This year’s annual Haunted Gingerbread Houses program took place virtually again, with families creating their own masterpieces, and then joining a Zoom program to show off their fun creations!
Each family was given an empty creamer container and then had to supply all of the other materials and decorations on their own.
We were so grateful to everyone who participated and so delighted with the unique houses!
We posted large pictures of each haunted gingerbread house on the front windows of the library for the week leading up to Halloween. Here they are:
Thanks so much to our participating families! Happy Halloween, everyone!
Here is another virtual storybook bundle that we have created for you to enjoy at home: it’s all about lions! Below you will find a list of free online stories, plus a craft that you can do at home with basic supplies that you may already have.
Here are links to some fun books and videos that you can download right now from Hoopla. Materials on Hoopla are free with your library card and are available to you 24/7. See here for more information.
Something circular to trace, such as a can, a drinking glass, or a roll of tape
Directions:
With the marker, trace the circle in the middle of the yellow paper. This is the lion’s face.
Dip the fork tines in the orange paint, and press the back of them onto the paper, sticking out from the circle. Continue around the circle, until you have made a full mane.
Cut out white paper circles for eyes, and glue to the face.
Draw in the face with the marker.
Have your child practice writing their name on their piece of work!
ROAR! You are done. We hope you had fun!
Let us know what you think of this online storybook bundle. We would love to see your finished craft projects, too!
Whenever you are feeling stuck at home, whether it’s because the library is closed or because of weather, it can be hard to come up with new things to do with the kids. However, we’re here to help, with our virtual storybook bundles: a list of online books plus a craft that you can do at home with basic supplies that you may already have.
Here are links to some fun picture books that you can download right now from Hoopla. Materials on Hoopla are free with your library card and are available to you 24/7. See here for more information.
Books about snow:
How to Catch a Snowman by Adam Wallace & Andy Elkerton, ebook
Splat the Cat: Blow, Snow, Blow by Rob Scotton, ebook or audiobook
2 sheets of blank paper (it doesn’t need to be colored… you can color the background and other pieces yourself)
Scissors
Glue
Cotton balls
Crayons/markers/colored pencils (optional, if you’d like to color the paper)
Directions:
Color the background of the paper if you’d like. Draw circles stacked on each other to make your snowman outline on the paper. You can make as many circles as you want!
Glue the cotton balls to the inside of your circles.
Using your other sheet of paper, cut eyes, a nose, arms, and a hat. Color them in if you’d like.
Then glue on the eyes, nose, arms, and hat.
Have your child practice writing their name on their artwork!
Let us know what you think of this online storybook bundle. We would love to see your finished craft projects, too!
Our new Storybook Bundles are now available upon request at our drive-through window. No reservations needed! Each bundle includes a few books with a related craft. The books and craft in the bundle are geared toward ages 2-5. If you have multiple children in your family, you may ask for additional crafts. Storybook Bundles are available while supplies last.
This year’s annual Haunted Gingerbread Houses program took place virtually, with families creating their own masterpieces, and then joining a Zoom program to show off their spooky — and not-too-spooky — creations!
Each family was given an empty creamer container, and, unlike past years, had to supply all of the other materials and decorations on their own.
We were so impressed with the creativity and time that went into these houses! Each one is very unique, with clever details, and one-of-a-kind uses for all sorts of candy. Great job, everyone!
We posted large pictures of each haunted gingerbread house on the front windows of the library for the week leading up to Halloween. Here they are:
Thanks so much to our participating families! Happy Halloween, everyone!
Our furry friend Bing is one of the therapy dogs who visits our library often for Tail Waggin’ Tutors. While she has been at home these past few months, his owner had a friend make some coloring pages of Bing and his brothers for us to share with our young patrons. They are posted here on our Crafts & Activities page for you to download and color! There will be a new page available each week this summer, for a total of ten pages.
Bing
Bing was rescued by GRIN (Golden Retrievers In Need) when he was 5 months old and was adopted a month later when he was 6 months old. Bing attended formal dog training with his owners, and three days after he turned one year old, he passed both his TDI (Therapy Dogs International) and CGC (Canine Good Citizen) tests on the same day! Bing visits the Cleveland Clinic and a few libraries in the area, including the Hudson Library.
Nugget
Nugget is Bing’s older brother, and he is also a therapy dog at local hospitals. Nugget loves to carry his leash in his mouth and stays right with his owners when walking at the local park. His owner calls him a natural therapy dog – everyone loves Nugget, and he loves everyone right back!
Casper
Casper is Bing’s other brother, and is “the sweetest boy” as his owner calls him. He loves people and dogs. Casper is not a therapy dog, but someday he would like to be a search-and-rescue dog!
A big thank you to Bing’s, Nugget’s, and Casper’s owner, Amy, for sharing these coloring pages with us. We are excited to see Bing back at the library, when Tail Waggin’ Tutors is able to start up again!
Just because we are at home doesn’t mean we have to be bored or feel stuck! It’s time to get everyone outside and enjoy some fresh air, play some games, and maybe even learn something new.
Here are 20 ideas for outdoor family fun at home, brought to you by our fun-loving Youth Services staff!
Take a walk around the neighborhood and find objects of every shape and color. Make it more challenging by looking for specific combos like a red square, a blue circle, etc.
Make a kite and see if it will fly (such as this one).
Do an indoor activity outside, such as coloring, reading, playing a board game, or telling a story.
Have a picnic meal in your yard, and let the kids help plan it.
Find shapes in the clouds, the trees, etc.
Collect Spring flowers to press and display:
trim flowers to desired length.
flatten the flower.
press between wax paper inside a heavy book for about two weeks.
Make your own bubbles:
1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup of dish soap
2 tsp sugar (optional: sugar slows down water evaporation, which lets the bubbles last longer)
bubble wand (or anything with holes that can be dipped into the solution: fly swatter, slotted spoons, etc)
Members of our Youth Services staff have made a variety of videos for our young patrons: from storytimes to crafts to experiments!
Links to each video are on our “Videos” page here on our blog, and most will be on our facebook page, too. And we will keep making more, so check back here often!
We would love to hear your ideas for more fun children’s videos that you would like to see from us, so feel free to leave a comment.
Notes from Wonderland 