Ocean Animals -- 4/14/26 & 4/21/26

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.

(There are so many great Ocean Animal books that we did two weeks of this theme.)

I Spy Under the Sea by Edward Gibbs
Secret Seahorse by Stella Blackstone
Plankton Is Pushy by Jonathan Fenske

Books:
Chomp: A Shark Romp by Michael Paul
Don't Worry, Little Crab by Chris Haughton
How to Put an Octopus to Bed by Sherri Dusky Rinker
I Need Pants! by Susan Sweet
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Milo Is Missing Something by Vern Kousky
Ocean Animals from Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick
Sharky McShark by Alison Murray
Tropical Terry by Jarvis

Craft: Squid
- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out squid's head

- Color squid's head

- Cut 5 strips of crepe paper (about 4-5" long)

- cut each crepe paper strip in half longways

- Glue strips to bottom of squid's head

Craft: Shark

- Color paper plate and fold in half

- Draw on mouth and eye

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Color and cut out pieces (fin, tail)

- Glue fin to top of shark along fold

- Glue tail to back of shark


Extension Activities:

- Go on an ocean animal scavenger hunt.  Hide ocean animal stuffies or print out pictures of various ocean animals to hide.

- Have fun with a parachute or a sheet as the ocean creating waves.  Alternate between gentle, soft waves and stormy, crashing waves.  Add ocean animal stuffies or a toy boat to the top of the "ocean" if you have them.

Squid Template --

Shark Template --

Kids Song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat -- 1/13/26

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 online Story Time.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera
Bear on a Bike by Stella Blackstone

Books:
The Cars and Trucks Book by Todd Parr
A Long Way by Katherine Ayres
McToad Mows Tiny Island by Tom Angleberger
Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car by Kate Dopirak 
Two Dogs on a Trike by Gabrielle Snyder

Craft: Folded Boat Picture
- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper
- Color picture above the dotted line

- Fold up along dotted line

- Fold bottom corners diagonally up towards top of folded up piece

- Open back up and fold corners in towards center with bottom piece on the front side of picture

- Color bottom of fold as boat

Extension Activities:

- Play a game of Transportation BINGO on your next car trip.  Ask your child to find various types of vehicles (truck, motorcycle, RV, etc) and colors to try to get a BINGO.

- Try to build a simple boat our of recycled materials that will actually float.  Materials that might be useful include plastic lids, craft sticks, cardboard, etc.

Template --

Back to School: Science -- 8/29/23

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.

Bear in Sunshine by Stella Blackstone
Oh No, Astro! by Matt Roeser
Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert

Books:
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Charlotte the Scientist is Squished by Camille Andros
Hello, Puddle! by Anita Sanchez
I've Got Eyes! by Julie Murphy
The Weather Girls by Aki
What Is Science? by Rebecca Kai Dotlich


Craft:  Sea Turtle
- Print out template onto cardstock or heavy paper 
- Cut out and color pieces (body, shell)
- Glue shell to body


Extension Activities:
- Practice some simple engineering by building with Legos.  Give your child some challenges to build such as tallest tower, favorite animal, etc.
- Visit the St. Louis Science Museum or the Magic House.  They have many interactive exhibits to make science fun for kids.


Template --

Picture Book Genres: Life Experiences -- 7/12/22

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am and Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm.  Online Story Times will be posted weekly on Tuesday mornings.  (The video is available to watch for one week before a new one is uploaded.)

Click HERE for this week's Story Time video.

Bear's School Day by Stella Blackstone

Something Fishy by Polly Dunbar

Books:  (New Sibling, School, Potty Training, Grief, etc.)

All By Myself by Emile Jadoul

Goldilocks and the Just Right Potty by Leigh Hodgkinson

Goodbye Friend! Hello Friend! by Cori Doerrfeld

How We Welcome a New Baby by Jean Reagan

I'm Not Ready! by Jonathan Allen

Lion Needs a Shot by Hyewon Yum

No More Pacifier for Piggy! by Bernette G. Ford

Ten Beautiful Things by Molly Beth Griffin

Walk On! A Guide for Babies of All Ages by Marla Frazee

When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt

Craft:  Baby in Stroller

- Cut a small paper plate in half and color both pieces

- Glue paper plate pieces together as shown in picture

- Cut out two small circles and color as wheels

- Glue wheels to bottom of stroller as shown

- Cut out a gingerbread person and color as baby

- Glue baby as peeking out of stroller 

Extension Activities:

- Children love to play pretend.  Have them pretend play they are in school.  Let them be the teacher and have them "teach" you something.

- Facing new experiences can be scary for children.  That is part of the reason we have the Life Experiences genre of picture books.  Help your child face their fears of new things by reading a related book and talking about how it will affect them.

Virtual Story Time: Bear on a Bike by Stella Blackstone -- 4/6/21

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.


Bear on a Bike by Stella Blackstone
Freight Train by Donald Crews

Books:  (Transportation -- Bikes & Trains)

Along a Long Road by Frank Viva

And the Train Goes -- by William Bee

The Best Bike Ride Ever by James Proimos

Clickety Clack by Robert Spence

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Christopher Raschka

How to Train a Train by Jason Carter Easton

I'm Fast! by Kate McMullan

Stanley's Train by William Bee

Trains Run! by George Ella Lyon

Craft: Train Puzzle

- Print out the template below onto heavy paper or cardstock

- Color picture

- Cut on the lines to make a twelve piece puzzle

Extension Activities:

- Go on a field trip and visit a transportation themed museum or a race track.

- Play a game to see how many of each colored car you can see.  This can be played by watching the road in front of your house or driving/walking through a parking lot.

Template --

Row, Row, Row Your Boat (Transportation) Sing-Along Story Time: June 4-5, 2018

Books:
Bear on a Bike by Stella Blackstone *
McToad Mows Tiny Island by Tom Angleberger *
Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus by James Dean *
Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera *

Craft: Ship in a Bottle
The kids were given a bottle with a boat cutout to color.  They then glued on blue sequins and ocean-themed sequins for decoration.


Literacy Extensions:
- See how many different types of transportation your child can list.  Give them clues if needed.
- Visit the Transportation Museum in Kirkwood to view the different types of transportation.

Ocean Animals Story Time: January 17, 2017

Books:
Clumsy Crab by Ruth Galloway
I Spy Under the Sea by Edward Gibbs *
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry *
Nugget and Fang by Tammi Sauer
Ocean Animals from Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick
Secret Seahorse by Stella Blackstone *

Craft: Paper Plate Stingray
This week's craft is based on the picture above.  Paper plates were cut into quarters.  Each child got one quarter to color.  They then attached half a pipe cleaner to a hole punched at the pointy end of the quarter.  Two googily eyes were glued onto the curved edge.

Literacy Extensions:
- Visit a local aquarium or zoo with ocean animal exhibits.  In the summer, the St. Louis Zoo offers the chance for people to pet stingrays and baby sharks.
- Practice your counting while reading the books.  Ask your child to count the different types of ocean creatures in the books.

Everyday Heroes - Mail Carriers: June 13-14, 2015

Books:
Bear at Work by Stella Blackstone *
The Giant Hug by Sandra Horning *
A Letter for Leo by Sergio Ruzzier
Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier *

Craft: Mail Carrier's Hat
Kids colored the template at right cut from cardstock.  They then glued on the logo of the US Postal Service before gluing on strips of paper to turn it into a hat.

Literacy Extensions:
- After reading Bear at Work, have your child guess what kind of mail different businesses and people would be receiving.
- Have your child "write" a letter to someone.  Have them practice addressing an envelope.