My App picks

For the past year or so, I've been a part of a big conversation over at Little eLit about children's apps and what our role as librarians is in regards to apps.  I've come to the conclusion that apps are a resource (just like books and music and everything else we have at libraries) and that there is a vast ocean of (mostly mediocre to downright awful) apps designed for kids in today's market and that we, as librarians, are in a prime position to help parents navigate those deep waters in search of the very best apps to offer our children.

I wish there were a better way for me to share them with patrons for free (like we can with books and music), but other than a few iPads at our Central Library that are loaded with our favorites, we don't have a way to do that at this point.  To make up for that, I like to share apps in my programs whenever it's appropriate to do so.  I've shared before about using apps in WonderWorks, but I've also used apps in my storytimes (e-books are essentially just REALLY BIG "Big Books" with occasional moving parts, after all).  After getting questions from several parents (and other staff members) about what apps I recommend, I started a list which is now posted on my library's website.  I will continue to update this list as new apps are developed and/or discovered.  If you have recommendations of great apps for kids (especially for the Android market!), I'd love to hear from you in the comment section below.  Also, would you appreciate longer app reviews on this blog when I discover new ones that are rave-worthy?  Chime in and let me know!

Craft Lab: Dr. Who party!

Celebrating 50 years of the Doctor with crafts galore!

This Saturday is the special 50th anniversary episode of Dr. Who and I have some pretty serious teen fans of Dr. Who in my neighborhood, so we gathered together for some Whovian crafts.  Here's what we made:

Guest Post: How to make a short table

Do you wish you had short tables for toddler programs like Toddler Art Class or WonderWorks, but it's just not in the budget right now or you're not yet ready to commit to such a large purchase?  Yesterday, I got an e-mail from Laura Polak, Youth Services Specialist at the Oak Bend Branch of the St. Louis County Library, sharing her suggestion for making your own (temporarily) short tables.  She writes:

"I took our circa 1986 library benches, put tables on top of them with the legs folded up, and duct taped the two together.  Wrapping the tape around two or three times is enough to hold it in place, and they come in at about 16 inches tall.

 I only have three of these benches, though, so I made one more table with delivery tubs.

 This one takes a bit more time to create, but it also makes a very sturdy table.  I made this one by putting a table upside down on the floor, stacking delivery tubs on top of it and duct taping the two together.  That's it!"

Brilliant idea, Laura! What a great engineering solution. Thanks so much for sharing your idea and allowing me to post it here on LibraryMakers.  Anyone else have a great idea to share?

Toddler Art Class: Balloon "Ghosts"

Party balloons make bouncy (sometimes startling) paintbrushes.

Art Project: Painting with balloons
Supplies:
black paper
white paint
balloons

Book:
  Ghosts in the house! / Kohara, Kazuno

Toddler Art Class: Foil Leaf Rubbings

A pre-cursor to crayon leaf rubbings, this project needs only two ingredients--foil and leaves.

Art Project: Foil Leaf Rubbings
Supplies:
foil
leaves (not too crunchy)

Book:
  Red leaf, yellow leaf / Ehlert, Lois 

NeedleReads: Felt & Fleece Mittens

Making mittens from fleece and felt is quick and rewarding!

Supplies:
felted wool sweaters and/or fleece
old t-shirts (optional, for lining)

Books:
Sweater surgery : how to make new things from old sweaters / Girard, Stefanie
(mitten patterns, p. 40 & 42)

Felt : 30 fun projects for felt (and fabric) lovers / Carestio, Amanda
(mitten pattern, p. 94)

WonderWorks: Catapults!!

 Flinging things is so much fun!

Today's Topic: Catapults!
Supplies:
pompoms
plastic spoons
wooden spoons
wooden blocks
scrap wood
pvc pipes (leftover from this class)
cove molding (leftover from this class)
tape
rubberbands
clothespins
tongs (leftover from this class)
paperclips
drink bottle lids (optional)

Book:
   Katy did it! / Siomades, Lorianne

WonderWorks: Geoboards

Rubberbands and pegs give shape practice and help build muscles.

Today's Topic: Geoboards (Math)
Supplies:
Geoboards -- ours were purchased, but you could also make your own (links at the end of this post)
Rubberbands (variety of sizes and colors is good) OR weaving loops
Printed templates from Planet of the Apels (template 1) (template 2)
iPad with Geoboard app (optional)

Book:  

When a line bends--a shape begins / Greene, Rhonda Gowler

Toddler Art Class: Playing with Clay

Simple materials can be the most compelling.

Art Project: Playing with [air dry] clay
Supplies:
clay (we used Crayola Air Dry variety)
cookie cutters
rolling pins
plastic baggies in case anyone wants to take their clay home

Book:
  Dave the potter : artist, poet, slave / Hill, Laban Carrick

Wonderworks: Bridge Building

What's the strongest bridge you can build?

Today's Topic: Bridge construction
Supplies:
blocks
plastic drinking straws (or uncooked spaghetti)
cardboard tubes
paper
cereal boxes
Duplo or LEGO blocks
tape
toy cars
books (for weights to test the strength of bridges)


Book:
Cross a bridge / Hunter, Ryan Ann  

Craft Lab: Playing with Paper Pulp

What can you do with paper pulp besides making more paper?

Supplies:
scrap paper in lots of different colors
water
old blenders (not to be used for food afterwards)
pitchers, buckets, containers for water
sponges
glitter
plastic bowls (we used some coated paper bowls, but I wouldn't recommend them...)
paper clips
wire mesh strainers
large spoons

Craft Lab: Gelatin Printmaking

A surprisingly effective print medium:  gelatin!

Today's project:  Printing with a slab of gelatin
Supplies:
gelatin slab (see instructions to make one here)
ink brayers
ink
paper
flat objects with interesting texture or shape

Toddler Art Class: Stamping Dots!

Polka dots or poke-a-dots?

Art Project: Stamping dots
Supplies:
stamp pads (washable ink recommended!)
unsharpened pencils with erasers
paper
wet wipes (or a sink in your classroom)
marker caps (optional, but fun!)

Book:
   Press here / Tullet, Herve

Music to make art by: 
  Wiggleworms love you [sound recording] /

WonderWorks: Scissors & Hole Punches

There are many ways to make holes in paper and all of them are fascinating to children!

Today's Topic: Scissors & Hole Punches, technology for little ones
Supplies:
Scissors (safety, kid-sized)
Hole punches (as wide a variety as you can gather!)
Paper
Drinking straws
clay
pipe cleaners (optional)
sandpaper (for a different texture to cut)

Book:
   Cat and Mouse : the hole story / Fox, Christyan

WonderWorks: Mirrors + Reflection

What do you see in the mirror?

Today's Topic: Mirrors + Reflection
Supplies:
--mirrors (in a variety of shapes and sizes.  For safety reasons, choose plastic instead of glass where possible.)
--flexible craft mirror (optional, but fun!  I got by with just two and there was minimal arguing.)
--half images (create your own, or feel free to use mine)
--spoons
--foil
--markers
--DIY Periscope kits (note:  I purchased only one set of 12 kits and put together 4 periscopes before class and used the rest of the small mirrors by themselves for kids to do experiments with.)
--flashlights (I had two on hand and e-mailed parents inviting them to bring one from home)
--bright colored paper or cardstock

Book:
  Sorry! / Landa, Norbert

Summer Special: Jan Thomas Puppet Show (+ a Picnic!)

Teen volunteers put on a smashing good show!

Summer Special : Puppet Show + Picnic
Supplies needed:
--Teen volunteers (we had 3, plus an event photographer)
--puppets
--books to convert into scripts
--props as needed

We had such a fun time tonight at the Puppet Show and Picnic that I just had to share a few pictures and details here.  Jan Thomas writes great books for puppet shows--simple, easy to act out, very few props and hilarious!  Sixty-eight people showed up with picnic suppers in hand to watch the show and enjoy making their own puppets afterwards (free printables available on Jan Thomas' own website here and here).  More details after the jump.

Craft Lab: Duct Tape

Duct tape:  it's not just for ducts any more!

Project:  assorted Duct Tape crafts
Supplies:
Duct tape (as wide a variety as you can afford)
scissors
rulers
cardboard (empty duct tape rolls from previous duct tape events were popular today!)

Craft Lab: Upgrade your Cup

Plain white ceramics get a boost of color from teens in the Craft Lab.

Featured Project:  Painting on mugs (and one bowl)
Supplies:
plain ceramic objects (I bought mine from the Dig-N-Save), clean and dry
rubbing alcohol & tissues or q-tips
Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Paint Pens
Sharpie permanent markers
Baking instruction sheets to send home

Pros & Cons of paints vs. markers:
--Pebeo paint pens come in less colors than Sharpies.
--You have to "pump" the paint pens to get the paint to flow into the tip of the pen and if you're coloring a large area, you may have to pump several times throughout your project to keep a constant color.
--Sharpies are a little less predictable in the oven and dishwasher.  If you love your Sharpie-decorated mug, you might want to hand-wash it only.
--Neither are considered "food-safe" so please only decorate portions of the dinnerware that will not come into contact with food or your mouth.

(see more photos of our projects after the jump)

NeedleReads: Ombre Dyeing

Dyeing fabric dark at the bottom and fading to lighter at the top is trickier than it looks.

Project:  Ombre Dyeing

Supplies:  
dye (we used Rit liquid dye, two bottles per dye bath)
hot water
large containers to hold the dye (we used a trashcan, a storage tub and a plastic Halloween cauldron)
fabric items to dye
hangers
clothespins
clothes line
sturdy rubber gloves
garbage bags (to carry wet items home in, individually wrapped)

WonderWorks: Pumps and Siphons

One more week working with tools that help us move water from one place to another.


Today's Topic:Pumps and Siphons
Supplies:
water
bowls
drinking straws (the kind that bend)
cups
clean and empty handsoap dispensers
toy pumps

Book:
   Fire truck / Oxlade, Chris
There might be better books out there about pumps and/or siphons, but this was the best I could find for today's class.  The kids LOVED reading about fire trucks and this one has quite a bit to say about the water pumps found on an engine.

Toddler Art Class: Paintsicles!

Melty, messy paint-on-a-stick, perfect for warm-weather days.

Art Project: Paint-sicles!
Supplies:
paint
ice cube trays
wooden sticks
heavy paper

Book:
   What can you do with a paleta? / Tafolla, Carmen

WonderWorks: Does it Sink or Float?

Engineering meets buoyancy and boat-making.

Today's Topic: Will it sink or float?
Supplies:
tubs of water
items that may sink or float (light bulbs, full can of soda, pencils, keys, paperclips, balloons, plastic eggs, whatever you have on hand.  It will either sink or float or do something interesting halfway between.)
sponges
wooden skewers
foam sheets cut into triangles for "sails"

Book:  

Arthur's dream boat / Dunbar, Polly <div style='clear:both;'>&nbsp;</div>

Captain Small Pig / Waddell, Martin

WonderWorks: Measuring Liquids

Measuring liquids is wet, messy math!

Today's Topic:  Measuring Liquids 
Supplies:
Water
Funnels (optional, but very helpful!)
As many of the following as you can gather:
-measuring cups (both liquid and dry work well, plastic recommended)
-measuring spoons
-baby bottles with measurements on the side
-children's medicine syringes, spoons or the cups that come on top of a bottle of children's tylenol
-rain gauges
-mixing bowls with measurements
-gallon jugs
-plastic or cardboard pint or quart containers
-plastic cups in various sizes and shapes (to do a more simple "which one holds more?" test)

Book:  

How do you measure liquids? / Adamson, Thomas K.
This is a great non-fiction book about the topic!  All of the fiction titles I found were way too long for read-alouds.  This one keeps it simple, includes a few experiments and has a hint of a storyline with high quality photographs of an African American family measuring liquids in several different settings (more vs. less, measuring medicine, etc.)

Toddler Art Class: Drip, Drop & Spin

Salad spinners and coffee filters make fun art outside the kitchen!

Art Projects:  Spin Art & Coffee Filter Color Blending 
Supplies:
salad spinners (I found mine at thrift stores and library staff donated a few)
small, uncoated paper plates (or cardstock cut into circles small enough to lay flat in the bottom of your salad spinner)
paint
small squeeze bottles
eye droppers
liquid watercolors or food coloring
coffee filters

Book:
  Monsters love colors / Austin, Mike

Music to make art by:  

You are my sunshine [sound recording] / Mitchell, Elizabeth

Toddler Art Class: Painting on Foil

Shiny, happy paintings add an interesting texture element.

Art Project: Painting on Foil
Supplies:
aluminum foil
paint (we used regular tempera)
brushes
containers for paint
water to wash brushes between colors (optional)

Book:
  Mouse paint / Walsh, Ellen Stoll

(not the best book-to-project match, but I did give the kids three colors of paint to mix and play with.)

WonderWorks: Drip, Drop

Eye droppers, turkey basters and bulb syringes all work on the same principle--a tricky one for kids to conquer!

Today's Topic: Drip, Drop
Supplies:
eye droppers
turkey basters
bulb syringes
bowls of water
plastic or styrofoam egg cartons, small paper cups, bowls, other small containers to drip into
towels (or do this one outdoors)

Book:
   Rain! / Ashman, Linda

update 3/2017: Newer book that would work great as the elephant sucks all the water in the bathtub up through her trunk, then squirts it back out. --


Get out of my bath! / Teckentrup, Britta