Paper folding has been around for at least 1,000 years. It has its roots in Japan and China but may have started earlier than that, even before paper was invented. It first became known as “origami” around the year 1880, and that became the popular name for it in America […]
Youth Services FTPL
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The story of the little chick who panics has long been a childhood classic in America and elsewhere. It is satirical – see the post from Friday, April 10,for more on satire – and it is a cumulative tale – a story that builds upon repetition, “accumulating,” if you will, […]
Cats have been popular since ancient times, so it’s no wonder that they figure prominently in many nursery rhymes and folk songs. Among the most popular are Hey Diddle Diddle with it’s fiddling cat and the cat who visited the queen in London, but here are a few lesser known […]
Hans Christian Andersen wrote literary fairy tales in his home country of Denmark during the early 19th century. What is the difference between a literary fairy tale and a folktale? A folktale comes from the oral tradition, a story told from generation to generation. A literary fairy tale is the […]
Jack is a common name in the English language, so maybe that’s why the name Jack appears so often in folktales and nursery rhymes. There is Jack Be Nimble, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack Sprat, Jack and Jill, and Little Jack Horner, to name a few. Did you know that […]
One of our annual craft programs at the Library is the Spring Egg Collage. Why not make yours at home and hang it in your window as a lovely sign of spring? You will need: Paper – white or light-colored cardstock is best, but you can use computer paper or […]
Here’s a cup … and here’s a cup … and here’s a pot of tea. Pour a cup, and pour a cup, and have a drink with me! Tea is popular in almost every culture around the world, and while little ones don’t drink tea, it has long been a […]
Do you always do what your parents tell you to do? Here is a story about a boy named Jack who does exactly what his mother says to do – but with unexpected consequences! The version read here is an English folktale collected by Joseph Jacobs in the 19th century, […]
Bees and nursery rhymes are a great combination! Use the rhymes to teach your little one about the good things bees do, along with teaching them about numbers, counting, and increasing vocabulary. Bee BUZZ! goes the bee, Hour after hour, BUZZ! goes the bee From flower to flower. Sucking out […]
Go on a treasure hunt at your house to see what objects you can find that might make cool marks with paint. I found a drinking straw, a binder clip, toilet paper and paper towel tubes (empty, of course), bottle caps, and a paper clip. Some suggestions to consider hunting […]