Indoor Activities with Kids: Dinosaur Craft and Story Time

Reading stories aloud together builds vocabulary, improves comprehension, and promotes speech development. By adding a craft to the experience, you continue to build on story time learning; practicing motor skills and creativity, while reminding the child of themes and words from the story. It becomes active engagement, in the same way that the added movement of Bendy Bookworm’s yoga poses do, in order to benefit the child’s optimal ability to learn through play.

Need more things to do at home with your toddler? Perfect! This craft is for you. Ideal for ages 18 months - 5 years old. This is a perfect craft with suggested book titles is great for practicing using scissors, drawing shapes, and using the proper amount of glue (yeah, we all know that one takes practice!!).

Cognitive Skills: vocabulary (learned from picture book)
Motor Skills: glueing and scissor practice
Emotional Skills: self expression and creativity (practiced during the craft)

Materials: 

*Paper Plate or White Paper
*Glue
*Scissors
*Crayons

Optional: Googley Eyes, Colored Tissue Paper, Construction Paper, OR Washable Paint

Step One: 

* Cut a paper plate in half so you have two equal halves.

One half will become the dinosaur's body.

Step Two: 

* Draw the neck/ head along the edge of the second paper plate half and cut out.
* Tape or Glue "the neck" to "the body" behind the paper plate.

Step Three: 

*Use the left over paper plate half (from cutting out the neck and head portion) to cut out two legs and a tail. Tape or Glue the pieces behind “the body.”

Step Four:

* Color your dinosaur: use washable paint, crayons, markers, construction paper, or colored tissue paper. Don't forget to give your dinosaur an eye!

Pair With:

These titles can be found on overdrive/ hoopla, ebook catalogs
you may be able to access with your library card!

WANT EVERYTHING A STORY TIME CAN OFFER? ADD IN BENDY BOOKWORM YOGA; MOVEMENT YOUR CHILDREN CAN PRACTICE ON THEIR OWN. THEY WILL GAIN ALL THE BENEFITS OF A READ A LOUD STORY TIME PLUS PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH MOVEMENT!

Indoor Activities with Kids: Quit Calling Me A Monster!

Reading stories aloud together builds vocabulary, improves comprehension, and promotes speech development. By adding a craft to the experience, you continue to build on story time learning; practicing motor skills and creativity, while reminding the child of themes and words from the story. It becomes active engagement, in the same way that the added movement of Bendy Bookworm’s yoga poses do, in order to benefit the child’s optimal ability to learn through play.

During this monster craft, paired with “Quite Calling Me a Monster” by Jory John children will practice-
Cognitive Skills: vocabulary (learned from picture book)
Motor Skills: glueing and scissor practice
Emotional Skills: self expression and creativity (practiced during the craft) and feelings (learned from the picture book)

Materials: 

*2 coffee filters
*Glue or Tape
*Googley Eyes (if possible)
*Crayola Washable Markers
*Scissors
*Color Construction Paper (if possible) or white
*Eye Dropper or Spray Bottle filled with water

Step One: 

*Place Coffee Filters on a coking tray.
*Use washable markers to color patterns onto coffee filters.

Step Two: 

*Use eye dropper or spray bottle filled with water to spray down both coffee filters.
*Let Dry. (This can mean air dying overnight OR you can heat the oven to “keep warm” and bake for 10 minutes. BUT you must keep the oven on it’s LOWEST possible setting!!)

Step Three: 

*Cut fridges along the edge.
*Pick one coffee filter to be the monster face: draw or glue googley eyes and a mouth.

Step Four:

*Cut 4 strips of construction paper and accordion fold them.
*Glue/ Tape down the strips for arms and legs In between the coffee filters.
*Glue coffee filters together.

Pair With:

These titles can be found on overdrive/ hoopla, ebook catalogs
you may be able to access with your library card!

WANT EVERYTHING A STORY TIME CAN OFFER? Add in Bendy Bookworm Yoga; movement your children can practice on their own. They will gain all the benefits of a read a loud story time PLUS participate in active engagement through movement!

Indoor Activities with Kids: Bear Craft and Story Time

Reading stories aloud together builds vocabulary, improves comprehension, and promotes speech development. By adding a craft to the experience, you continue to build on story time learning; practicing motor skills and creativity, while reminding the child of themes and words from the story. It becomes active engagement, in the same way that the added movement of Bendy Bookworm’s yoga poses do, in order to benefit the child’s optimal ability to learn through play.

Need more things to do at home with your toddler? Perfect! This craft is for you. Ideal for ages 18 months - 5 years old. This is a perfect craft with suggested book titles is great for practicing using scissors, drawing shapes, and using the proper amount of glue (yeah, we all know that one takes practice!!).

Cognitive Skills: vocabulary (learned from picture book), shapes (learned from craft), spatial perception (learned from craft)
Motor Skills: glueing and scissor practice
Emotional Skills: self expression and creativity (practiced during the craft)

Materials: 

*Paper Plate
*Pink, Black, and Brown Construction Paper OR White Paper
*Glue
*Scissors
*Crayons
*Colored Tissue Paper OR Washable Paint

Step One: 

*Cut Out:

2 pink circles

3 brown circles

3 black circles

OR

8 white circles and color-in

Step Two: 

*Rip and Glue  down pieces of brown tissue paper to cover paper plate.

OR

*Paint/Color- in paper plate.

Step Three: 

*Glue it all together.

Pair With:

These titles can be found on overdrive/ hoopla, ebook catalogs
you may be able to access with your library card!

WANT EVERYTHING A STORY TIME CAN OFFER? ADD IN BENDY BOOKWORM YOGA; MOVEMENT YOUR CHILDREN CAN PRACTICE ON THEIR OWN. THEY WILL GAIN ALL THE BENEFITS OF A READ A LOUD STORY TIME PLUS PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH MOVEMENT!

Indoor Activities with Kids: Duck Craft and Story Time

Ideal for ages 18 months - 5 years old. This is a perfect craft for practicing using scissors, drawing shapes, and using the proper amount of glue (yeah, we all know that one takes practice!!). It’s a simple craft for you and a challenging (but definitely do-able) craft for them!

Materials: 

Paper Plate or White Paper cut into a semicircle (preferably heavier paper like construction or cardstock)
Black Construction Paper (if available)
Glue
Crayons
Scissors
Colored Tissue Paper (if available)
Googley eyes (if available)

Step One: 

*Fold paper plate in half (or cut a semicircle out of white paper)
*Tear and glue down pieces of yellow tissue paper 
OR
*Color semicircle with crayons/markers

Step Two: 

*Trace and cut out a circle on yellow paper (or white paper and color yellow) for the head.
*Trace and cut out a triangle on orange paper (or white paper and color yellow) for the beak.
*Glue beak to head.
*Glue on googley eyes OR draw eyes.

Step Three: 

*Glue duck head to body.

Pair With:

These titles can be found on overdrive/ hoopla, ebook catalogs
you may be able to access with your library card!

The Fish Song

The Fish Song: A move-to-learn rhyme video intended to target developmental skills.
For Ages: 18 months- 6 years old.

In this video, children will practice-
Cognitive Skills: counting, colors, and vocabulary
Motor/Physical Skills: crossing the midline, circular motions

Want to practice more move-to-learn rhymes, songs, and poses like the Video above? Fill out the form below and receive a FREE Bendy Bookworm Yoga Video for your child.

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Good Night Books for Kids

Dinner has been eaten, baths have been drained, and jammies are on. In my early days as a librarian, I tried out a “bedtime story time”…. it didn’t go well. I realized that the part that made bedtime story time so great, was being in your bed. These are some cozy titles to end the day; night time books for bed time reading:

Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue

For Ages: 4-7

Sleep Train by Jonathan London

For Ages: 2-5

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker

For Ages: 2-4

Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Helen Berger

For Ages: 3-7

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

For Ages: 2-4

Mr. Squirrel and the Moon by Sebastian Meschenmoser

For Ages: 4-8

The Moon’s Almost Here by Patricia MacLachlan 

For Ages: 4-8

Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker

For Ages: 4-6

Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli

For Ages: 4-8

Like these titles? Receive weekly reading suggestions when you sign-up for Bendy Bookworm’s mailing list! Fill out the form below:

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Nobody Hugs A Cactus Story Time Craft

Ideal for ages 6- 9 years old. The children really loved this one!! It was perfect for a wide age range: the younger children were challenged with tracing their hand and practicing using scissors, while the older children were able to express their creativity with the intricacy of their cactus pot designs! Plus it’s a perfect at home craft since you probably have most of the materials already available.

Materials: 
White Paper (preferably heavier paper like construction or cardstock)
Green Construction Paper
Glue
Crayons
Colored Tissue Paper

Step One: Trace hand on green construction paper, cut out, and cut out pot.

Step Two: Draw spines on cactus hand and color in cactus pot. Tape the cactus behind the flower pot and glue on tiny crumples of tissue paper for cactus flowers.
Options for cactus flowers: craft pompoms, stickers, or draw on flowers

OPTIONAL Step Three: Tape a popsicle stick behind the hand and the pot to provide standing support. You may have to play around with the placement of the popsicle stick!

**Place the popsicle stick high enough to keep the hand lifted but if you place it too high, it will become top heavy and won’t stand.**

PAIR WITH:
Nobody Hugs a Cactus By Carter Goodrich

Foodie Books For Kids

These are some of my favorite all about food picture books; different tastes, different recipes, different cultures… ALL ONE TUMMY, Yours! Read these books with your child and try the recipes included in some of them! Don’t forget to share your experiences with me! Which recipe was your favorite?

Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed

For Ages: 4-8

Little Taco Truck by Tanya Valentine

For Ages: 3-7

Bendy Bookworm Free Story Time Video: Little Taco Truck

Freedom Soup by Tami Charles

For Ages: 5-9

Green is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors by Roseanne Greenfield Thong

For Ages: 3-5

Gazpacho for Nacho by Tracey C. Kyle

For Ages: 5-9

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

For Ages: 4-8

Thank you, Omu! by Oge Mora

For Ages: 4-8

Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez

For Ages: 4-8

Like these titles? Receive weekly reading suggestions when you sign-up for Bendy Bookworm’s mailing list! Fill out the form below:

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Best Books about Feelings for Children

The most important lesson I have learned about children is that they have feelings! I know, I know …DUH!! But here’s the thing, they have feelings BEFORE they develop logic. They have feelings BEFORE they have the vocabulary to express themselves. They have feelings right from the start. They have BIG feelings but what they don’t have is experience. They don’t know yet that others may feel the same, or how to talk about what they’re feeling, or the knowledge that the feeling may pass but sometimes it may stay. They don’t have the tools to process, to articulate, to build resilience. Last year we finally hit the jackpot of authors giving attention to the ability to feel different feelings. These are some of my favorite titles that came out recently, that start the conversation. That may begin to help your child navigate feelings:

Maybe Tomorrow? by Charlotte Agell

I’m Worried by Michael Ian Black
*part of an emotions series, all are wonderful!

The Color Monster by Anna Llenas

Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival

Lunar New Year Story Time Craft

The Chinese New Year falls on Saturday, January 25, 2020. Do you have a Story Time planned? This New Year’s Dragon is a wonderfully fun and simple craft to add to your classroom or library’s Lunar New Year Celebration. Ideal for ages 6-9 years old to create independently but simple enough for younger children also, with the help of a care-giver.

Materials: 
Paper plate
Scissors 
Washable tempera paint or Crayons
Noisemakers
Hot glue gun
Googly eyes
Craft pom-poms

Step One: 
Make a hole in the center of the paper plate with scissors (use a pencil to round out the circle).  Then paint both the outside and inside of the paper plate.  (if short on time or with a younger group of children, I suggest just coloring both sides with crayons).

Step Two: 
After the paint has dried, glue the googly eyes to two bigger pom-poms before glue-ing them to the paper plate.  Glue two smaller pom-poms for nostrils.

Step Three: 
After the eyes and nostrils have dried, insert the noise maker through the hole.  

Pair your Chinese New Year Dragon with: 
“Nian, The Chinese New Year Dragon” by Virginia Loh- Hagan
“Ruby’s Chinese New Year” by Vickie Lee