Fun books and activities for kids from our children's librarians.
Library Lab: Engineering Fun with the Egg Drop Challenge
Danielle
Kids Create: Mother’s Day Felt Banner
ElenaNothing says "I love you mom" like a handmade gift from the heart. Create a sweet felt banner to express your love and appreciation for the special mom in your life. Materials: Felt Dowel (or branch, popsicle stick, chopstick) Twine Pom Pom Glue Scissors Instructions: Fold felt in half and cut from inside to outside to create pointed bottom. Cut out and glue desired shapes and words to decorate banner. Fold banner slightly over dowel and glue. Attach twine from one end of dowel to the other. Add embellishments…
Read & Play: The Big Brooklyn Playdate
Jessica Ralli, Manager of Early Literacy Programs and Special InitiativesWhat do a pool full of shredded paper, stack of foam blocks, and sticky wall begging to be covered in an array of colors and textures have in common? They’re all explorations awaiting babies and toddlers at the Big Brooklyn Playdate! On the day of the Playdate, children ages 0-3 and their caregivers enter a magical world of play and learning at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library. Hands-on, open-ended activities, known as Play Recipes, not only enchant and engage children, but activate their brains and spark learning. Pulling a colorful scarf out of a tissue box is really a…
Book Talk: Spring New Books
Beanbag, Children's LibrarianTwice a year, in the spring and fall, the Children's Book Showcase Committee holds a meeting to present some of the highlights of recently published kids' books. Committee members each choose three or four titles from a subcategory of books: picture books, fiction for younger readers, fiction for school-age readers, graphic novels, non-fiction, etc. See below for some of the highlights of the highlights of this spring's picks. Neither written and Illustrated by Airlie Anderson In the Land of This and That, everyone is either one way or the other. Neither does not fit in. So Neither…
Library Lab: Raspberry Pi Cloud Lamp
CameronThe kids and teens at the Clarendon Branch have been busy building and programming a fantastic cloud lamp! This marvel of math and science was wired by the kids using a breadboard, and coded in Python by the teens using a Raspberry Pi. Check out these wiz kids in action. . . Check out these wiz kids in action. . . The cloud lamp goes through a series of animations depicting sunshine, rain, a thunderstorm, overcast skies, and finally a sunset. It was a bit of work programming all the different loops for our LED strip, but it all came together with persistence and…
BKLYN Kids Presents: El día de los niños/El día de los libros
At Brooklyn Public Library, we're gearing up for Día celebrations across the borough on or around April 30th. Check our events page for an updated list of Día programs happening in our branch libraries. Día as an acronym stands for Diversity In Action, and aims to celebrate diverse communities and literature. El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for…
Kids Create: DIY Block Printing
ElenaCreate a fun block print with your little ones while learning about different shapes, patterns and textures. Materials: Cardboard Glue Scissors Paint Paint Brush Paper Instructions: Divide cardboard into two pieces (you will be using once piece as the base of your design and the second piece as the material for your stamp shapes). Peel one piece of cardboard to reveal corrugated side. Using your freshly peeled corrugated cardboard, cut out a variety of shapes and arrange and glue on to cardboard base. You now have made a stamp! Brush…
Library Lab: Spinning Noisemakers
BrianBook Talk: Growl
Beanbag, Children's LibrarianHere at the BKLYN Kids Blog, we endeavor to post new content every Thursday. The reason that this post is going live just over the wire (it is 12:44am on Friday as I am about to hit "publish") is not entirely because I am a procrastinator, but because it has changed form, changed tone, grown and shrunk a number of times since I started working on it a few weeks ago. It began, when in the lead up to the Academy Awards, I saw an infographic illustrating the percentage of lines in Oscar winning films spoken by men vs those spoken by women. The results are unfortunately not hard to surmise but no…
Kids Create: Read Across Brooklyn 2018
On March 2nd, Brooklyn Public Library celebrated Read Across America with a special reading of Edward Gets Messy by BPL's own Rita Meade. Read Across America is an annual initiative of the National Education Assocation to raise awareness and motivation for reading among children of all ages. In cities and towns across the nation, teachers, teenagers, librarians, politicians, actors, athletes, parents, grandparents, and others develop NEA's Read Across America activities to bring reading excitement to children of all ages. Governors, mayors, and other elected officials recognize the role…
BKLYN Kids Presents: Black History Month
During February, Brooklyn Public Library celebrated Black History Month with a variety of programs for all ages. These programs provided opportunities to learn more about, and celebrate, the important contributions by African Americans to art, literature, science, sports, and pop culture. Here's a look back at some of the wonderful family programs and events offered throughout the Brooklyn Public Library branches this past month: Cortelyou Cortelyou Branch welcomed local author Harriet Hyman Alonso, who read and discussed her new novel for children ages 8-12; a…
Library Lab: Engineer Fun with Homemade Catapults
KatherineEngineer Fun with Homemade Catapults National Engineers Week, Feb 18-24, is a week-long celebration of engineering designed to get children and their families more familiar with the world of engineering. Check out their web site at www.discovere.org for lots of fun activities to make engineering come to life for children. And, consider registering to become a Girl Day Role Model on Thursday, Feb. 22 by planning a fun engineering activity for girls. A perfect activity for engineering week is catapult engineering. We made catapults during a recent Library Lab at Cortelyou Library; not only…
Kids Create: Thankful Tree
No matter the season, it’s important to remember the many things we have to be thankful for. One of my favorite traditions that has developed over the last couple of years at Cortelyou is creating a seasonal “thankful tree” on the bulletin board in our meeting room, inviting patrons young and old to take a minute to reflect and write down something they are thankful for. This is a passive program and patrons can choose to add to the board whenever they are attending a program in the meeting room. The best part is, it requires minimal effort to create this beautiful display/…
Book Talk: Mock Newbery and Caldecott Awards
Beanbag, Children's LibrarianThe Newbery and Caldecott Awards (the "Oscars of the children's book world") are presented annually by the Association for Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association. The John Newbery Medal was established in 1922, and is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children up to the age of fourteen. It has customarily been given to works of fiction for middle-grade readers, but in recent years has been awarded to graphic novels, picture books, works of poetry, and nonfiction as well. The Randolph Caldecott Medal was…
Read and Play: Teddy Bear Sleepover!
EricThere are probably lots of kids who would love to stay overnight at the library. Unfortunately we can't let them, but at the Gerritsen Beach Library we discovered the next best thing. The Teddy Bear Sleepover let kids come over for a pajama party and then leave their stuffed animals behind for a night of fun. The kids came for a storytime and a movie, and then signed "permission slips" for the stuffed animals to stay overnight. We then took pictures of the great night the stuffed animals had. Here's one of them playing ping pong: This Ninja Turtle got hungry and called for pizza!…
Play at the Library
Jessica Ralli, Manager of Early Literacy Programs and Special InitiativesA young toddler carefully pokes long glittery pipe cleaners, one after the other, through tiny holes in a large plastic colander. After he finishes, he places it on his head and screams, delightedly, “HAT!” Nearby, a group of crawling and rolling babies maneuver around a brightly colored, multi textured surface made of bubble wrap, textured bath mats, towels, and reflective fabric. They reach for crinkled colorful pieces of cellophane, and brightly colored textured balls. In another corner, seated babies play in a baby pool full of shredded paper, as more active…
Book Talk: Notable Books of 2017
Beanbag, Children's LibrarianThere are books that move us, others that make us laugh and some that provide us with endless inspiration. As the year is coming to an end our children's librarians look back on some of the most notable books of 2017. These books show great artistic appeal, are creatively put together and encourage children to explore their interests and relationship with reading. Younger Readers Before & After by Jean Jullien Graphic artist Jean Jullien cleverly illustrates a series of situations where there is a “before” and “after” and sometimes even an “in-…
Over the River: Holiday Bridge Building
KatherineDo you go over the river to grandmother’s (or another relative’s) house during the holiday season? If so, chances are you will cross at least one, if not several, bridges on your way there. After all, New York City has some 2,000 bridges or tunnels—including pedestrian, car, bike, subway and railroad bridges. Then there are the city’s famous bridges, like the Brooklyn Bridge, which inspires people from around the world to come walk its 1,600 foot span. But bridges are more than just concrete and steel structures that get us from here to there. They connect “people with people, bringing…
Comic & Manga Fan? Let's test that...
CameronThe Brooklyn Public Library has a great collection of new comics and manga for kids. But before we get into that, let’s see how much you already know. . . The Brooklyn Public Library’s Ultimate Comic Trivia Quiz! Loading... Point Breakdown: 0-1 points: Total newb 2-3 points: Budding nerdist 3-4 points: Respectable comic connoisseur 5 points: Ultimate comic maven Looking for new comics? Here are some our favorites. . . Nightlights by Lorena…
Kids Create: Fall Leaf Rubbings
Kat Savage, Neighborhood Library Supervisor, Adams Street Library"What do you notice about these?" I asked as I laid five leaves on the caterpillar-shaped table. "They're all different colors and shapes," Natalie piped in right away. "Yeah! What else?" "Hm... oh! Different sizes. And some have long stems and some have short stems. And some are wavier." This is how four children, three caregivers, and myself started our leaf rubbing exploration during Kids Create at Red Hook Library on November 9th. We continued to discuss what happens to leaves after they fall -- they sit around, and eventually just disappear! One way to preserve leaves is…
#IndigenousReads by Indigenous Writers: A Children’s Reading List
Our friends at Seattle Public Library shared an article which includes a curated list of recommended children’s books by Indigenous authors and illustrators. The list was curated by The Conscious Kid Library and American Indians in Children’s Literature, in partnership with Brooklyn Children’s Museum. The article opens with a statistic that should sound the alarms in children’s publishing offices across the U.S., and shines light on the extreme disparities in Indigenous representation and authorship in children’s books: Only 1% of the children’s books published in the U.S. in 2016…
Cypress Hills Celebrates Thanksgiving!
MOliverThanksgiving began centuries ago as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. When Americans refer to the “First Thanksgiving,” they are typically referring to the three day feast held by the Pilgrims and Native Americans in October 1621. After a treacherous journey across the great ocean aboard the Mayflower, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, located in Massachusetts. Despite the many hardships they faced, the Pilgrims kept their faith and most survived the first winter, with help from Squanto, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the…
Kids Create: Choose Kind
Whether you’ve read (and probably fallen in love with) R.J. Palacio’s book Wonder or not, it is easy to get excited about the theme of the book: Choose Kind. In honor of the release of the movie inspired by the book, libraries all over Brooklyn are celebrating by hosting events meant to inspire our youngest patrons to choose kind. At Cortelyou, our "Choose Kind" program took place during our weekly Kids Create program this week. It was pretty simple and required just a little bit of preparation. Before the program, I made a “Choose Kind” banner for our bulletin board, and also…
Diwali: Celebrating Light & Color
YeshaNamaste! As we enter this season of dark mornings and nights, now accentuated by the end of Daylight Saving Time, we naturally turn to bright, cheery colors! And what better way to celebrate color and light, than by celebrating Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights! Traditionally Diwali is the time to celebrate friends and family by exchanging sweets, setting off fireworks, lighting up houses and stores with beautiful bright lights, and decorating doorsteps and courtyards with intricate designs drawn with colored powders, flower petals and rice flour - called rangoli in some…
Spooktacular Stories
Ask a Librarian Pumpkin (Courtesy of CliffLandis) When I was a kid, I was obsessed with scary stories. One of my favorites? Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark . Those illustrations haunt me to this day! Scary stories can help us deal with our fears in a safe environment, and experience the adrenaline / excitement of those fears without being in any real danger. As a shy, reserved child, they served as an exciting outlet for me. I think Horror gets a bad rap - often dismissed as a lesser genre, purely there for our entertainment. In reality, the best scary…
Kids Create: The Kindness Rock Project
StefanieAs Summer Reading 2017, Build A Better World came to a close, young patrons at the Crown Heights Library participated in a program to create their own “kindness rocks”. Inspired by The Kindness Rocks Project, participants created their own rocks with positive, uplifting messages to inspire all those who gaze upon them. The rocks were installed as an inspirational rock garden at the front of the library building. There were about 18 participants during the scheduled program and each person made several rocks. There were unpainted rocks leftover so we invited other patrons to decorate the…
Genderful! Exploring Gender Through Art
Leigh, Collections ManagerMy first memory of overt gender awareness is of browsing through my elementary school’s library (I was immensely lucky to have such a thing, complete with an incredible librarian, Mrs. Biesel) to find a suitable subject for an upcoming book report. My hand caught on the spine of a Betty Friedan biography. In 1990, a children’s biography about the second wave feminist activist and writer, most notably of The Feminine Mystique was a rare find indeed. (I have since tried to find this book, to no avail.) It was my first conscious exposure to the idea of gender inequality, oppression,…
Kids Explore: Fake News!
LeighProgram Objectives: Talk about fake news in a general way and across different media, looking at historical examples (War of the Worlds), unintentional fake news and intentional fake news, fake news as satire (The Onion), and the impact of fake news on the real world. Discuss ways of determining if news is real or fake, using examples and demonstrating skills. Activities: Games and Booktalks. Play the game “two truths and a lie.” Ideas for this can also be sourced from the books listed below (such as this example from Real or Fake, scroll to the bottom of this page for the answer!):…
You are YOU-nique!
StefanieSometimes creating your own path or doing things your own way is difficult but it is ultimately rewarding. These picture books caught my eye not only because they are fun and quirky, but they also inspire individuality and encourage kids to embrace their differences. All make for great read-alouds and are suitable for kids from pre-K to about first grade. More and more inclusive, diverse and mindful books are being written for children these days. Most of the books on this list are fairly recent publications. For more suggestions, check out these other lists by Brooklyn Public Library…
Kids Create: Fall Leaf Mobile
ElenaEverything Sensory!
CarrieSensory Storytime at Brooklyn Public Library! Sensory Storytime is a family storytime designed for families with children ages 3-8, with and without disabilities. Read a book, sing a song, dance or play along. Small groups, visual supports, sensory activities, fidgets and orientations will help us all have fun. You might wonder what makes a sensory friendly program? Let me tell you… First, we want you to be comfortable. Feel free to sit, lie down or quietly move around during the program. We use a visual schedule to help people know what to expect next and lessen…
Picture Books in Translation
Beanbag, Children's LibrarianStorytime is my absolute favorite time of the week in the library. I love discovering weird, wonderful, beautiful, baffling books and then getting to share them. And I've found that some of the weirdest, wonderfulest, most beautiful and baffling books are those that have made their way into English via translation from another language. I'm excited to share some of my recent finds with you! A Most Mysterious Mouse written by Giovanna Zoboli, illustrated by Lisa D'Andrea, translated by Antony Shugaar From Italian. An industrious cat spends all his time thinking of mice: a mouse…
Summer 2017 Contest Winners!
Kimberly GradAugust 30, we joined our friends at New York Public Library at Yankee Stadium for the afternoon game with the Cleveland Indians to celebrate the winners of the Summer 2017 Baseball Book Review contest. Congratulations to Brooklyn Public Library’s winners William Vaccaro, and Jonathan Peripinal on a job well done.
Back to PreSchool
Jessica Ralli, Manager of Early Literacy Programs and Special Initiatives
Picture Books for Babies, Toddlers, and PreSchoolers
The back to school aisle at the drugstore still thrills me. I don’t think I am alone. There is a back-to-school fever out there in consumer-land: mix-and-match clothing sets, colorful school supplies (I still have my rainbow hearts Trapper Keeper), mom-blogs filled with healthy lunch recipes, and parent facebook groups with 100+thread discussions on finding the best bento-box snack container!
Library Lab: Exploding Chalk Baggies
ElenaLooking for a quick STEM activity to beat the heat? Then this post is for you! Materials: 1 cup Vinegar 1/2 cup Cornstarch 2 tbsp Baking Soda 1 Zipper Sandwich Baggies 1 Paper Napkin Food Color/ Liquid Color Instructions: Place baking…
BKLYN Kids Code!
CameronInterested in getting with the latest trend and teaching your kids to code? We’ve got your back.The library already offers coding classes for kids. At my home branch, Clarendon, we offer arduino classes, HTML and CSS workshops, Raspberry Pi workshops, Scratch workshops, and python workshops too. Seeing a child’s face light up after their first line of code is rendered is simply priceless. I mean, look at these cute faces!Need more convincing that coding is important for kids? Check out this article from Rasmussen on the benefits of kids coding.So, without further ado, here are a few great…
Build a Better World: Keith Haring
StefanieOnce a month, for the past several months, Crown Heights Library has been holding a Kids Create: Artist Highlight program. During these programs, we learn briefly about a famous artist, utilizing books and databases from the library, and proceed to make an art project in the style of the chosen artist. Since January, we have covered Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Georgia O’Keefe, George Seurat, and Henri Matisse. When faced with the choice of who to feature in June, I took several things into consideration. First, this was to be the final such program before the summer, when I planned to…
Outside in the City
Jessica Ralli, Manager of Early Literacy Programs and Special InitiativesEarly Literacy Nature Explorations for Children 0-5 When I was growing up, I remember my mother saying “If children are cranky, you should put them in water.” This sensory version of a timeout now makes perfect sense to me after years of teaching and parenting two children under 4. Nothing resets a tired, frustrated, or bored child like some good old fashioned sensory play. But did you know that sensory play in nature (think mudpies), improves attention, helps us organize and release thoughts and emotions, inspires language development, and even makes us smarter (and happier!)…
Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!
Set your time-turners, because Monday, July 31st is Harry Potter's Birthday and we're having a PARTY! Join us at Central Library as we Celebrate Harry's (37th!) Birthday and the 20th Anniversary of J.K. Rowling's series. Activities include wand making, spellbook inscription, fortune telling, and a dramatic reading of scenes from Cursed Child by librarians and volunteers. You'll also get sorted into your Hogwarts House and learn how to care for your own Magical Creature! Can't make it to the event? You can still celebrate the day from home by making your very own…
Inspire Young Inventors with STEM Picture Books
Ellen WeaverEach of these titles focuses on a different element of STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These work best as books to read aloud or read together for children ages 3-9. Explore Nanobots with Chris Gall, or follow Max through his adventures in Max Speed, before having your own adventure in STEM. View our events calendar to attend a STEM program at your local branch. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak As trees sway in the cool breeze, blue jays head south, and leaves change their colors, everyone knows—autumn is on its way! Join a young girl as she takes a…
5 Historical Fiction Books For Winter
Sarah Johnson; EmilyThese five titles make excellent picks for readers interested in historical fiction: made up stories that take place during real historical times or events. Ideal for readers aged 7-12, these books transport readers to Depression-era Key West, the 1860s Great Plains, and 1970s California, among others. Paper Wishes by Lois Sephban When 10-year-old Manami and her family are suddenly ordered to move to a prison camp just because they're Japanese, Manami loses her voice and can only speak through her drawings. Pair with Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata or Remembering Manzanar:…