Kids

Welcome to the Stratford Library Children’s Department.

• DIY Storytime – Ninjas

  Enjoy this DIY Storytime on the theme of Ninjas whenever is convenient for your family.

  BOOKS:

  Ninja Red Riding Hood
  • Written by Corey Rosen Schwartz
  • Illustrated by Dan Santat
  • Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons
  • Presented by Mr. Paulson Reads
  A wolf trains to be a ninja in order to catch his prey, but he is not the only one mastering a martial art.
  https://video.link/w/8iqLc
  Batch of Books.com has these cool ninja finger puppets you can print out. Back them up on cardboard, cut holes for the fingers, and let the kids play!
  https://batchofbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Ninja-Finger-Puppets.pdf

  The Ninjabread Man
  • Written by C. J. Leigh
  • Illustrated by Chris Gall
  • Published Orchard Books
  • Presented by Storytime Train
  In this adaptation of the traditional Gingerbread man, Ninjabread Man escapes the Sensei and challenges his students.
  https://video.link/w/ojqLc
  Thrifty Fun has instructions for making little ninjas from toilet paper tubes:
  https://www.thriftyfun.com/How-to-Make-a-Toilet-Paper-Roll-Ninja.html

  Jack B. Ninja
  • Written by Tim McCanna
  • Illustrated by Stephen Savage
  • Published Orchard Books
  • Presented by Storytime Anytime
  Jack B. Ninja goes on a mission to steal a treasure chest.
  https://video.link/w/DjqLc
  A Little Pinch of Perfection has instructions for making paper nunchuks and ninja masks:
  https://alittlepinchofperfect.com/ninja-paper-plate-and-cardboard-tube-kids-craf/

  SONGS:

  Ninja Run by Didi & Friends
  https://video.link/w/RkqLc

  Being Awesome! by Ninja Kidz Music
  https://video.link/w/tlqLc

  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle TV Theme Song
  https://video.link/w/kmqLc

  RHYMES AND MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES:

  Ninja Skills by Martha Simpson

  Ninja, ninja, turn around (turn around)
  Ninja, ninja, touch the ground (touch the floor)
  Ninja, ninja, make a fist (hold out one hand in a fist)
  Ninja, ninja, make your arm twist (twist that arm from one side to the other)
  Ninja, ninja, tippy-toe (take a few steps on tip-toes)
  Ninja, ninja, go so slow (move in slow motion)
  Ninja, ninja, run in place (run in place)
  Ninja, ninja, balance with grace (stand on one foot)
  Ninja, ninja, show your kick (kick with one foot)
  Ninja, ninja, jump up quick (jump up)
  Ninja, ninja, chop your hand (do a karate chop)
  Ninja, ninja, take a stand (stand at attention)
  Ninja, ninja, climb the hill (pretend to climb up a rope)
  Ninja, ninja, be small and still. (make yourself small and don’t move)

  Five Little Ninjas by Martha Simpson

  Five little ninjas leap across the floor
  One left the room, and then there were four.
  Four little ninjas climbing up a tree
  One jumped down, and then there were three.
  Three little ninjas practicing kung fu
  One bowed out, and then there were two.
  Two little ninjas out for a run
  One returned home, and then there was one.
  One little ninja sitting in the sun
  Finished his workout, and now he is done.

  I’m a Nimble Ninja by Martha Simpson
  (tune: I’m a Little Teapot)

  I’m a nimble ninja, I’m so fast (run in place)
  You’ll never see me when I run past
  I am good at tumbling and I can kick (do a somersault, then kick)
  All my moves are strong and quick.

  I’m a nimble ninja, I can fight (punch the air the left and right hands)
  I punch with my left hand, then with my right
  I am good at hiding, day or night (put hands in front of your face to hide)
  If you look for me, I’ll be out of sight.

  I’m a nimble ninja, watch me creep (tip-toe quietly across the room)
  Across the room without a peep
  When you least expect it, I’ll attack (jump up and pretend to grab someone)
  So you better watch your back!

  

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• Science Sunday – Food Science

  Food Science – Floating and Sinking (Density & Buoyancy)

  Molecules are groups of atoms that are bonded together. Density relates to how tightly or loosely packed an object’s molecules are. Materials with more density weigh more. For example, jelly beans have more mass than marshmallows because marshmallows contain a great deal of air. So a cup of jelly beans weighs more than a cup of marshmallows.

  For an object to float, it must have less density than the liquid it is floating in. Plain water from your faucet has a density of 1 g/mL (one gram per milliliter). So things that float in water (like ice cubes) have less density than 1 g/mL.

  Experiments related to Density & Buoyancy

  Fill a large bowl about three quarters full of water.
  Push an apple to the bottom of the bowl of water and then release it. Does the apple stay at the bottom of the bowl or does it float? Therefore, does the apple have less density than water or more density than water?

  Another Experiment:
  Oil floats atop water because oil is less dense than water. Gather tap water, blue food coloring, an ice cube tray, and a clear plastic cup filled with cooking oil.
  Add blue food coloring to water and pour the colored water into an ice cube tray, allowing it to freeze.
  Fill the clear plastic cup about three-quarters full of oil. Remove a frozen blue ice cube from the tray and place it in the oil, letting it melt.
  Is the ice cube floating in the oil or sinking to the bottom of the cup? Therefore is ice more or less dense than oil?
  As the ice melts, watch what happens to the blue water that results from the melting. Is water more or less dense than oil? Is water more or less dense than ice? Explain how you know.

  Link to a buoyancy experiment from The Indianapolis Public Library:
  https://www.indypl.org/blog/for-kids/science-experiment-density-buoyancy

  Quick Fact: Why Do Fruits Taste Sweeter As They Ripen?

  Physical properties of fruits include how they look (size, color), how they feel (hard, squishy, slimy), and how they taste. A physical property of sugar molecules is their sweet taste. Starch is a nutrient, and starch molecules are made up of smaller sugar molecules that are bonded together in a chain. Starch doesn’t taste very sweet. This is why an unripe banana is not very sweet. But as a banana ripens, the starch molecules break apart into sugar molecules and banana tastes sweeter.

   

  Acids & Bases

  Acids are chemicals with many hydrogen ions. Gastric acid fills our stomach to help break down food. Our stomachs have a special lining that keeps the acid from breaking down our tissue. Foods with a lot of acid often taste sour. Highly acidic foods include lemon juice, orange juice, and coffee. Bases are the opposite of acids. They have many hydroxide ions. A pH scale measures how acidic or basic a liquid is. Acids have very low numbers on the pH scale and bases have higher numbers.

  An introduction to acid and bases: https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/3019-acids-and-bases-introduction
  Chemistry for Kids (including a pH scale): https://www.ducksters.com/science/acids_and_bases.php

  An Experiment with Acids and Bases

  • Gather some sour (acidic) candies such as sour Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Pixy Stix, Warheads, or Lemonheads.
  • Drop some of the candy into a ½ cup of warm water and let the candy dissolve. (Stirring will help!)
  • Then drop a spoonful of baking soda (a base) into the water.
  • You will see bubbles form. This happens because when a base mixes with an acid, carbon dioxide is released. The more acidic the candy, the more bubbles that you’ll see.
    (This same chemical reaction occurs in baked goods like crackers, cookies, and pancakes. The baking soda in the recipe reacts with acid in the dough which releases carbon dioxide and causes the dough to rise!)
  • Extra: You can also use baking soda to perform an acid test on a variety of liquids. Add two tablespoons of orange juice to a small cup, add two tablespoons of apple cider to another small cup, and add two tablespoons of milk to a third cup. Remember that when a base like baking soda interacts with an acid, carbon dioxide is released which causes bubbles. Now add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the cup with the milk. How many bubbles are formed? Is milk acidic or basic? Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the cup with the apple cider? What is your conclusion about how acidic cider is? Now add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the cup with the orange juice. What do you notice? Which is the most acidic liquid of the three? Which is the least acidic?

  Quick Fact: Why Does Corn Pop?

  From the U.S. Department of Agriculture https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/popcorn/how-does-popcorn-pop-
  “A kernel of popcorn does contain a small amount of water stored inside a circle of soft starch. This is why popcorn needs to maintain a certain level of moisture. The soft starch is surrounded by the kernel’s hard outer surface. As the kernel heats up, the water expands, building pressure against the hard starch surface. Eventually, this outer layer gives way, causing the popcorn to explode. As it explodes, the soft starch inside the popcorn becomes inflated and bursts, turning the kernel inside out. The steam inside the kernel is released, and the popcorn is popped, hot and ready to eat.”

  Solutes & Solvents

  Ducksters Chemistry for Kids – Solutions and Dissolving
  https://www.ducksters.com/science/chemistry/solutions_and_dissolving.php

  In a solution, one substance is dissolved within another substance. A solution is homogeneous (the same throughout) and the substances remain mixed – they do not separate from one another over time. A food example of a solution is Kool-Aid. Temperature is one factor that affects the rate at which a solute goes into a solvent.

  An Experiment for Solutions and Dissolving Rates Based on Temperature
  You will need:

  • ½ cup ice water
  • ½ cup room-temperature water
  • ½ cup boiling water (make sure to get an adult’s help)
  • 1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid
  • Sugar
  • 3 clear glass tumblers (one must be able to withstand hot water)
  • Put ½ cup of ice water in the first glass, ½ cup of room-temperature water in the second glass, and ½ cup of boiling water in the third glass.
  • Drop a small pinch of Kool-Aid into each glass. Watch the Kool-Aid diffuse into solution in each.

  In which glass does the Kool-Aid dissolve most quickly? In which glass does it take the most time? What does this tell you about how temperature affects how quickly a substance can dissolve and create a solution?

  See These Websites For More Cool Experiments with Food!

  Food Science Experiments for Kids: https://a2zhomeschooling.com/explore/chemistry_kids/food_chemistry_experiments/
  100 Amazing Food Experiments for Kids: https://www.123homeschool4me.com/100-amazing-food-experiments-for-kids/
  Edible Science Experiments for Kids:
  https://www.mombrite.com/edible-science-experiments-for-kids/
  Steve Spangler Food Science Experiments:
  https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/categories/experiments/food-science/
  Food Science for Kids:
  https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/food.html

  Play & Learn

  Crafts
  Fun Ways to Use Food in Kids Crafts: https://www.diys.com/use-food-in-kids-crafts/

  Games
  Kids Food Games: https://www.culinaryschools.org/kids-games/
  Food Games ABCya: https://www.abcya.com/games/category/food

  Quizzes
  Food Quiz: https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/quizzes/food.html

  Fun Activities (coloring pages, word searches, etc.)
  Coloring pages:
  http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/home-housework/food
  https://coloringhome.com/free-printable-coloring-pages-food
  Dot to Dot:
  https://www.dottodots.net/category/food
  https://www.foodhero.org/connect-dots
  Food & Science Word Search:
  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VDGPXKbKMvHZtUPlT1El1GeTe5bbIODy/view?usp=sharing
  Food Jokes and Puns: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yjRcEhLEnqJSNbbRRhPIlI2ZjXxkqkheSfk-mJveEl4/edit?usp=sharing

  Resources

  Cobb, Vicki. Science Experiments You Can Eat. Harper Collins Publishers, 1994.

  Leavitt, Loralee. Candy Experiments. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2012.

  VanCleave, Janice. 204 Sticky, Gloppy, Wacky & Wonderful Experiments. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002.

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• The Children’s Department is closed November 10, 12 (Library closed Veteran’s Day 11/11)

  We’re so excited to have some of the furniture and bookshelves for the Children’s Department renovation arrive this week! Furniture will be installed November 10 and 12, so the Children’s Department will be closed those days for everyone’s safety – other departments remain open. Also remember the Library will be closed November 11 for Veteran’s Day – we honor all US Veterans on November 11 and every day!

  We hope to see you in the Library soon so you can check out the new arrivals with your family!

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