StoryBook Festival

What do you think of when you read the words ‘Once Upon a Time’? I would venture to say that some of you may think immediately of princesses and dreams coming true, while others may think of dragons and knights facing daring feats. Whatever thoughts these four words conjure up, I am certain that we all have heard them, spoken them, and anxiously awaited the story that follows them. ‘Once Upon a Time…’, these are very powerful words. Once spoken, anything is possible!

It is this magnitude of magic that we, at the Reading Railroad, hope to capture at our upcoming Storybook Festival. Our theme for this year’s Storybook Festival is, you guessed it, ‘Once Upon a Time’. As with many Reading Railroad events, our vision for this special day is to create an environment where children and families can engage in activities and experiences that help foster a love for literacy. And on Sunday, July 11th the Reading Railroad crew will transform Spencer Park into a storybook land, perfect for all the princesses and brave knights (and their royal families) from across the land, to come and enjoy.

We will have three main entertainment areas at the festival. In our “Lyrics and Literacy” area, Jarrett Binney will be performing live music and allowing kids to interact with different types of instruments, as he sings and teaches kids that songs are stories put to a tune. Across the park we will have a puppeteer on hand who will offer two marionette performances of the classic fairytale, ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Head back to the wooded area of Spencer Park to find our third main entertainment option; a few professional storytellers from the Bloomington Storyteller’s Guild will be joining us to perform live storytelling to all intrigued listeners.

If all of these great entertainment options aren’t luring enough, we have oodles of hands-on activities to suit your fairytale fancy. We will have the traditional fairytale activities for you and your family to enjoy, like making your own crowns, wands, and leather story-bookmarks. We will also be offering some extra unique activity options; in our ‘Glass Slippers and Seeds’ area, festival attendees will get to choose a shoe and turn it into a flower pot, by filling it with soil and then planting some seeds. If Cinderella can turn pumpkins into stage coaches, we can certainly turn slippers into miniature flower gardens.

If your children enjoy stories more for the action and adventure, rather than the glitter and glitz, the Storybook Festival will have a handful of activities for this too. There will be a number of active play areas, designed to inspire imaginative play. Check out the ‘Princess Castle’ and ‘Pirate’s Cove’ play areas where kids can easily pretend to be the main character in their own fairytale. And, you won’t want to miss out on our favorite activity at this year’s festival, ‘Noodle Jousting’; you’ll have to stop by the festival to see what that is all about!

No fairytale would be complete without a happy ending. And the happy ending for our Storybook Festival is that all this family fun is FREE for all festival attendees! There will also be free snacks available, as well as free books distributed. Children are encouraged to dress-up like their favorite fairytale or storybook character, to help bring the magic of this day to life. To take part in all of this fairytale and storybook fun, join us for the Storybook Festival, July 11th from 1:00-3:00pm at Spencer Park. Come out and see how with literacy, we are one step closer to living happily ever after.

I Can Eat a Rainbow....Can You?

Goodmorning-

Today is Thursday, and the holiday weekend is almost upon us. We have one more literacy event planned for the week, so make sure to come and visit us at the Story House today for Brown Bags and Books from 12-2. For today's Brown Bags blog I am going to talk about the importance of getting your children to "Eat a Rainbow." Check out this catchy tune to get your little ones inspired.



Although it seems like pulling teeth when trying to get your children to eat vegetables, it is well worth the pull. Not only do raw fruits and vegetables come packed with vitamins, minerals and all important phytochemicals, but they are a phenomenal brain food. These foods will be sure to keep your children healthy and on top of their game while they are in class. So when you and your child are packing up a brown bag to come to the park or even packing a lunch to take to school make sure to pack a rainbow. Send some vegetable sticks such as carrots and peppers or include some cucumbers and grape tomatoes. Mix in some fruit salad with apples, oranges, pineapple and grapes. All of these suggestions will go great on their own or are even better when mixed together with other fruits and vegetables. They make an easy side to go along with a sandwich or whatever else it is you are packing for lunch that day.

I would encourage you to let your kids get involved in packing their lunch. It gets them excited to eat whatever it is they are packing, and will even help get them excited to eat those fruits and vegetables we often struggle with.

Hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday, and don't forget to take some time and eat a rainbow while you are with your family and friends this holiday weekend.

4th Of July Literacy Activities

It's always fun to do crafts with the little ones to go along with the holidays. However, we often overlook the day our nation gained its freedom as being a day to do some fun crafts. I know, it's always so nice on the 4th and no one wants to be inside, but trust me, if your kids see these fun activities you have in store for them they will be sure to come inside for a little while to partake in the fun. It doesn't have to be an all day event, just take a little time to spend with your little one working on their literacy skills, all while enjoying the time together to teach them that the 4th of July is more than grilling out and fireworks.

Paper Roll Windsocks
What you need
•Toilet paper rolls
•Blue paint
•Paintbrush
•White star stickers
•Red and white streamers, or ribbon
•Yarn or string
•Hole punch
•Stapler
•Glue
•Scissors

Directions
Provide your child with an empty toilet paper roll. Let them paint the roll with blue paint. Let dry. Have them add white star stickers to their roll. Cut white and red streamers into strips and attach to one end of the paper roll with glue and a stapler. On the other end, punch two holes opposite each other and thread a long piece of yarn. Tie off to create a handle from which to hang the windsock. Hang the windsocks outside and let children enjoy watching their American flag windsock blow in the wind. Take it outside and enjoy your new creation

Bring the fireworks inside with Firework Art

Place various colors of diluted paint into small bowls. Give each child a straw and white piece of paper. Have children dip their straw into the diluted paint and blow the paint onto their paper. This makes a great fireworks effect!

Star Rubbings

Cut star shapes from paper doilies or sandpaper. Tape stars to table. Have children place a piece of thin white paper over stars and rub a crayon over the star.

After doing one or all of these craft ideas your little one will definitely be in the mood for a delicious snack. So why not continue with the theme and help them with the creation of a fun patriotic snack.

Graham Cracker Flags
What you need
•Graham crackers
•White icing
•Blue food coloring
•Red licorice
•white chocolate chips
•Small bowls
•Craft sticks or plastic knives

Directions
Show the kids a flag or a picture of the flag. Talk about what the flag means. The fifty stars represent the fifty states. The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. The color blue stands for justice, or fairness; the color white stands for purity; and the color red stands for courage.

Mix some of the white icing with blue food coloring. Place white and blue icing in separate bowls. Provide each child with a graham cracker and craft stick. Let them spread the white frosting on the cracker. Add some blue frosting to the top left corner. Pull the red licorice into small strips and cut into pieces. let them add the licorice for the stipes and decorate their graham cracker so that it resembles a flag. Add white chocolate chips or star sprinkles for the stars.

Enjoy these fun patriotic literacy activities with your kids. Have a great literacy filled holiday.

Brown Bag Craft Ideas

Today I am going to take a break from the brown bag lunch suggestions and instead give everyone some fun ideas for crafts to do with your little ones using a brown bag. These crafts are all easy to do and will bring the kids hours of enjoyment after they are finished with their creation. After creating your brown bag craft please feel free to comment on our blog and let us know how the craft goes. We would love to see pictures of your little one with their craft.

http://www.kinderart.com/crafts/bagkite.shtml

http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/animals/ocean/paper-bag-octopus.asp

http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/animals/ocean/paper-bag-whale.asp

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/puppets/paperbag/

There you go folks, take some time with your little ones and enjoy these fun activities. Share your successes with us. Happy Brown Bagging!!! See you today at the Story House Depot from 12-2.

Great Day at The Big Dig

Goodmorning-

Yesterday we hosted our second Literacy Center at Riverside Park, and it was a huge success. The theme for the day was "The Big Dig," and everyone sure seemed to dig what we had to offer. There were several different dinosaur themed activities for the kids to participate in and take home and treasure for years come. The activities that we offered were: Dig for Dinosaur eggs, Create your own dinosaur mask, Dinosaur Fossils, Piece it Together, the "D" station and finally the infamous Dinosaur Egg station followed up by a delicious snack of "Dinosaur Dirt Pudding." Everything seemed to be enjoyed by everyone who attended.

After our first day at the park just a short two weeks ago we were a little hesitant as to how good of an idea it was to have it away from the library. It was originally intended to draw the families who were unable to get rides to the library on Monday's. However, the first trip to the park did not see many people enjoying the literacy fun we had planned for them. But, we did not let that get us down and decided to continue to promote the park and literacy centers even more, and I think yesterday was proof that our efforts paid off. Yesterday we saw about forty kids come through our Literacy Center and it was great to see those type of numbers. We hope to continue to get more and more each time.

A couple of the favorite activities that the kids participated in were the "Dinosaur Egg" station, the "Dino Dig" station and the "Dinosaur Fossils" station. At the Egg station we had already hard boiled eggs for the kids to use as their canvas. We also had prepared Easter Egg die for them to color their eggs however they chose, after of course they put a cool design on them with Crayon. The designs the kids came up with were very interesting to say the least. We had multiple colors of eggs with designs that were previously unbeknownst to humankind. The kids also got a kick out of being able to eat their dinosaur. Some even took it to the extreme by cracking their eggs right on the spot and eating their egg before they left the literacy center.

Another favorite station was "Dino Dig" where the kids could Dig through our sandbox and look for matching Dinosaur Eggs that were buried in the sand. Of course this was a favorite for the kids because it gave them a chance to get their hands dirty as all kids seem to enjoy doing. The kids sat out by the sandbox and dug away for the longest time, often forgetting that we had plenty more to offer to them inside. It was a good time.

A last favorite of the kids was the "Dinosaur Fossil" station where kids had to make their own fossil dough using flower salt and water. This station allowed the kids to dive in and get their hands dirty while learning how to measure out the proper amount of the ingredients in order to create their fossil dough. After they had created the dough they were encouraged to use whatever they wanted to create a fossil imprint on their dough. We had toy dinosaurs for them to use, but they also had the choice of going out in the grass and finding pine cones or leaves to make their own fossils with. After going home they could put the dough in the oven for 10 minutes and it would bake the dough so that their fossil would be saved forever.

After the long dirty day at "The Big Dig" we at the Reading Railroad were extremely happy to see everyone that turned out. It was a successful day for everyone who attended and we hope to continue to see such a big turnout every Monday. And a note to all of my loyal followers out there, don't forget that next week out Literacy Center will be on Wednesday at the Library, not Monday. See you there!!!

StoryBook Festival--July 11

For those of you who haven't heard, the CCRR is planning its StoryBook Festival for July 11 in Spencer Park from 1-3pm. This event is sure to be great fun for the entire family. The staff down at the Reading Railroad has put a significant amount of time into planning for this event and assuring a fun day for all attendees. Make sure to come and see us.

At the festival you will find a plethora of things to do. We have lined up a puppeteer who will be performing two shows during the day. Jarret Binney will be there performing "Literacy and Lyrics" throughout the day, in which he will us his music to show how literacy plays a major role in the creation of lyric. Storytellers from the Bloomington Storytellers Guild will be in attendance doing live storytelling every 20 minutes for your enjoyment. Not to mention the large number of crafts we have set up for the kids to participate in, as well as free food. Thats right, through the gracious donations of multiple area businesses we will have free popsicles, cookies, popcorn and water all for your enjoyment.

This is the second year for this event with the hopes of continuing it into the future for many years. It looks to be a day full of great times, so make it a point to come out and see us at the Park on July 11th from 1-3pm. Oh, and don't forget to dress up like your favorite StoryBook character. It is sure to be a magical time.

The Salad Sandwich

With today being Thursday it is of course time for some brown bag advice before we head out to Brown Bags and Books at Spencer Park at 12. Today I am going to talk about the summertime favorites; chicken salad, tuna salad, ham salad, egg salad...ect. These sandwiches are a delicious alternative to your typical sandwiches, however they tend to get a bad rap because of one of the main ingredients; mayonaise. Hopefully with these tips, your creations will be more sought after during the summer months and even on into the school year.

The salad sandwiches of today have come a long way from where they used to be. A chicken salad sandwich used to be leftover chicken between two slices of bread lathered with mayo. Appetizing I know. But, today generations of family recipes have been passed down that have been tweeked little by little over the years. With that being said there still is a steady trend among them all. There must be a bonding agent in all of them to give them the thick consistency to keep them on the sandwich. This bonding agent is typically mayonaise, and has been for years. However with the recent increase in health conscience parents, mayonaise has begun to be looked at in a negative light. So here are a couple other suggestions to use instead of using mayonaise. A popular choice is plain Greek Yogurt. This provides a significant health benefit without losing much taste at all in your salad. It is a great way to make your salad a bit healthier. Some recipes also call for PB to be used as the bonder. I know this seems a bit out there, but it has been noted to work. A last suggestion is to use avocados. To do this you clean a couple avocados and put them in a bowl. Mix them up in a bowl until they are mixed into a kind of paste. This works perfect as a bonding agent. Although it is almost like a guacamole of sorts with chicken, it is still delicious and a lot healthier than using the classic mayonaise.

PB Chicken Salad

2 boneless chicken breasts
Soy sauce and pepper to marinate chicken
3 T peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T fresh ginger, peeled
1 T veggie oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed to 1 inch lengths
2 c sliced sweet peppers
1/4 to 1/2 a sweet onion, chopped
Spinach, to serve

Classic Chicken Salad

4 cups diced poached chicken, recipe follows
1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced or 1/4 cup sweet onion cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or fresh dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 cup Greek Yogurt
2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Tuna Salad Sandwich

1 (6 ounce) can tuna, drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
paprika to taste

Here are a few recipe suggestions for you and your little ones to try. However, you can easily mix up your own recipe by just replacing the mayonaise with one of the other suggested ingredients in mentioned above. Hope this works for everyone. Make sure to stop and see us at the Story House from 12-2 today. And bring a refined salad sandwich to eat while you read.