Thursday, April 26, 2012

Captain Awesome is AWESOME!

Bad guys beware, Eugene McGuillicudy just happens to be the most awesome superhero of all time...CAPTAIN AWESOME MI-TEE!        
     In Captain Awesome: to the Rescuesecond grader Eugene and his family move to a new neighborhood and he starts a new school. Things go from bad to worse for Eugene when Turbo the hamster, his class pet, goes missing under his watch. He knows the only way to get Turbo back is to put on his cape and become Captain Awesome.  

      Written in easy to read chapters by Stan Kirby with comic style illustrations, by Nesconset’s own George O’Connor, Captain Awesome is great for children who are moving on from the early reader section, and looking for something with a longer plot line and super silly characters. This new series is perfect for fans of Megan McDonald’s Stink, and Greg Trine’s Melvin Beederman.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

New LEGO Club Pics!

Check out our new photos from LEGO Club in April and don't forget to register for May starting today! Can't wait to see your new projects!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Exquisite Corpse Adventure

Exquisite Corpse is a circle game also known as Picture Consequences, where a group of artistes draw a person or creature one portion at a time.  It’s kind of like “Hang Man” because we draw only one section at a time, but it’s also a little like “Mad Libs, because we all contribute our own style and sense of humor to the drawing.  But here’s the catch; after Player 1 draws the first part, he must cover what he drew before he hands it to the next player.  Player 2 draws the second portion, and Player 3 draws the final portion- ALL WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS DRAWN FIRST.  Player 1 might start drawing a robot, but Player 2 might be drawing a ninja, while Player 3 finishes up with a mermaid.  As you can imagine, this collaboration makes for some larger-than-life characters!

Some children’s picture books like Ribbit!: Flip and See who Froggy Can Be and All Mixed Up: A Mixed Up Matching Book are created in this format, where the pages are cut into thirds.   Readers have the ability to mix and match the character by turning the top, middle, or bottom parts of the page.  Another variation is the text version of Exquisite Corpse, where the change happens in the story instead of in the pictures.  Be sure to check out Fortunately for grades K-3, and The Exquisite Corpse Adventure for grades 3-5.  

Our Exquisite Corpse program for third, fourth and fifth graders was a big hit.  We warmed up with a silly game of Mad Libs to help us get inspired.  Then we created our own tri-fold Exquisite Corpses.  Check them out HERE. 

Why not create your own?  Here's how:

 
Step 1: Find two friends. You will need three people to play this game.
Step 2: Grab a sheet of paper and a pencil, colored pencils, or markers.
Step 3: Fold the paper into three sections
 Step 4: Now let’s begin to draw! The first person starts with the top section. This will be the head of your exquisite corpse. Make sure no one sees what you are drawing. Once you’re done, fold your head section over so that no one can see it. Make sure to extend little marks onto the middle panel so that the next person will see where your neck ends. Then pass the paper with the head folded so no one can see it to your friend or family member.
Step 5: The second person draws on the middle section which will be the torso. Make sure to connect the torso to the neck lines that are visible from the head part of the drawing. Once they are finished drawing the torso, fold it over so that the third person will not see the head or torso panel. Make sure to extend little marks onto the third panel so that the next person will see where your torso ends.
Step 6: Person 3 will now draw the legs in the last section. Make sure they connect the legs to the little marks of the torso.
Step 7: And then… unfold and VOILA! You have made your own, unique exquisite corpse.
Note: Three heads are better than one! And the most important things to remember are that you can repeat this as many times as you want and to have as much fun as possible. ENJOY!

Monday, April 9, 2012

It's a Pigeon Party!

 
Hooray! Huzzah! Woo-Hoo! Mo Willem’s new book,The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? is here! The Nesconset Branch celebrated with a Pigeon Party complete with plenty of Willems’ play along stories, an art project and snacks (we had cookies, because they Ducking got one - and we thought we should get some too!).

Can’t get enough of our favorite bird? Try these


Did you know that the Pigeon is hidden somewhere in all of Willems’ books? See if you can find him when you read...


 


          
You can find more Mo Willems fun on his websites

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Easy as ABC and 123!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!
Look who made a coconut tree!

The ABC’s and 123’s storytime at the Nesconset Branch had children ages 24-35 months old and their caregivers shaking up and down the coconut tree after a reading of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Chicka Chicka 123. Looking to spice up the alphabet and counting skills in your home? Try some of our favorite books that feature the ABC’s and 123’s!



All of the letters of the alphabet in a coconut tree!


Alphabet Books

Alligator Alphabet
Alphabet Mystery
Alpha Oops!: the Day Z Went First
B is for Bulldozer: a Construction ABC
LMNOPs
Peanut Butter and Jellyfishes: a Very Silly Alphabet Book
The Racecar Alphabet
Shiver Me Letters: a Pirate ABC
Superhero ABC
Twenty-Six Princesses

Counting Books

1 2 3: a Child’s First Counting Book 
The Baker’s Dozen
Big Fat Hen
Bird Songs
Cats’ Night Out
Dog’s Colorful Day: a Messy Story about Colors and Counting
G is for One Gzonk: an Alpha-Number-Bet Book
One Naked Baby: Counting to Ten and Back Again
Russell the Sheep
Ten Naughty Little Monkeys

Balloon Painting for Little Ones!


Lots of toddlers enjoyed some good messy fun at the library this Tuesday. After being inspired by Ellen Stoll Walsh’s picture book, Mouse Paint, each young artist created colorful paintings using sensory balloons. Children enjoyed being a part of the storytime by pinning the dots on Dog from Dog’s Colorful Day and recognizing their felt shape from those illustrated in It Looked Like Spilt Milk. Every child got a special opportunity to come up and share in the story.
After storytime we introduced a tub full of sensory balloons. Kids tried to guess what was inside by playing with the different textures. (Hint: flour, hair gel, and bird seed. Any non toxic household item would work just as well.) Each child chose his favorite 2 textures and got to work with the tempera paints. We bounced the balloons in the paint. We rolled, dragged, and dotted them across the page. We made tie-dye swirls and polka dots by mixing the colors on the paper. By the end we were also using our fingers and hands!



The value of this sensory play should not be underestimated. When children partake in this sort of self- directed play in a pro social environment like a library, they engage their creativity and develop fine/gross motor skills, cognitive development, social development and self-esteem. Plus, it’s fun! Check out more photos on our flickr page.