HPL Kids
The Kidzone has programs galore as well as books, movies, and other cool stuff. Read our blog below for more information and check out our upcoming events to get an idea of what's happening at the Kidzone! Our main phone number is 205.444.7830.
Kidzone Blog
Virtual Museum
It's field trip time! Yes, I know that we shouldn't leave home. And I know that all field trip-worthy places are closed to the public. That's why we're taking a virtual field trip! Our destination today? The museum. Actually, we can visit more than one! Right now!
Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture is an online platform you can use to access high-resolution images of artworks housed in the initiative's 2,000+ partner museums all over the world. There are SO MANY things to explore -- street view tours, 360° videos, curated collections. You can explore the art by time period . . . or color! There are also features highlighting specific things. This morning I could easily access dinosaurs, Picasso painting with light, and Italian cultural sites on the main page. There is also a page of weekly highlights.
National Museum of African American History & Culture
This is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts. This is the newest museum in the Smithsonian Institution.
National Musuem of the American Indian
The NMAI cares for one of the world's most expansive collections of Native artifacts, including objects, photographs, archives, and media covering the entire Western Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. It is part of the world's largest museum complex, the Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
This is a migratory museum that brings history, art and culture to you through innovative community-focused experiences. It is always a museum without walls. Explore it today!
Don't forget to look locally!
1. Birmingham Museum of Art
2. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
3. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
4. Negro Southern League Museum
5. Southern Museum of Flight
6. Anniston Museum of Natural History (This is the one I went to all the time once my family moved to Alabama.)
Tumblebooks Storytime: ART
All of your favorite librarians at Hoover Public Library are now working from home. I'll be honest. It is really weird. I'm missing my coworkers, of course, but I'm especially missing all of YOU. So I'll be reaching out to you through my daily blog posts. Today begins a new series that I'll post every Monday. It gives YOU the power to do storytime with your children using the library's Tumblebooks collection. They have taken existing picture books and added animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book that you can read or have read to you. To access Tumblebooks, go to our website and click on the white Tumblebooks rectangle directly below our message about the COVID closure. You will be asked to enter your library card number in order to continue to the Tumblebooks website. Once there, click on the INDEX tab to see an alphabetical list of books. Use the alphabet buttons at the top to narrow your search for the titles I list later in this blog.
This week's Tumblebooks Storytime focuses on ART. I'll give you suggestions for several Tumblebooks, a variety of hands-on activity ideas, and links to music/movement opportunities for you and your child. Mix and match them in any way you want!
TUMBLEBOOKS
Art's Supplies by Chris Tougas In this delightful tale of the power of the imagination, Art's supplies come to life in the studio, creating mayhem and magic—and art!
Snap! by Hazel Hutchins Snap! Scritch! Whoosh! There goes another crayon! What could be more perfect than a brand new set of crayons? Evan can’t wait to use them, until Snap!, the brown one breaks in two. Then one by one, the others break, get crushed, are blown away, or simply disappear. How can he possibly draw when there’s no green, purple, or even black?
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds Vashti thinks she can't draw. No, Vashti KNOWS she can't draw! To prove her point, she jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti's journey of surprise and self-discovery. [Tumblebooks makes this one challenging to find. It's listed under T for THE, but the T alphabet tab isn't working. Click on S instead, then scroll down.]
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES
Art Eye Spy Use these guidelines to play a game of I Spy using real pieces of art.
Color Mixing Penny Spinners This is a cool way to demonstrate that mixing primary colors results in secondary colors. (blue + yellow = green)
Oil and Watercolor Painting This art project is also a science lesson.
Paint Chip Color Matching This is a fun way to explore the wide variety of colored paint.
Paint Like Michelangelo Give kids a chance to paint on the "ceiling."
Q-tip Dot Art This art project is a perfect tie to The Dot.
MUSIC & MOVEMENT
Box of Crayons by The Pop Ups This song is great for scarf dancing.
Googly Eyes by Caspar Babypants The music video features some silly art.
Little Brown Pencil by Caspar Babypants Let it inspire beautiful brown art!
EXTRAS
Birmingham Museum of Art The museum may be closed, but you can still find lots of great art on their website.
Crayola The official website of the world's best-loved crayons has lots of cool stuff for you and your family, including content for this new world of at-home learning. I really like the company's history timeline.
The Crayon Man by Natascha Biebow Listen to the author read-aloud her colorful biography of Edwin Binney, the inventor of Crayola Crayons.
The Day Glo Brothers by Chris Barton This biography about the extraordinary journey that led two brothers to the discovery of a whole new kind of color, one that glows with an extra-special intensity, is available on Tumblebooks.
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Art and storybooks! The perfect combination!
