Ezra Jack Keats’ 1962 classic The Snowy Day has been checked out more times than any other book in the history of the New York Public Library. Jonathan Blanc/The New York Public Library
Winter is a great time to snuggle up and read. Does your family have a list of favorite books to read? One of my favorites when it’s blustery weather is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in the C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia series.
The New York Public Library recently calculated the most checked-out books in their 125 history and discovered Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day was at the very top of that list, with 485,583 checkouts from the NYPL since the book was published in 1962. (Source: NPR)
Here are some other great books for snowy days:
The Mitten by Jan Brett
The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll
Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Another great book resource for all children birth to age 5 who live within the Montcalm Area Intermediate School District is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Enrollment is free for participants, provided by grants and donations.
Contact mtrain@maisd.com to enroll your child and help expand their at-home library and foster a love of reading! More information can be found online at Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Get out and explore Mother Nature for art supplies. You’ll find plenty of leaves, sticks, rocks, and even bird feathers that can be turned into beautiful fall art. Use this fall art to create keepsakes for yourself, gifts for family and friends, and seasonal decor for your own home.
Enjoy Cooler Bike Excursions
Bikes get parked in the garage when the weather gets too hot. And once that kickstand goes down for a few days, kids tend to forget about their bikes until next spring. But fall is the perfect time to dig them out of the garage to go on some bike excursions.
Play Indoors
Build a fort or go to the closet and play flashlight games. There’s so much fun you can have with your kids in the house that gives you quality time together and prevents them from spending the day in front of the TV or on their tablets.
Leaf Pile Race
To play this game, you will need plenty of autumn leaves. You can save the ones you rake from your yard in large bags until ready to play. Divide the players into two teams. Place two hula hoops on the ground in the yard. Pour out the leaves around the yard. Give each team a rake, and set a timer. Teams have until the time is up to rake up, carry, gather, and pile as many leaves as they can in their hula-hoop circles. When time is up, the team with the tallest pile of leaves wins.
Alpha Family Services and Montcalm County Great Starts invites you to:
Come join us February 27th from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at the Flat River Community Library in Greenville for a Fun Free Family Event!
Come get your picture taken with the Tooth Fairy and joins with us in:
Story Time
Activities
Snacks
Crafts
Prizes
For More information or to RSVP, please contact: Alpha Family Services at 616-225-2265 or Montcalm County Great Start at 616-225-6146 or email cdavis@maisd.com
“Planting the Seeds for the Future”, Early Childhood Conference
Location: Greenville High School, 111 N Hillcrest, Greenville, MI 48838
Date: September 15, 2018
Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Grant, PhD, LPC, Director of the Reach Parent- Child Program and Trauma Informed Communities.
During the keynote, Dr. Stephanie Grant will discuss what neurodevelopmental trauma is and provide an overview of how children from difficult places are often different and need different supports from their caregivers to be successful.
FREE MEALS will be made available to children 18 years of age and under. Some locations will accept persons up to age 26 who are enrolled in an educational program for the mentally or physically disabled that is recognized by a State or local public educational agency. Children do not have to be enrolled in a summer education program or enrolled at the specific school districts to receive the meals.
PLEASE contact the location you would like to attend if you have any questions.
The specific nutritional choices you and your children make are crucial. Good nutrition is essential to good health and the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents to think of their nutritional decisions as health decisions.
