Archive for the ‘development’ Category
A first-time ever study has been done on hand clapping games! Important skills are gained by this activity, like motor skills and cognitive development. The rhyme and rhythm of this activity are well known early literacy skills.
Leave it to children to naturally make the things we work so hard to teach into a fun game!
Check out the study and then learn or revisit some hand claps with your kids!
http://www.israel21c.org/201008108010/culture/applause-for-clapping-your-hands
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Directions for basic hand clapping game
Face your clapping partner. Begin by clapping your hands together at the same time, then reach out with your right hand to clap your partner’s right hand. Next, clap your hands again. Now reach out with your left hand and clap your partner’s left hand. Repeat. Clap on the beat. You can mix it up or clap straight across with both hands.
Miss Susie
Miss Suzie had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
Miss Suzie went to heaven
The steamboat went to
Hello operator
Please give me number nine
If you disconnect me
I’ll kick you from
Behind the refrigerator there was a piece of glass
Miss Suzie sat upon it and cut her little
Ask me no more questions
Tell me no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom zipping up their
Flies are in the meadow
The bees are in the park
Miss Suzie and her boyfriend are kissing in the
Dark is like a movie
A movie’s like a show
A show is like a TV screen
And that is all I know
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Say, Say, Oh Playmate
Say, say, oh playmate
Come out and play with me.
Bring out your dollies three.
Climb up my apple tree.
Slide down my rainbow
Into my cellar door.
And we’ll be jolly friends
Forevermore, one two three four!
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Miss Mary Mack
Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back
She asked her mother, mother, mother
For fifty cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the fence, fence, fence
They jumped so high, high, high
They touched the sky, sky, sky
And didn’t come back, back, back
Till the fourth of July, July, July
Family Report – Kids Online
Posted on: June 30, 2010
I recently posted links to quality websites for kids. Like I said in that posting, information and digital literacy are more important now than ever before. Adults and children alike have a need for skills in sorting, selecting, and interpreting information we find online. However, children are especially vulnerable and are in need of guidence from parents and educators. Here are some suprizing statistics from the Norton Online Family Report:
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62% of children worldwide have had a negative online experience.
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Only 45% of parents realize this.
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These experiences can range from recieving spam to cyber bullying and beyond. Unfortunatley, for every positive opportunity online there is opportunity for the negative. The Norton report discusses how much time kids spend online, what they do, and what emotional and intellectual impacts can occur. It also explores parental involvement and has many tips for parents.
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What you can do:
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Sign on with your kids! The more parental invovlement, the better and safer experience your kids will have. Approach it as a learning and exploring experience for both of you.
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Make up rules. Just like other aspects of life, kids need rules to guide them in their online activities. Work with your kids to come up with some rules like telling a parent or adult when something questionable happnes or not passing on photographs.
What we can do:
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Class: Tech Savvy Kids, where elementary age kids create their own awesome invitations while learning computer and Internet basics!
Monday, July 26 2:00pm Computer Lab 2nd Floor -
Resources: See what we have on Internet and Children
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To read the report follow the link: Norton Online Family Report
Websites for kids
Posted on: June 24, 2010
The Internet is a part of daily life for a lot of children. With so much information out there, it is hard for parents and kids to sort through and find what is appropriate. Part of a librarian’s job nowadays is to help select resources and guide users. Information literacy and technology literacy are becoming essential skills for children to have. Whether it is homework help, games, or current events, it is so important to find the best quality available. We have a few tricks up our sleeves; read on to find out!
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Great Websites For Kids
ala.org/greatsites
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Part of the American Library Association, the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) puts together this website packed full of carefully selected and reviewed links for children. Sites are divided by subject with an option to search as well as a featured site each month. Links are provided along with a short description of the site. They just added dozens of new sites, so check it out!
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Internet Public Library For Kids
ipl.org/kidspace
Much like ALSC, this site has hundreds of websites divided by category. It is a user friendly site great for kids, teens, and adults. Go ahead, explore!
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Palm Beach County School District
palmbeachschools.org/learning_tools/4kids
The Palm Beach County School District has a great site for PreK-12th grade. Educational games, databases, and more appear in a colorful layout. Some of the resources will require you to log in, but there are plenty that don’t and some nice web links. My favorite tool on this page is TumbleBooks. Kids can read along, listen, and see the pages on these eBooks. Play around!
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KidSpace!
Wpbpl.com/kids
Don’t forget about us! Our KidSpace page has lots of links for Homework Help, Fun & Games, Parent and Teacher resources, events, and Books!
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COMING SOON!!!
Tech Savvy Kids
Kids create their own awesome invitations while learning computer and Internet basics!
Computer Lab 2nd Floor
Elementary
Monday, July 26
2:00pm
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We need your help to break a spell, or Beauty will sleep for 100 years!
Join this interactive program from Page Turner Adventures.
Saturday, June 19 @ 2pm
Free!
Animal Antics Back Again!
Posted on: November 4, 2009
Animal Antics is taking over the West Palm Beach Public Library’s KidSpace, yet again! Animal Antics is a fun, interactive, natural history series provided in part by the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation and presented by their cool Education Director, Eric Gehring. If you are in K-3, join us on for this FREE program on November 17 & 24 @3:45pm. Get crazy again for Animal Antics! Check out last year’s Animal Antics here!
This year’s Animal Antics program is inspired by the book chosen for Families Reading Together Palm Beach County. The title of this book is going to remain a secret, so shhhhhhh, until the November 7 “Kick-Off” of this county wide, month long, awesome literacy event!
For additional information, ask me or call the children’s library at 561-868-7703. See you there!
Until we meet again,
Remember, Reading is Awesome!
- In: blogs | books | development | early literacy | events | family_fun | kids space | language skills | Literacy | movies | reading | school | west palm beach | west palm beach public library
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Oh my! The Palm Beach Zoo will bring live animals…live animals for an interactive, educational program for families! On November 8 at 2pm bring the whole bunch to be a part of this special event specialized just for you. The program is FREE, parking is FREE, and there is no registration! What an awesome opportunity.
Be sure to check out some cool zoo books at the West Palm Beach Public Library’s KidSpace before you meet the animals:
Zoo animals by Philip Dowell
1, 2, 3 to the zoo by Eric Carle
The alphabet zoo: fun ways to learn letters and phonics (DVD)
Dear zoo by Rod Campbell
Another great educational opportunity is the Zoo Adventure Stroller Safari. This is an opportunity for you to bring your infant or toddler to the Zoo for an exciting stroller safari adventure! Registration is required and fees include 1 adult and 1 child. Members: $10.00 Non-members: $15.00.
Be sure to stay tuned here for more Sundays @ 2 for families.
Until we meet again,
~Remember, Reading is Awesome!
Get Crazy with ArtRage
Posted on: September 25, 2009
- In: blogs | books | development | early literacy | environment | events | family_fun | kids space | reading | web_sites | west palm beach | west palm beach public library
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Monday was our grand opening to Fab Lab 4 Kids: A Computer Class Just 4 Kids in grades 3-6. It’s not just a class where you can surf the web and listen to a teacher telling you about websites…boring!
This is a one hour class focused on one software per meeting. This past Monday we learned about a software called ArtRage. It’s an online drawing software that allows you to import pictures and edit them. Then with the skills you learn, your picture will become your very own masterpiece. How cool is that! What’s even cooler is you can download it for free!
If you missed this class, no worries, because on October 19th you’ll have a chance to create your own online game show!!! When you stop byKidSpace, check out some of our materials on the subject of computers. See you then!
Until we meet again,
~Remember, Reading is Awesome!
Home and Literacy
Posted on: August 18, 2009
My sister librarian, Ms. Jennifer, sent me some information on home literacy environment, which is defined as standing support mechanisms that assists in early literacy. Grow-a-Reader BookList by Kidbibs provides a list of some support mechanisms/conditions that help children develop literacy:
- Parents who read
- Parents who write
- A home where there are many types of reading materials: newspaper, magazines, maps, manuals, dictionary, and lots of books, etc.
- Children’s books (where they can reach them)
- Routine visits to the library
- Parents who read to their children
- Paper, pencils, markers, and other writing materials where children can readily gain access to them
- An environment that respects and encourages the language and learning of children
The bottom line is, “children who are surrounded by readers and reading materials are much more likely to become readers!”
P.S. Share with me some conditions that exist in your enviornment that help your children develop literacy.
Until we meet again,
~Remember, Reading is Awesome!
CC photo on right by flickr user Pratham Books.
A New Twist To Brown Bag Lunches
Posted on: August 17, 2009
- In: authors | blogs | books | development | family_fun | kids health | kids space | Literacy | recipes | school | west palm beach | west palm beach public library
- 13 Comments
My sister librarian, Ms. Kim, and I were talking about different lunch options for her children. One of her boys enjoy PB&J sandwiches, but doesn’t like them soggy, which they are by the time lunch comes around. Her other boys enjoy variety and not necessarily a quick fix, like the normal sandwich, fruit, and drink. So, I decided to do a little research and found a gallore of recipes you can include in your kid’s lunch boxes. Here are some great resources that I came across; check them out at the West Palm Beach Public Library:
Salad People by Mollie Katzen (New [Vegetarian] Cookbook for Preschoolers & up)
Walk-Around Tacos by Nick Fauchild
A+ Lunches and Snacks by Disney Family Fun (website)
Kids Cook 1-2-3 by Rozanne Gold
Honest Pretzels by Mollie Katzen
Eat Well, Live Well With Growing Children by Karen Kingham
365 Foods Kids Love To Eat by Sheila Ellison & Judith Gray
P.S. Share some of your favorite lunch recipes with me.
Until we meet again,
~Remember, Reading is Awesome!
Sunscreens For Kids
Posted on: August 12, 2009
The month of August is often the warmest of all, with the sun shining every chance it gets. During this time, we often choose to cool off at the pool, water parks, and the beach with our little ones. There are many parents and caregivers out there that spend an ample amount of time looking for the “right” sunscreen and reading labels to make sure it’s enough and not too much, but the truth is, how do we know?
Last week I read an article, in the July issue of South Florida Parenting, about tips for choosing the right protection for our little ones. One of the tips stressed is using “chemical free” sunscreen for kids containing titanium dioxide as the active ingredient, as it is better absorbed by the skin and begins to work at the time of its application. Keep in mind you want to choose a sunscreen that protects from both UVA and UVB rays. Remember that the best barrier is shelter; try to avoid direct sun exposure, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when rays are strongest
Also keep in mind, while you are trying to protect your little ones, that small amount of sun exposure is awesome; as it helps our bodies produce vitamin D.
For more great tips and information on sun safety for kids, check these items out at the West Palm Beach Public Library:
The Sunlight Solution by Laurie Carlson
Barney’s Beach Party by Barney Home Video
The Sun by Ralph Winrich
Until we meet again,
~Remember, Reading is Awesome!
CC Photo on left from flickr user Mary
KidSpace Blog 