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Explore monthly highlights and get quick links to resources to help you plan after-school activities that are perfect for your group.
April STEM
Combine STEM, Maker Space, and arts programming by making a nature journal from upcycled materials! Encourage kids to explore the world around them and describe what they observe in their own book.
Click on the image to learn how to make a nature journal and explore the guide for questions to help kids take descriptive notes. Click on the links below to get the quick guide and explore the full programming Expansion Pack for more great ways to learn about nature in the city.
Nature Journal Expansion Pack
Nature Journal - page 1 - Activity Expansion Pack.pdfNature Journal - page 2 - Activity Expansion PackNature Journal - page 3 - Activity Expansion Pack.pdfNature Journal - page 4 - Activity Expansion Pack.pdfApril Book Club
This month, we're exploring our wondrous world and describing how we see it as we experience a Total Solar Eclipse on April 8th, participate in Earth Day and Global Youth Service Day, and celebrate National Poetry Month.
Click HERE for a quick guide to the April Book Club and Activities.
Jayden's Impossible Garden - One Page Read Aloud Guide.pdfOutside In - updated.pdfBe a Tree - One Page Read Aloud Guide.pdfA Few Beautiful Minutes - One Page Read Aloud Guide.pdfMeanwhile Back on Earth - One Page Read Aloud Guide.pdfJayden's Impossible Garden
recommended for K - 3rd grade readers
Jayden loves being outside to experience nature, but his mom tells him that nature doesn’t exist in the city. One day, Jayden becomes friends with Mr. Curtis. Together, they plant seeds, hang bird feeders, and build a magical secret garden fort. Will Jayden’s mom finally see all the natural beauty that surrounds them?
GOOD FOR - Earth Day, Global Youth Service Day
Outside In
recommended for K - 5th grade readers
Sometimes we might forget about nature, but nature shows us that it is always there. This poetic book helps us think about what we love about nature and how we can experience it every day.
GOOD FOR - Earth Day, National Poetry Month
Be a Tree!
recommended for PreK - 3rd grade readers
Imagine yourself as a tree, with your branches reaching high into the sky and your roots growing deep into the soil. Reflect on the ways that trees and people, forests and communities are the same.
GOOD FOR - Earth Day, National Poetry Month, Global Youth Service Day
A Few Beautiful Minutes
recommended for K - 4th grade readers
Read about what happens when the moon glides in front of the sun during a total eclipse. Experience how it feels to see something extraordinary in the splendor of these few beautiful minutes.
GOOD FOR - Total Solar Eclipse, National Poetry Month
Meanwhile Back on Earth...
recommended for K - 5th grade readers
During a family car ride, a father takes a detour into space to show his children how long it takes to get to different planets. By driving the vast distances between planets, he also talks about the global conflicts of our distant past.
GOOD FOR - Earth Day, Total Solar Eclipse, Global Youth Service Day
April Activities
The activities below can be used throughout the month to support the April Book Club selections. Inspire youth to explore the world and share what they see in their own words.
For more resources to support programs for the upcoming total solar eclipse, check out STARnet's materials designed for libraries. NASA and National Geographic also have tutorials for making view finders, pinhole cameras, and other eclipse-related projects.
For fun poetry activities, visit the Every Day Is a Poem page or explore April's Featured Read Aloud Guides. You can also help kids build their visualization and descriptive writing skills by encouraging them to Jump Into a Book!
Jump into a Book! - Writing Is Everywhere Guide.pdf
Earth, Sun, and Moon
materials - paper plate; heavy paper; scissors; pencil; ruler; 3 metal fasteners; markers or crayons
Draw one medium-sized circle and one small circle and cut them out.
Put metal fasteners through the center of the paper plate and both of the smaller circles.
Cut a narrow piece of paper about 6 inches long and fasten it to the smaller circles.
Cut a narrow piece of paper about 11 inches long and attach it to the plate and the medium circle.
Follow the orbits of the Earth and the moon around the sun.
good for - A few Beautiful Minutes & Meanwhile Back on Earth...
Five Senses
materials - a quiet place to sit for 5 minutes
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath and focus on 5 things you can see.
Take another breath and focus on 4 things you can hear.
Breathe deeply and focus on 3 things you can touch.
Take a breath and focus on 2 things you can smell and then 1 thing you can taste.
good for - Inside Out, A Few Beautiful Minutes, Be a Tree, & Jayden’s Impossible Garden
Insect Life Cycle Wheel
materials - 2 paper plates; crayons or markers; scissors; metal fastener
Divide one plate into four equal pieces.
Cut the rim off of the other plate.
Cut a pizza slice out of the smaller plate.
Draw insect eggs in the first section of your plate, draw insect larva in the second section, draw a pupa in its chrysalis in the third section, and draw the adult form of the insect in the fourth section.
Use a metal fastener to attach the other paper plate.
Watch the video instructions.
good for - Jayden’s Impossible Garden & Inside Out
Garden Stories
materials - paper; pencils; index cards; markers or crayons; scissors; string; craft sticks; tape
Write a draft of your story or poem.
Decide where to put page breaks.
Write and illustrate each page on an index card.
Visit the location for your garden story with a trusted grown-up. Note where you will put each page.
Tape craft sticks to the backs to stake the pages in the ground or use string to hang them up in branches.
When you notice that the pages are starting to wear out, take a few minutes to clean it up… and think about writing your next amazing garden story!
Watch the video instructions.
good for -Jayden’s Impossible Garden, Inside Out, & Be A Tree
Self-Watering Planter
materials - plastic container; scissors; string; screw and screwdriver; potting soil; plant; water
Cut the plastic container in half. Unscrew the lid.
Carefully poke a hole into the center of the lid using a screw and screwdriver.
Thread about 6 inches of string through the hole in the lid.
Tie a knot about 2 inches from the inside of the lid. Unravel the string ends.
Pour 2-3 inches of water into the bottom of the container.
Wet the string.
Screw the lid (with the string in it) back onto the container.
Turn the top half of the lid upside-down. Put it into the bottom half of the container like a bowl.
Spoon soil into the container. Repot your plant and lightly water it around the roots.
Replace water in the bottom portion of the container when it’s empty.
Watch the video instructions.
good for - Jayden’s Impossible Garden, Inside Out, & Be a Tree
Library Highlight
Can Bears Ski - One Page Read Aloud Guide.pdfOne Book, One Philadelphia
Read this year's One Book, One Philadelphia selection for children and be part of the city's largest book club! Learn more about upcoming events and programming ideas from One Book, One Philadelphia.
Can Bears Ski?
recommended for PreK - 3rd grade readers
Little Bear can feel how loud the world is, but he doesn’t always hear it. Sometimes, people ask him a question that sounds like, “Can bears ski?” He doesn’t know the answer and isn’t even sure that’s what they’re asking. One day, he visits an audiologist who helps him find new ways to hear and understand people. It’s a big and very loud change for Little Bear, but with Dad Bear’s help, he finds his own way of hearing and understanding.
GOOD FOR - One Book, One Philadelphia
Additional Resources
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