crayons to color the pterodactyl rather than gluing on tissue paper squares.

Literacy Extensions:
- After reading Dig Those Dinosaurs, visit a science museum to look at some actual dinosaur bones.
- Have your child try to "re-write" a familiar story substituting dinosaurs for the main characters like Mo Willems did in Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs.


Template:

Bob Shea Story Time - July 8-9, 2013

Books:
Big Plans by Bob Shea
Dinosaurs vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
Dinosaur vs. the Library by Bob Shea *
Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea
I'm a Shark! by Bob Shea
Oh, Daddy! by Bob Shea
Race You to Bed by Bob Shea

Craft: Dinosaur Picture
Children were given a sheet with a prehistoric landscape on it to color.  They colored and glued on dinosaur cutouts to the picture.

Literacy Extensions:
- Make up your own Dinosaur vs. ??? story.  Think of a topic and then see if dinosaur can do it.
- Talk about things you and your child are scared of (i.e. spiders in I'm a Shark!)

Dinosaurs Story Time - February 4-5, 2013

Books:
Dinosaurumpus by Tony Mitton
T Is for Terrible by Peter McCarty
Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Strickland *
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems *
Dinosuar vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea *

Craft: Stegosaurus
I used the image above as a template for a stegosaurus body and spikes.  The spikes were cut out separately from the body.  Children colored the body and spikes and then glued them together to make their dinosaur.

Literacy Expanders:
- Learn about the different dinosaurs.  Discuss why you like one more than another.
- See if you can retell other fairy tales using dinosaurs as creatures such as Mo Willems did in Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs.