Blog posts by Danielle

BKLYN Kids Presents: Hanukkah Books to Feast Upon

Danielle

Hanukkah Books to Feast Upon  The year 2013 was a special year as the first night of Hanukkah coincided with Thanksgiving. Although the two holidays do not fall on exactly the same night this year, Hanukkah celebrants this year are looking forward to turkey and pie, followed by latkes and donuts in the same long weekend. Here are some Hanukkah books that are worth checking out after feasting on all your holiday favorite foods: Meet the Latkes written by Alan Silberberg Meet the Latke Family. They are just like your family, but they are potato pancakes...and they get a…

Kids Create: Yarn Friends

Danielle

The Kensington library loves crafts with yarn. This month we are making cuddly yarn friends!  Supplies: Yarn Scissors One piece of cardboard that is seven inches long and another piece that is four inches long. You can make your cardboard pieces with a ruler and a cereal box Buttons Stickers Any swag to jazz up your doll! (Optional) Steps:  Wrap your yarn around the seven inch piece of cardboard 30 times. (Pro-tip: the thicker your yarn, the more full and cuddly your doll will be. Don’t worry if you don’t have a thick yarn. I didn’t have any, and it still works…

Book Talk: Books for the Jewish High Holidays

Danielle

Tonight, Jewish families around the world will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah can take place in September or October, depending on the Hebrew calendar. There are quite a few Jewish traditions to starting the Jewish New Year off right, but one of my favorites is dipping apple slices into honey to welcome in the sweetness of the new year. 

courtesy of Getty Images
Here is a collection of sweet books to reserve for the Jewish New Year:   A moon for Moe & Mo…

Kids Create: Pride Pom-Poms

Danielle

June is Pride Month! If you are part of the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (LBGTQIA) community or an ally, show your pride with rainbow pom-poms! The History of the Rainbow Flag In the 1960s, before the creation of the rainbow pride flag, the LBGTQIA community represented themselves with a pink triangle, but this symbol had a dark history. Nazi Germany had forced the gay community to wear pink triangles in order to persecute them. One man, Gilbert Baker, wanted a new symbol, one where he could spread love instead of hate. It was a night dancing that Gilbert…

Earth Day is inside your Refrigerator

Danielle

Earth Day is right around the corner and with the necessity to shelter in place, it is even more important for children to celebrate our beautiful world from home this year. But how? I felt stuck. Many of the Earth Day traditions I would recommend to families are not possible this year, especially for children living in Brooklyn. Any other year, I'd encourage families to join a park clean-up, plant a tree, or walk or bike to a nearby park for time outside. These are not options during the pandemic. I found many wonderful resources on the web that recommend family-friendly documentaries…

BKLYN Kids Presents: Staying Connected

Danielle

Kids - we want to hear from you! Brooklyn Public Library is looking for your journal entries, poems, and other writing about your experience of staying home during the coronavirus. You can tell us what it's been like to learn from home, share advice with other kids about how to get along with your siblings, or write about how you feel. Fill in the form below to participate!   Loading... Librarians will read aloud from the submissions "on the air" on our Brooklyn Public Library Family Facebook (Date TBA). In the meantime, check out Brooklyn Public Library's full list of Virtual…

BKLYN Kids Presents: Immigrant Heritage Month

Danielle

On June 24th, the Kensington branch celebrated Immigrant Heritage Month. Tweens and Teens gathered to learn how to draw manga characters from Misako Rocks!, a Japanese manga writer/illustrator who has written works including Rock and Roll Love, the manga about a Japanese foreign exchange student living in the midwest. "Who knows the word for cute in Japanese?" Misako asked the drawing participants. "Kawaii!" the manga readers among them knowingly said. In the process of drawing characters step-by-step, Misako taught the children about Japan and Japanese pop culture. Misako explained that…

Library Lab: Engineering Fun with the Egg Drop Challenge

Danielle

Egg Drop Contraption w/Coffee Filter Parachute
  I love tinkering with high-tech applications, circuits, and robotics to answer difficult science questions, but it's important to remember you don't need fancy and expensive materials to be a researcher.  With a walk through your kitchen and some rummaging through your closet, you can find materials to become an engineer and scientist. At Kensington branch, we made egg contraptions from recycled materials, pipe cleaners, coffee filters, and straws to protect raw eggs…