It's children's Book & Screen Free Week! I hope you enjoyed reading "Bunny's Book Club" words by Annie Silvestro, art by Tatjana Mai-Wyss with us today. 

Now you can download your own book plate for the inside of your own books for when you share! Color them for some added flare, and share with friends. How much time do you leave for unplugged activities like screen-free reading in a day?

Share with us on social media using the hashtags #HCFM,  #Childrensbookweek, #Everychildareader, #CCjr.

For reading Patrick Picklebottom and The Penny Book by Mr. Jay with pictures by Gary Wilkinson! Patrick sure loved his book! Do you have a favorite book that you want to read over and over and over again? 

After reading this book, Ms. Jenna and I thought of all the fun things we like to do that don’t involve technology. Of course our list included reading books and riding carousels! One thing we thought of was going outside and watching all of the animals move around in their own worlds. The butterflies and bees flying from flower to flower, the ants carrying off crumbs of food, and the spiders working so hard to make their webs. This inspired Ms. Jenna to create a bug jar! This bug jar is great because it uses pictures of animals, so no animals are removed from their homes!

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This post is bittersweet, I want to take a moment to introduce you all to Marissa Seib. Oh, you already know her? That is right, you do! She has been a guest reader for storytime! No? Oh you must know her from our Gift Shop then! Of course- Yes, Marissa is the bubbly lady behind the gift shop counter here at the museum. I told you this post was bitter sweet... Marissa has left our gift shop for our education department! Marissa is wonderful with kids, is a proud auntie, dog mom, knows how to make some seriously delicious blueberry muffins, and I am so happy to introduce Marissa Seib to you all as the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum new Outreach Coordinator! 

Marissa will be taking over a lot of our STEM programming, Storytime, off campus programs, and of course - Carrousel Courier Jr. 

I hope you were able to join us for our first First Friday Storytime of 2021. We had a few technical difficulties, but we tried something new! Sometimes it takes a few tries to get something just right, right? I hope you enjoyed Reading Beauty words by Deboarh Underwood, Art by Meg Hunt! I really appreciate modern re-tellings of classic fairy tales. 

Todays activity is inspired by those modern re-tellings of classic fairy tales, just like Reading Beauty. You can download the prompt page below to write your own story!

This is a simple, fun, keepsake project for all ages and skill levels. Make one each, or make one together as a family!

You will need:

• Sharpie Permanent Markers
• Rubbing Alcohol
• White Ceramic Plate (I used one from Dollar Tree)
• Oven 

Directions:

1. Wash and dry plate.
2. Use rubbing alcohol to wipe down plate, making sure no other residue is left behind. Allow to dry completely.
3. Using Sharpie Permanent Markers decorate your plate! **Some colors may fade when baking**
4. Place plate directly in center of oven on baking rack.
5. Set a timer for 30 minutes, and turn the oven on to 300 degrees. Allowing your plate to heat-up with the oven. 
6. Crack the oven door and allow your plate to cool completely in the oven.
7. Do not use utensils on plate, and wash by hand!

We read the "Last Stop On The Reindeer Express" by Maudie Powell-Tuck, Art by Karl James Mountford? today for our last storytime of 2020! What a great twelve books we were able to read together this year though. You can always check them out on our Goodreads page too here.

A big thank you to Ms. Marrisa for reading "Pokko And The Drum" by Matthew Forsythe. Do you think Pokko's parents made a mistake in giving her a dum?  Would you have let the wolf stay in the band?

I absolutely loved Matthew Forsythe's illustrations and his storytelling. The expressions Pokko and her father make genuinly make me laugh out loud while reading.

So I hope your parents don't think I am making a mistake when I say... lets make a drum!