Flashback (Story Time at Home: Let's Visit Japan!)

Today’s Story Time at Home theme is Japan!  If you would like to share a picture of your story-time-at-home experience (i.e. You might send a picture of a finished craft project), just shoot us an email at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com, and it might get included on our blog!  No names will be included with submissions for privacy reasons.

Let's Visit Japan Story Time

Books: 

Suki's Kimono 

by Chieri Uegaki and

Stephane Jorisch

Cover image from Goodreads.

Yoko by Rosemary Wells

Cover image from Goodreads.

Game/Activity: Make a rock and sand garden, first introduced to Japan by monks.  You can make your garden using simple items commonly found around the home: a cookie sheet for the base of the garden, cornmeal or flour used in place of the sandy ground, and small pebbles or stone for the rock formations.  Once your garden is set up, use a fork as a trowel, and drag it, tines down, through the cornmeal and around the pebbles to make beautiful patterns.

Snack: Make some candy sushi.  The Family Fun site (a favorite of mine) has a fun tutorial here.  Flashback: The library's first program for preteens was a candy-sushi-making competition held in summer of 2009!

Craft: Make a samurai hat through the ancient Asian art of origami, or paper-folding.  You can find instructions to make your helmet at this great origami site.

       

I hope you enjoyed this idea for how you can recreate story time at home!  Check back in a few days for more fun, travel-themed ideas focusing on a new area of the world!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Flashback (Story Time at Home: Let's Visit Italy!)

Today’s Story Time at Home theme is Italy!  If you would like to share a picture of your story-time-at-home experience (i.e. You might send a picture of a finished craft project), just shoot us an email at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com, and it might get included on our blog!  No names will be included with submissions for privacy reasons.

Let's Visit Italy Story Time

Books: 

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

Cover image from Goodreads.

The Legend of Old Befana
by Tomie dePaola

(Can you tell I like dePaola books?!)

Cover image from Goodreads.

Game/Activity: Play a game of bocce ball.  If you haven’t played bocce before, just think of it as being similar to bowling- in your yard!  In the traditional game, you give each team four wooden balls.  A smaller ball called the pallino is set in place first.  Then each team tries to roll the wooden balls, one by one, so that the balls land as close to the pallino as possible.  Whoever gets closest to the pallino wins the game!  When we play bocce in story time sessions, I like to use four Nerf balls (no injuries with Nerf!) and a Ping-Pong ball for the pallino.

Snack: Grab a slice of pizza, of course!  In a more authentic imitation of the original Italian pizza, be sure to layer your crust with plenty of olive oil, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese.

Craft: Paint with spaghetti!  Pasta is a staple in many Italian diets, and it's not just good to eat- it's fun to make art with, too.  Dip uncooked spaghetti noodles (or cooked noodles, if you want to experiment with a different texture) into washable paint, and brush across a sheet of paper.  Bellissimo (beautiful)!

I hope you enjoyed this idea for how you can recreate story time at home!  Check back in a few days for more fun, travel-themed ideas focusing on a new area of the world!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Flashback (Story Time at Home: Let's Visit Israel!)

Today’s Story Time at Home theme is Israel!  If you would like to share a picture of your story-time-at-home experience (i.e. You might send a picture of a finished craft project), just shoot us an email at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com, and it might get included on our blog!  No names will be included with submissions for privacy reasons.

Let's Visit Israel Story Time

Books: 

Welcome to Israel!

by Lilly Rivlin and 

Gila Gevirtz, et. al.

Cover image from Goodreads.

Sammy Spider's First Trip 

to Israel by Sylvia A. Rouss

and Katherine Janus Kahn

Cover image from Goodreads.

Game/Activity: Tambourines are an ancient Israeli instrument mentioned in the Book of Exodus.  Make your own tambourine by stapling two paper plates together and filling with small pebbles, beans, or beads.  Play your tambourine, and notice how the sound changes when new materials are substituted for the filler.

Snack: Make a potato latke, such as is traditionally eaten during Hanukkah.  Mix together 2 cups of frozen hashbrowns, 2 beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons of milk, ¼ cup of chopped onion, and 2 Tablespoons of flour.  Drop the batter by spoonfuls into a heated skillet, and flatten into cakes with a spatula.  Brown on both sides, and then serve warm with applesauce.

Craft: Make a miniature copy of the Israeli flag.

• Gather a blank, white index card, as well as glue, blue markers, and six toothpicks (you might have some of these left over from our France Story Time at Home a few weeks back).
• Color your toothpicks blue. 
• Glue the toothpicks into the shape of two, separate triangles.
• You can make a Star of David for your miniature flag by overlapping and gluing together the two triangles; one triangle will be right-side-up, and the other will be upside-down.   
• Glue the Star of David onto your white flag, and let dry.  

I hope you enjoyed this idea for how you can recreate story time at home!  Check back in a few days for more fun, travel-themed ideas focusing on a new area of the world!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Flashback (Story Time at Home: Let's Visit Hawaii!)

Today’s Story Time at Home theme is Hawaii!  If you would like to share a picture of your story-time-at-home experience (i.e. You might send a picture of a finished craft project), just shoot us an email at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com, and it might get included on our blog!  No names will be included with submissions for privacy reasons.

Let's Visit Hawaii Story Time

Books: 

The Hawaii Snowman 

by Christine and Michael Le

Cover image from Goodreads.

Pig-Boy: A Trickster Tale
from Hawaii
by Gerald McDermott

Cover image from Goodreads.

Game/Activity: Ok, so the hula hoop didn’t originate in Hawaii, but the “hula” dance sure did!  For this silly exercise in music and movement, dig out your old hula hoop (or snap one up on the cheap at a yard sale), and try to dance the hula while hula-hooping.  Impossible?  You won’t know until you try!

Snack: Keep your snack simple.  Buy some canned, sliced pineapple, and savor the flavors of island life!

Craft: Make a flowered, paper lei.  The Family Fun site has a great tutorial using cupcake liners!

I hope you enjoyed this idea for how you can recreate story time at home!  Check back in a few days for more fun, travel-themed ideas focusing on a new area of the world!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Flashback (Story Time at Home: Let's Visit Greece!)

Today’s Story Time at Home theme is Greece!  If you would like to share a picture of your story-time-at-home experience (i.e. You might send a picture of a finished craft project), just shoot us an email at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com, and it might get included on our blog!  No names will be included with submissions for privacy reasons.

Let's Visit Greece Story Time

Books: 

Hour of the Olympics:

The Magic Tree House #16

by Mary Pope Osborne

and Sal Murdocca

Cover image from Goodreads.

The Orphan: A Cinderella Story

from Greece

by Anthony Manna, 

Christodoula Mitakidou, 

and Giselle Potter

Cover image from Goodreads.

Game/Activity: Research the origins of the Olympics, and have your own outdoor contest.  The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!

Snack: Olives and figs are common fare in Greece.  Sample some green or black olives, or have dried figs or Fig Newton cookies for your snack.

Craft: Make a chiton, or robe-like piece of clothing similar to what the ancient Greeks wore. 

• Gather a large paper grocery sack, scissors, a holepuncher, ribbon or yarn, and crayons/markers.
• Open the grocery bag, and set it upright on a table.  Then, remove the side panels of the bag with your scissors.  
• Cut a wide opening in the bottom of the bag– this will be the neckhole of your garment.
• Holepunch down the sides of the bag, and tie the sides together with ribbon or yarn.  
•  Decorate your garment however you would like.  Then, slip your head through the neckhole and your arms through the sides of the bag (before the yarn lacing begins.  Tighten the yarn sides to fit, and you’re done!

I hope you enjoyed this idea for how you can recreate story time at home!  Check back in a few days for more fun, travel-themed ideas focusing on a new area of the world!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Flashback (Story Time at Home: Let's Visit France!)

Today’s Story Time at Home theme is France!  If you would like to share a picture of your story-time-at-home experience (i.e. You might send a picture of a finished craft project), just shoot us an email at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com, and it might get included on our blog!  No names will be included with submissions for privacy reasons.

Let's Visit France Story Time

Books: 

The Cat Who Walked Across France

by Kate Banks and

Georg Hallensleben

Cover image from Goodreads.

Anatole by Eve Titus and

Paul Galdone

Cover image from Goodreads.

Game/Activity: France is recognized as being a hub for perfume-making.  Test your nose with this fun sensory activity!  Gather approximately half-a-dozen small paper Dixie cups, and with a sharp needle, poke a small hole in bottom of each cup.  Put one item in each cup that has a strong scent (i.e. a banana slice, a cotton ball soaked in peppermint extract, a piece of a gingersnap cookie).  Turn the cups upside down on the tables with the items still tucked inside.  Let kids smell the scent wafting from the pinhole in the cups, and guess what the scents are.

Snack: Make crepes!  To make the crepe batter, combine 1 ½ cups of milk, 1 ½ cups of flour, 3 eggs, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter or margarine in a bowl until smooth.  A hand-held mixer will yield the best consistency.  Let the batter sit for an hour.  Then, heat a small skillet.  Pour ¼ cup of the batter into the pan, and tilt from side to side until the bottom of the pan is covered.  When the crepe is cooked, remove it from the pan, and stack on a plate.  Make as many crepes as you would like, and then add your favorite topping– chocolate, whipped cream, diced fruit– before eating!

Craft: Recreate the Eiffel Tower– from toothpicks!

• Gather a box of toothpicks, a sheet of construction paper (preferably black), and glue.  Glitter is optional, but nice!
• Find a picture of the Eiffel Tower, and recreate its shape simply with toothpicks (hint: try making a triangle for the top of the Tower, and more toothpicks to create the “legs” the Tower stands on).
• Glue your toothpicks to your paper.  
• Add more glue to your Parisian scene, and sprinkle on some glitter for extra sparkle.  

I hope you enjoyed this idea for how you can recreate story time at home!  Check back in a few days for more fun, travel-themed ideas focusing on a new area of the world!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Flashback (Story Time at Home: Let's Visit England!)

Today’s Story Time at Home theme is England!  If you would like to share a picture of your story-time-at-home experience (i.e. You might send a picture of a finished craft project), just shoot us an email at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com, and it might get included on our blog!  No names will be included with submissions for privacy reasons.

Let's Visit England Story Time

Books: 

Katie in London

by James Mayhew

Cover image from Goodreads.

B is for Big Ben: An England Alphabet

by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Cover image from Goodreads.

Game/Activity: Sing the classic rhyme, “London Bridge is Falling Down.”  You can find lyrics and more info about the song here.

Snack: The British enjoy their daily afternoon tea time, so why not make some tea– or hot cocoa for those who don’t have a taste for tea–, and snack on homemade or store-bought cookies (call them “biscuits” like they do in England for an added bit of authenticity!).

Craft: England is known for its complex and beautiful cathedrals dating back to the Medieval period.  Make your own stained glass window picture for today’s craft!    Here’s how to make your picture:

• Gather two small sheets of waxed paper (about the size of a sheet of 8 ½” x 11” typing paper), colored tissue paper, scissors, and tape.
• Tear or cut small shapes from the colored tissue paper.  
• Tape the colored tissue in a pattern onto one piece of waxed paper.  
• Place the second piece of waxed paper over the top of your design, and secure it with tape as well.
• Trim any extra waxed paper from the edges of your stained glass window, and you’re done!  Suspend your creation in a real window to catch the sunlight.

I hope you enjoyed this idea for how you can recreate story time at home!  Check back in a few days for more fun, travel-themed ideas focusing on a new area of the world!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Flashback (Story Time at Home: Let's Visit China!)

Today’s Story Time at Home theme is China!  If you would like to share a picture of your story-time-at-home experience (i.e. You might send a picture of a finished craft project), just shoot us an email at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com, and it might get included on our blog!  No names will be included with submissions for privacy reasons.

Let's Visit China Story Time

Books: 

Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood

Story from China

by Ed Young

Cover image from Goodreads.

The Seven Chinese Brothers 

by Margaret Mahy and 
Mou-Sien Tseng.

Cover image from Goodreads.

Game/Activity: Have a chopstick relay race.  See who can place “rice” (white cottonballs) in a bowl the quickest, only using chopsticks to pick up the rice.  If you don’t have authentic chopsticks from a Chinese restaurant, you might substitute a pair of unsharpened pencils.  For better grip, use the eraser end of the pencils to snag the cottonballs.

Snack: Make rice or instant rice pudding, or eat pre-packaged rice cakes.

Craft: Make a beautiful paper fan.    

     

Instructions:

• Gather a paper plate, a popsicle stick, glue or tape, and crayons or markers.
• Draw a scene on the paper plate with crayons or markers.  Traditional Chinese scenes are of flowers, fish, butterflies, or birds.
• Securely glue or tape your popsicle stick to the bottom of the plate.

I hope you enjoyed this idea for how you can recreate story time at home!  Check back in a few days for more fun, travel-themed ideas focusing on a new area of the world!

Keep reading!

Shaen