While February is the shortest month, it’s one of the busiest at the Watauga County Public Library. This month we’re celebrating Take Your Child to the Library Day (February 4) and Bake for Family Fun Month, plus gearing up for the Mammal March Madness tournament and the NC Children’s Book Awards (voting starts March 1). We invite you and your little ones to join the fun with us!
Throughout the year, the Watauga County Public Library offers passive programs that are always available plus recurring programs such as story time for preschoolers, Saturday story time, monthly STEM-focused story times for elementary-aged kids and a monthly Lego club. We also host family fun nights with different monthly themes (Dinovember is a particular favorite). Visit our site to see what’s coming up next.
Even though we’re still in the middle of winter, we’re already planning for the summer reading program. Many people have requested an escape room so my brain is full of puzzles, paths, twists and red herrings. Visit your local library regularly to plot out your own adventures through fun program offerings and lots of reading opportunities.
This school year, all second and sixth graders in our school district will visit the library during class field trips. Many children have told us after their visit that they want to ask their grown-up to come back. Remember that Saturday, February 4, is Take Your Child to the Library Day. Check this site to see if your library is participating. Even if it’s not, a visit to the library is always a rewarding experience for all.
I love to bake with my kids. In March at my house, we celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim by baking hamantaschen, triangle-shaped cookies filled with jam. But why wait for a holiday to bake? Simply break out your measuring spoons and bowls and enjoy family time in the kitchen. If your little ones can hold a spoon, they can help.
Library tip: The Watauga County Public Library has plenty of cookbooks. Visit Nonfiction Section 641 to find cookbooks designed for kids. While you’re there, check out the Juvenile Nonfiction section for fun new titles.
Pick out a recipe together. Ask everyone to share their favorite flavors. Picking the recipe together can teach empathy and caring. It’s also a good way to remind kids of allergies and help them develop their awareness, problem-solving and decision-making.
Read the recipe aloud together. Reading aloud helps teach children who aren’t independently reading some additional ways that the written word can relay information. Read the recipe like a picture book, and then discuss with your kids how they can help with the recipe.
Get those hands clean. Cooking together is a perfect time to discuss hygiene and proper hand-washing techniques with your kids. Once they have clean hands, let them knead or mix away. Make sure your bowls are large enough to accommodate their playful stirring.
Weigh ingredients. A kitchen scale is more accurate and less messy than measuring cups. A scale helps kids learn and remember units of measure and numbers. Cooking is also a good time to gently introduce fractions. “I can’t find the ½ teaspoon, but we can use the ¼ teaspoon twice.”
Bake bread. Watch the dough as it increases in size. Experiment by placing one half of the dough somewhere warm and the other half somewhere drafty. Note the difference in their rise.
Cookie tips. An ice cream scoop can help make cookies all the same size and shape and are easy for little ones to handle. Parchment paper will keep cookies from sticking to the baking sheet.
Give yourselves plenty of time. Add at least 45 minutes to any recipe time. Kids can make the process fun but also a bit longer to complete and clean up.
This year at the library I’m introducing the Mammal March Madness (MMM) tournament, which is focused on simulated encounters between non-human mammals (and sometimes non-mammal animals). A team of evolutionary biologists use science and probability to determine the outcomes of the “battles.” The goal is to provide an engaging way to spread scientific knowledge about the competing animals as well as awareness of ecology and animal conservation.
Last year over 500,000 K–12 students in the United States participated in MMM at their schools. I’m the official MMM Education Engagement Coordinator, and February keeps me busy helping answer questions from teachers who use the tournament in their classrooms. Besides displaying books on the animals featured this year, I’ll share bracket sheets and a small prize for the entry with the most points. Visit the library to get your bracket ready and follow the results.
The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs from America’s Test Kitchen
Eat Your Rocks, Croc! Dr. Glider’s Advice for Troubled Animals by Jess Keating and Pete Oswald
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World by Shannon and Dean Hale
Jenna Kissel is Watauga County’s Rootle Ambassador in the Appalachian region of North Carolina. At the Watauga County Public Library’s Youth Services Desk, Kissel works closely with story time, helps select books for the library to purchase and develops children’s and teen’s programming.