TD's Summer Reading Club Week Two: 9s - 12s

The second week of the Summer Reading Club has come and gone!

This week we explored the Eiffel Tower!

We started with our pipe cleaner Eiffel Tower: 

- Take four pipe cleaners (your choice of colour) and twist them together at the top. May need to fold them over at the top twist to keep them together.
- Take another pipe cleaner and wrap around the four legs, starting around the middle of the tower. Works best to loop the extra pipe cleaner around each leg once, then pull it around and continue onto the next leg.
- Take another pipe cleaner (may take two more, depending on the width of your tower) and wrap it around between the middle and the bottom. Use the same steps as above.
- Bend the bottom of each leg to make "feet" for the tower so it is better balanced.

Next we made our France flags. The kids drew their flags, cut them out and glued them onto their choice of construction paper, then found some foam letters to spell their names.

After the flags, we played a few rounds of Simon Says. The kids were pretty good at listening to Simon, and ended up swapping with each other by saying, "Simon Says, you're it!" We got some physical activity playing this game, as one Simon had us run around the room three times! 

With twenty minutes to spare, we made some Twizzler Eiffel Towers. These didn't work very well, but the kids had fun trying. 

I reminded everyone as they left to get their reading passports stickered and to fill out a ballot for the prize draw that week. We draw for prizes every Friday at 4:00.

TD's Summer Reading Club Week Two: 4s - 6s

The second week of our Summer Reading Club is behind us! Only four more weeks to go!

If you haven't already brought in your reading passport to get stickered and filled out a ballot for this week's prize draw, please do so before 4:00 today.

This week we explored the Eiffel Tower!

Our 4-6 group got to do some art this week, as well as try out some of our homemade Eiffel Tower puzzles.

We read:

"Madeline's Rescue", by Ludwig Bemelmans.

"La La Rose", by Satomi Ichikawa.

and, "The Hidden Hero", by Lisa Ann Marsoli.

For our art this week, the kids got a pink and green cut-out of the Eiffel Tower, with a boy and girl cut-out to add to it. The kids glued down their cut-outs, and decorated them as they wished. Some drew lines on their Eiffel Towers, some drew faces on the people. Some made it so their people were climbing the towers.

When they were done their art, the kids tried out the Eiffel Tower puzzles we made. They found the simple square ones easy to do, and then worked in partners or groups to do the harder, wavy-lined puzzles.

Every child got a gummy bear before leaving the program. 

Next week, we explore the Great Wall of China!

TD's Summer Reading Club Week Two: 2s and 3s

The second week of the Summer Reading Club is behind us! Where is the time going? If you haven't already gotten your reading passport stickered and filled out a ballot for this week's prize draw, do so before 4:00 today!

This week we explored the Eiffel Tower! Did you know that when it was first built, people thought it was so ugly, it was planned to be torn down in just 20 years? Now it serves as a beacon of love, and people travel from all over the world to see it!

Our 2s and 3s' first story was "Renée Marie of France", by Maya Angelou, about a young girl on a class trip to see the Eiffel Tower. At first she's afraid of heights, but a new friend helps her conquer her fears.

At the end of this story, Renée asks everyone how tall they are, so we all stood up to see who was the tallest.

Then we learned some cool Eiffel Tower facts:

- Even if everyone in the room stood on each other's shoulders, they still wouldn't be as tall as the Eiffel Tower.
- The Eiffel Tower has to be painted every 7 years so that it doesn't rust. It takes 18 months to paint the entire tower with lead-free paint.
- The Eiffel Tower weighs about 10 000 tonnes!
- A nickname for the Eiffel Tower is La Dame de Fer (the Iron Lady).

I let the kids pick our next story, and they chose, "The Moon Was the Best", by Charlotte Zolotow, a sweet story about a mother telling her daughter about all the things she would have liked in Paris.

Next we moved into our art! The kids got a couple of Eiffel Tower cut-outs and some children to glue onto their pages, and then decorated their pictures with markers.

After our art, some of the kids did our Eiffel Tower puzzles.

Every child got a gummy bear at the end of the program.

Next week we explore the Great Wall of China!

TD's Summer Reading Club Week One: 9s - 12s

Welcome to the first week of the 2013 TD Summer Reading Club! Go! Bon Voyage!

Within the Library, we are exploring the Wonders of the World. Our first wonder was right here in Canada: Niagara Falls!

Our first group of 9-12s started with a Canada flag, colouring it, cutting it out, and attaching it to a skewer. Then they made a marshmallow model of Niagara Falls. It took lots of toothpicks and supports, but they were finally able to make a solid, four-layer waterfall. Once they were finished, they got bottles of blue-dyed water to spray the waterfall.

(The kids were happy to have eaten a few marshmallows before they added the water. They discovered later that wet, slimy marshmallows do not taste good.

Our second group of 9-12s made their Canada flags, and then moved onto a different waterfall craft.

We used:
- blue plastic plates
- blue and white ribbon cut into strips of water
- blue streamers cut into strips of water
- flat and round blue marbles
- tacky glue
- paper and markers 

They were given blue plastic plates which they cut in half, then made a horseshoe shape out of the half. Then they glued on their choice of streamers, ribbons, or construction paper to make the flowing water. Then they glued their choice of round or flat marbles to create the water on top of the falls.

Some of the kids used paper propped up to make the water falling down, and then used the marbles on the plate to be the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall.

Once we were finished our crafts, we set them aside to let the glue dry and played some dance freeze. As more kids got out, they tried to make those who were still "in" giggle whenever the music stopped. Some were successful, some were not.

At the end of each program, I remind the kids and parents to bring their reading passports to the front desk to get a sticker and enter their name in to win a prize. We draw for prizes every Friday at 4:00. 

Next week, we will explore the Eiffel Tower!

TD's Summer Reading Club Week One: 7s and 8s

Welcome to the first week of the 2013 TD Summer Reading Club. Go! Bon Voyage! 

Within the Library, we are exploring the Wonders of the World. Our first stop was right here in Canada: Niagara Falls.

We began with a discussion about Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. The kids had some interesting ideas about other ways someone could go down a waterfall. In a bucket, a boat, or just swimming - then we discussed the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall! Ouch, that would hurt!

We sang through our waterfall song, and the kids really got into the actions:

"I'm going down a waterfall,
A waterfall, 
A waterfall. 
I'm going down a waterfall, 
As fast as I can go! 

I will be the first I say, 
The first I say, 
The first I say. 
I will be the first I say, 
To go down all the way! 

It really is a bumpy ride, 
A bumpy ride, 
A bumpy ride. 
I really is a bumpy ride, 
Going down this way! 

In a barrel I am dropping, 
I am dropping, 
I am dropping. 
I a barrel I am dropping, 
Down the waterfall! 

I made it down the waterfall, 
The waterfall, 
The waterfall. 
I made it down the waterfall, 
Safe as safe can be!" 

Our first craft was a Canada Flag, to commemorate the location of our first Wonder.

The kids coloured their flags, then cut them out and taped them to skewers. They discovered that if you didn't tape them just right, the flag slid right down the skewer!

Next we made our waterfall craft:

We used:
- blue plastic plates cut in a horseshoe shape
- blue streamers cut into strips of water
- blue construction paper cut into strips of water
- blue ribbon cut into strips of water
- blue marbles glued to the top of the plate
- tacky glue 

Some of the kids glued marbles to their construction paper, and some drew fish on their construction paper to look like fish were swimming down the falls.

After our craft was finished, we played a couple rounds of musical chairs. As each kid went "out", they got to remove another chair from the circle until the last person remained.

At the end of each program, I remind the kids and parents to bring their reading passports to the front desk to get a sticker and enter their name in to win a prize. We draw for prizes every Friday at 4:00. 

Next week, we will explore the Eiffel Tower!

TD's Summer Reading Club Week One: 4s - 6s

Welcome to Week One of our TD Summer Reading Club! Go! Bon Voyage!

This summer we're exploring the Wonders of the World! We kicked off our first week with Niagara Falls!

Our 4s and 6s learned some interesting facts about Niagara Falls (did you know the water doesn't stop flowing, even in Winter?). We learned about Annie Edson Taylor, who was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel - and she survived!

 http://www.yrvind.com/present_project/?attachment_id=1478 

We read "Queen of the Falls", by Chris Van Allsburg, the story of Annie Taylor's life before and after her trip down the falls. One kid was a little sad that I "ad-libbed" the long book, instead of reading out all the words from the pages! 

This led us into our waterfall song: 

"I'm going down a waterfall,
A waterfall, 
A waterfall. 
I'm going down a waterfall, 
As fast as I can go! 

I will be the first I say, 
The first I say, 
The first I say. 
I will be the first I say, 
To go down all the way! 

It really is a bumpy ride, 
A bumpy ride, 
A bumpy ride. 
I really is a bumpy ride, 
Going down this way! 

In a barrel I am dropping, 
I am dropping, 
I am dropping. 
I a barrel I am dropping, 
Down the waterfall! 

I made it down the waterfall, 
The waterfall, 
The waterfall. 
I made it down the waterfall, 
Safe as safe can be!" 

We sang this song twice. 
 

Next we read "Hello Ocean", by Pam Muñoz Ryan, a nice slow story to get us settled down from our action song. 

After that, we read "The Waterfall", by Jonathan London, a tale about a boy and his family who discover a waterfall that just has to be climbed. 

After our last story, we made our Niagara Falls craft.

We used:
- paper plates cut in a horseshoe shape
- blue construction paper cut in a horseshoe shape
- brown construction paper cut out into boats
- yellow and pink paper cut out into fish
- blue streamers cut into strips of water

Hanging down, they look a little like jellyfish, but once you lay the plate flat, the water drops down like a waterfall. 

Once we were done with our craft, we played a mix of wiggle-freeze, dance-freeze, and musical chairs. 

At the end of each program, I remind the kids and parents to bring their reading passports to the front desk to get a sticker and enter their name in to win a prize. We draw for prizes every Friday at 4:00. 

Next week, we will explore the Eiffel Tower!

TD's Summer Reading Club Week One - 2s and 3s

Go! Bon Voyage! 

That's the theme of this year's TD Summer Reading Club. Within the Library itself, we're learning about the Wonders of the World! We kicked off the first week of this reading program with Niagara Falls.

Our 2-and-3-year olds learned about Annie Edson Taylor, who was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel - and survived!

Image courtesy of niagarafrontier.com

First we read a condensed version of "Queen of the Falls", by Chris Van Allsburg, the story of Annie Taylor's experience before and after her trip down the falls.

Then we moved into our waterfall song:

"I'm going down a waterfall,
A waterfall, 
A waterfall. 
I'm going down a waterfall, 
As fast as I can go! 

I will be the first I say, 
The first I say, 
The first I say. 
I will be the first I say, 
To go down all the way! 

It really is a bumpy ride, 
A bumpy ride, 
A bumpy ride. 
I really is a bumpy ride, 
Going down this way! 

In a barrel I am dropping, 
I am dropping, 
I am dropping. 
I a barrel I am dropping, 
Down the waterfall! 

I made it down the waterfall, 
The waterfall, 
The waterfall. 
I made it down the waterfall, 
Safe as safe can be!" 

Next we read, "Hello Ocean", by Pam Muñoz Ryan.

For a craft, we made our own Niagara Falls.

We used:
- paper plates cut in a horseshoe shape
- blue construction paper cut in a horseshoe shape
- brown construction paper cut out into boats
- yellow and pink paper cut out into fish
- blue streamers cut into strips of water

Some of the kids glued their fish onto the water coming over the edge, some drew eyes on their fish. Some decorated the back of their waterfalls with markers provided.

Make sure you bring your reading logs in each week to get a sticker and enter into our weekly prize draw. We draw for prizes Fridays at 4:00! 

Next week we will explore the Eiffel Tower!