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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.
June STEM
Combine STEM, Maker Space, and arts programming by making a compass and exploring magnetic fields! Encourage kids to learn more about navigation with group activities and maps.
Click on the image to learn how to make a compass and learn how it works. Click on the links below to get the quick guide and explore the full programming Expansion Pack for more great ways to learn about magnetism and navigation.
Compasses and Magnets Expansion Pack
Compasses and Magnets - page 1 - Activity Expansion Pack.pdfCompasses and Magnets - page 2 - Activity Expansion Pack.pdfCompasses and Magnets - page 3 - Activity Expansion Pack.pdfCompasses and Magnets - page 4 - Activity Expansion Pack.pdfJune Book Club
LEAP into Summer! This month, we're celebrating all things summer with the library's Summer of Wonder reading program and learning to find our own paths with Pride celebrations.
Click HERE for a quick guide to the June Book Club and Activities.
Not Quite Narwhal - One Page Read Aloud Guide.pdfWorm and Caterpillar Are Friends - One Page Read Aloud Guide.pdfA Trapezoid Is Not a Dinosaur - One Page Read Aloud Guide.pdfRed A Crayon's Story - One Page Read Aloud Guide.pdfNot Quite Narwhal
recommended for K - 3rd grade readers
Little Kelp wasn’t like the other narwhals, but no one ever seemed to mind. One day, he is swept far away from home by the ocean current. Kelp discovers a brand new world on the surface, filled with creatures just like him! They show him how to be a unicorn and all the wonderful things that make him unique. He loves his new friends but also misses his home. How will Kelp choose between them?
GOOD FOR - Summer of Wonder; Pride Month
Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends
recommended for K - 3rd grade readers
Worm and Caterpillar are best friends. Worm thinks it’s because they are so much alike and hopes that things will never change! Caterpillar has a hunch that he might change, though. When he starts acting strange, they both worry that they won’t like each other any more. Can they still be the best of friends even if they aren’t the same?
GOOD FOR - Summer of Wonder; Pride Month
A Trapezoid Is Not a Triangle
recommended for K - 3rd grade readers
Triangle is directing a fantastic new show about space, and all the shapes want a part. Square has all the right angles, Circle is perfect for the role, and Star has some great points! When Trapezoid auditions, no one is exactly sure what he is. Circle even starts a rumor that he’s a dinosaur! How can Trapezoid convince the other shapes that he will be a boost to the show?
GOOD FOR - Summer of Wonder; Pride Month
Red: A Crayon's Story
recommended for K - 4th grade readers
Nothing Red tries to draw comes out right. He colors firetrucks, strawberries, hearts, cherries, and stoplights... but they all just come out looking wrong. Everyone seems to have an opinion about why Red’s drawings don’t work, but no one seems to be able to help. One day, Red meets a new friend who changes his life and helps everyone see him for who truly he is.
GOOD FOR - Summer of Wonder; Pride Month
June Activities
Use the following activities to support the June Book Club selections and celebrate finding your own path.
Learn more about Summer of Wonder resources and programs on the Free Library's summer reading page.
Explore more Pride resources courtesy of the library's Rainbow Connection and the LGBTQ+ special topics page.
Wish You Were Here!
materials - cardstock; ruler; pencil; scissors; markers or crayons
Cut out a 4x6 inch square from a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard.
Decorate one side.
On the back, draw a line down the middle, with the left for writing, and the right half for the address and stamp.
Write to a friend and tell them what’s new!
Read more about this activity in the Reading Champs Guide!
good for - Not Quite Narwhal; Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends
Story Maps
materials - paper; pencil; crayons or markers; your favorite book
Read through your favorite story and write down all of the important locations in it.
How they would appear if you were looking at the story’s setting from above? Where would everything be?
Draw and color a map to help you visualize where the characters go.
good for - Not Quite Narwhal
a-MAZE-ing Play-Doh!
materials - paper box lid or cereal box with the front cut off; play-doh
Shape a 1 inch ball from the play-doh.
Make several play-doh ropes.
Use the ropes to make a maze in the box lid.
Tilt and turn the box to get the ball through the maze.
Redesign your maze and make different obstacles for it.
good for - Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends
Tangrams
materials - square paper; pencil; ruler; scissors
Fold the paper on a diagonal. Open and draw a line along the diagonal crease.
Fold the creased corners together. Make a new crease along 3/4 of the fold. Open and draw a line along this crease.
Fold the non-lined corner to the center and make a crease. Open and draw a line along this crease and complete the line from the middle to the edge of this triangle.
Fold the bottom point to the middle. Crease the right side. Open and draw a line along the crease.
Turn the paper so that the two larger triangles are at the top and right of the paper.
Fold the bottom edge to the middle. Crease the center to form a triangle. Open and draw a line along the crease.
Cut out the pieces. What can you make with these shapes?
good for - A Trapezoid Is Not a Dinosaur
Phenomenal Flags
materials - paper; crayons or markers
Design a flag or banner for you, your friends, your community, or a place that you care about.
What patterns or symbols represent this group or place?
What colors best reflect its characteristics?
Share your flag with friends and talk about what it means.
good for - Not Quite Narwhal; Red: A Crayon's Story
Additional Resources
Use the navigation bar to search for previous monthly highlights with LEAP on the Hub!