Gary byker memorial library

Gary byker memorial library
January/February 2013
CHILDREN’S Programs
Winter STORY TIME
Winter Story Time at the Gary
Byker Memorial Library will be:
Let It Snow! (stories about penguins, polar bears, groundhogs,
and more) Sign-up will begin
Wednesday January 2nd. The session will run for eight weeks beginning January 14th. Story time
for “independent” 3 1/2 to 6 year olds will
be offered Monday morning from 11:15 to
12:00 p.m. There is a $10.00 fee per child
for non-residents. Hudsonville Library cardholders may sign-up for free. The last ten
minutes of story time includes a craft and
parents are asked to come in and assist.
The Wee Wigglers will also be
doing: Let It Snow! (Sign-up
and fees are as above.) This
eight week program for toddlers
18 months to 3 1/2 years accompanied by an adult lap is offered
either Monday, Wednesday or
Friday morning from 10:15 to
11:00 a.m. The first twenty
minutes are for stories, songs,
and fingerplays and then the
parents help their child make a
craft. Lastly, the children have a
snack and the parents have a
chance to talk.
Winter Break
programs
MOVIE
WINTER NIGHT
STORY TIME
GLAD RAGS - STORIES ABOUT
CLOTHES
Need to get out
of the
house on a snowy afternoon during Winter
Break? Come see the
movie, Dairy of a Wimpy
Sign-up
for theDays,
Winter at
Story
Kid: Dog
thetime
li-will begin
Monday, January 10th for Hudsonville
brary
on Friday, February
Library Cardholders and “Non-Resident
8th at Card”*
1:00 pm.
Enjoy
pop-begin
Service
holders.
Story times
January
24th
and
will
go
for
six
corn and pop while youweeks. A
Wee Wiggler program for toddlers 18 months
watch.
For kids 3rd
and
to 3 years accompanied
by angrade
adult lap
is of-up and
fered
Monday or Friday mornings from
theireither
families.
10:15 to 11:00 am. Story times for “independent” 3 to 6 year olds are offered either Monday or Friday mornings from 11:15 to 12:00
noon, Wednesdays 10:15 - 11:00 a.m. or FriChocolate
day afternoons from 1:00 - 1:45 p.m.. The last
ten minutes
of most story times will include a
extravaganza
craft and parents are encouraged to come in
and help their children.
Kids from 3rd to
6th
grades
are invitA parent
or designated
adult will have to sign
children
in
and
out of each story time for 3 to
ed to a chocolate
6 year olds. Also at sign-up please notify us
party,
Saturday,
of any medical
conditions we should be aware
of such as food
February
9thallergies,
from asthma, etc.
10:30
to 11:30 am.
As before, the downstairs will be open during
Kids
are soinvited
story time
that littleto
children can play freely
and
adults
can
enjoy
conversation
and coffee. favorite
indulge themselves in everyone’s
comfort food: chocolate; make chocolate
*If you have
aboutgames
the “Non-and win chocotreats;
playa question
chocolate
Resident Service Card, please call the library
late
prizes. Please register beginning Monat 669-1255.
day, January 28th.
Upcoming Programs: Mother/Daughter Tea
Saturday, April 20th. Woodworking class this
Spring.
SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
is a true story about a Vermont farm boy named
Wilson Bentley. Wilson loved snowflakes. His
dream was to take pictures of snowflakes but they always melted.
As he grew older, he acquired a microscope with a camera, a technique now known as microphotography. He spent his life taking
beautiful snowflake pictures and learning more about them.
Wilson was a self-taught scientist who was considered a little odd.
We learn about his life and snowflake science in this interesting
book.
“Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were
miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this
beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others.
Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one
design was every repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty
was gone, without leaving any record behind.” Wilson
Bentley 1925
Have you ever heard the phrase, “no two snowflakes are alike”? This discovery was made in the
small town of Jericho, Vermont by Wilson Bentley. A self educated farmer , Bentley attracted
world attention with his pioneering work in the
area of photomicrography, most notably his extensive work with snow crystals. By adapting a microscope to a bellows camera, and years of trail
and error, he became the first person to photography a single snow crystal in 1885. He would go
on to photograph more than 5000 snowflakes during his lifetime, not finding two alike.
Snowy day picture books
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (jPic/Briggs) Without words,
The Snowman, tells the tale of a boy who imagines playing and flying with the snowman he made.
Snowballs by Louis Ehlert (jPic/Ehl) Ehlert’s illustrations of impressively
decorated snow people may inspire your child to build a snowman, or snow
mom, baby, cat or dog.
Stella: Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay (jPic/Gay) Sam has
never seen snow before. When the first snowstorm of the season arrives,
Sam has lots of great questions about snow, and Sam’s older sister Stella
has lots of entertaining answers.
Let it Snow by Holly Hobbie (jPic/Hob) Toot and Puddle choose the perfect
Christmas presents for each other and enjoy a magical cross counting skiing
trip.
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (jPic/Kea) This story tells about a
young Peter’s adventures playing in the snow with simple, graphic illustrations.
Millions of Snowflakes by Mary Siddals and Elizabeth Sayles (jPic/Sid)
A counting book with a simple rhyme, this book describes a young girl playing
in the snow.
Snow by Uri Shulevitz (jPic/Shu) This book describes a young boy’s anticipation while waiting for the first snow and the fun that comes with it.
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (jPic/Yol) This book tells of a memorable wintertime nature encounter. A girl and her father go into the woods on a winter night
in search of an owl.
INTERESTING SNOW FACTS
It’s too cold to snow! Anyone who’s lived in a country where it
snows in winter will recognize the feeling behind this popular
piece of folk meteorology: there are days when the cold is so
intense, you have the sense that even the snow is too frozen to
fall. Professional meteorologists say that nowhere on Earth can
ever be literally too cold for snow; it can and does snow at extremely low temperatures. But it is true that snow is less common and less plentiful once ground level air temperatures get
much below zero, mainly because of a lack of water vapor in the
cold air. Even then, significant snowfall can occur under certain
circumstances, such as up a mountain, or over a source of heat
or body of water. Snow is certainly not unknown, for instance,
at the frozen Poles. Only at absolute zero (–459oF or –273oC),
say the experts, would snow become impossible.
When it snows, water is lifted into the sky from rivers, lakes and oceans as water vapor. You can”t
see water vapor but it is there. There is enough water vapor n the air to cover the earth with 3 feet of
water. The warmer the air, the more water vapor there is.
For it to snow, the tops of the clouds must be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Snow can come from any cloud that is layered.
As snow falls, snowflakes connect to make bigger snowflakes. Some snowflakes can measure almost
2 inches across. The largest measured snowflake was 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick.
Snow at the North and South Pole reflect heat into space. That happens because the ice acts like a mirror with the heat of the sun, and the heat bounces off the ice and into space.
The world’s largest snowman was built in Maine in 2008. It was 122 feet 1 inch tall and weighed
13,000,000 pounds. The eyes were 5 foot wreaths.
Snowflakes falling at 2-4 mph can take about one hour to reach the
ground. The average snowflake falls at 3.1 miles per hour.
Icicles are more common on the south side of buildings. Since the
south side tends to receive more daytime sun, snow is more likely to
melt on the side. It then re-freezes during the night to form icicles.
(One of the world’s largest icicles)
Paper Plate Snow Globe Craft
This cute snow globe craft is made with two paper plates, a Ziploc bag, lots of paint and white pompoms. Since this craft involves a lot of waiting and a good bit of fine motor skills it is better suited for a
slightly older child as a toddler would quickly loose interest.
What you'll need:

Two paper plates

Paint

Paint brushes

Markers, crayons, stickers, etc.

White pom-poms

Glue

Scissors

Scotch tape

Large Ziploc bag
Staples or Glue-dots (available at craft stores)
How to make your Paper Plate Snow Globe
1. Cut the center circle out of a paper plate. Let your child paint the underside of the paper plate (i.e.:
the non-food side) any color they would like.
2. Have your child paint a second paper plate any color they would like (paint the “food side” of this
plate). We went with blue so it would look like a sky.
3. Once the full paper plate is dry have your child put together a winter scene in the center of the plate.
Remember you won’t really see the edges of the plate, so encourage them to stay in the middle. We
made a snowman out of the paper plate cut out from step one and dotted on white paint with the handle
of the paintbrush for snow.
4. While the winter scene dries, cut the edges off of a Ziploc bag. What you want is the back piece of
the bag (the part with no writing on it). This will be the window of your snow globe. (note: We originally tried Saran Wrap but found that it was too frustrating for both the preschooler and for the adults! The
Ziploc bag doesn’t curl and stays where you put it.)
5. Cut the Ziploc bag to fit the circle and use scotch tape to secure it to the non-painted side of the plate
with the hole in the center.
6. Once the winter scene on the intact paper plate is dry, lay your pom-poms on top of the plate. Using
either glue dots (we love these!) or staples attach the top plate to the bottom plate to complete your snow
globe.
OUTSIDE SNOW DAY FUN!
1. Dig out the sand box toys. Use the sand molds and buckets to build castles in the snow. Dig roads with shovels. Use bath tub boats as sleds for
your icy kingdom.
2. Fill plastic containers half full of water. Sink smaller containers filled
with stones or pennies (for weight), in the larger containers. Set outside to freeze overnight. The
next evening, remove the ice from the containers and place tea light candles in each one. Line
up on the walkway, sidewalk or deck, and light the candles to create a beautiful wintry luminary display.
3. Give your kids spray bottles with filled with water and a couple drops of food coloring. Send
them out to decorate a snowman or snow fort.
5. Make Snow Ice Cream. You need a large mixing of fresh snow, 1 or 2 cups of
whole or evaporated milk,1 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar.
Bring the mixing bowl of fresh snow in to the kitchen. Quickly stir in enough milk
to get the consistency of ice cream, start with a little and keep adding until it is
creamy. Don't worry if you accidentally add too much. Just go scoop up some
more snow! When you get the consistency you want, stir in the vanilla and sugar. Have fun trying different flavors like maple extract, peppermint, or root-beer. Snow ice cream should be
eaten right away. Putting it in the freezer for later is okay but will change the consistency.
6. Make birdseed mosaics. These are fun even for older kids. All
you need is some imagination and several different types of birdseed. Sunflower, thistle, corn, and wild bird seed mixes provide
different colors and textures to your art. Stamp out shapes, letters,
or patterns in the snow. The bigger the design the better. Use the
birdseed to fill in the shapes just like a stained glass window. The
wild birds and animals will be your best critics, as they feast on
your artwork. Animals have a harder time finding food when the
snow blankets the ground so you are helping the animals and having fun.
COLD CREATURES
Break the snowflake code to find the names of ten artic animals. Then find them in the word
search snow bank.