(Flashback) Pulled From the Vault- Thankful Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!  In case you're looking for an easy kitchen-table craft to keep the kiddos occupied before the big meal, here's one we've pulled from vault for you that will remind everyone to keep a grateful heart and a smiling face today!

Thankful Turkey
Supplies Needed:
-paper lunch bag
-construction paper in fall colors (red, yellow, orange, brown) or white paper and markers
-scissors
-pencil
-stapler (younger kiddos: use the stapler with adult supervision!)

Craft Steps:
1) Open up your paper bag, roll down the top a few times, and staple the opening shut.
2) Cut out four or five feathers from construction paper.  Have your child write down simple things he or she is thankful for on these feathers (i.e. Mom, Dad, pizza, my bike, my baby brother, etc.).  Staple the feathers to the back of the bag.
3) Draw a simple turkey head on the front of the bag.  If you think you might need a little artistic help, check out these cute turkey head and feather printable patterns from Kaboose!
4) Use your gorgeous gobbler as a handmade centerpiece or a coffee table decoration.  It might even start some conversations among the grownups about all we have to be thankful for!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Christmas in the Valley at Ozark Regional Library

 

Get in the holiday spirit with our upcoming Christmas in the Valley program, to be held at the Ironton Public Library on Saturday, November 30, from 2-4 pm in the conference room.  We'll welcome Christmas with classic stories, light refreshments, ornament making, and lots of fun!  This program is great for families to attend together, and is open to all age ranges.  Hope to see you there!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Announcing... A Flurry of Fun Afterschool Programs for the 2013-14 Season!

Registration is now OPEN for our upcoming Winter Afterschool programs, happening at the Ironton, Fredericktown, and Annapolis libraries throughout the months of December and January!  A complete schedule can be found in the left-hand column of this blog, or you can call or visit the front desk of your local library to register and get more details.  All afterschool programs are recommended for grade schoolers, grades 1 through 5, although you can check with a library staff member if you have a younger or older child who might like to attend.

And if your Ozark Regional branch isn't included in the program schedule, don't worry!  Your library will be receiving a giant box of craft kits in the next few weeks!  You can pick up any of four different craft kits at your convenience during the months of December and January, and take the materials home with you to make chromatrope toys, clothespin reindeer, paper airplanes, and more!

Call your library with any questions, or send us an email through the Youth Department blog!

Keep reading!

Shaen

A Little October in November!

Well, this post might be a little belated, but at least it's not as behind (or ahead of the curve, depending on how you look at it!) as Christmas in July!  Enjoy these pictures from Ozark Regional Library's second annual Halloween event, this year in collaboration with the Mountain Echo, the Iron County Courthouse, and a variety of other community-minded organizations across the Valley region. 

This year, staff members from Ozark Regional Library (including Connie Reed, Michelle Swane, and Pat Lewis) handed out candy and library information to families attending the event.  Patron Jamie Tedford provided free face painting, and other events included pumpkin bowling, an extreme bubble station, and caged animal photo ops.  Over 500 individuals, primarily youth, attended the event this year.  Trunk or Treat will be an annual event sponsored by the Youth Department at Ozark Regional. so we hope to see you for all the fun next October!!!

L to R from top: Our Youth Services van (the staff refer to it as "Vanna White"!) decorated like the fishbowl from The Cat in the Hat, gathering candy, face painting, pumpkin bowling, extreme bubbles, fun photos with friends, more photos, new Youth Department member Pat Lewis with her daughter Callie, posting for pictures.

Keep reading!

Shaen

The Alphabet Train- Week #8 Photos

 

With our finished xylophone craft!

Keep reading!

Shaen

The Alphabet Train- Week #8

Fall Story Time (Week #8)
Weekly Theme: The Letters X, Y, & Z

Books: Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss, My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall, Never Ever Shout in a Zoo by Karma Wilsn

Activity: pin-the-stripe-on-the-zebra game

Craft: colored paper xylophone picture

Pictures of the eighth week of story time are up in the next post, so... 

Keep reading!

Shaen

The Alphabet Train- Week #7 Photos

Our Activity Table focused heavily on the letter W this week, as we counted watermelon seeds, made pictures out of wallpaper scraps, and searched for hidden wolf illustrations.

A smiley face from wallpaper scraps at the Ste. Genevieve branch.

Two of our book choices for the week- White is for Blueberry and Wiggle.

We played a raindrop toss game with an upturned umbrella.

Cutting out triangles to make volcanoes.

Busily working on the craft.

Almost done with the crepe paper volcano pictures!

"V" is for "Volcano"!

One happy camper with her finished picture.

Keep reading!

Shaen

The Alphabet Train- Week #7

Fall Story Time (Week #7)
Weekly Theme: The Letters U, V, & W

Books: The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons, Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert, This is the Van that Dad Cleaned by Lisa Campbell Ernst, Wiggle by Doreen Cronin, Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont

Activity: umbrella raindrop toss game

Craft: crepe paper volcano collage

Pictures of the seventh week of story time are up in the next post, so... 

Keep reading!

Shaen

The Alphabet Train- Week #6 Photos

Using motor skills to work on our craft for the letter T...

Torn tissue paper traffic light pictures!

Even the littlest kiddos were able to join in!

And a few kids dressed up this week, too, including this adorably Angry Bird!

Keep reading!

Shaen