I Love my Library! Blog Series: Books to Grow On; check out these theme kits!

If you are a teacher, care provider, parent or grandparent, you have to check these out! 

Books to Grow on Kits  

What are they? Theme-based kits that include books as well as other related contents, like puppets, adult resource books, CD's and videos, puzzles, toys, patterns, finger plays, and other activities. So basically- everything you need to explore topics your children are interested in, or which you are going to use as part of your curriculum. Here are my tips for making the most of this incredible resource (which has been lovingly assembled by children's librarians who know what you need!). 

1. Go to http://www.kcls.org/kids/parents/bookstogrowon/

2. Select a theme from the drop-down box. When you click on it, it will show you everything that  comes in the kit. 

3. Additional menu items tell you how to check out the kits (They are kept at the service center, so you will place a hold on one and have it sent to your library).

Nifty Tip: As I already noted, when you click on a kit you will see a printable PDF file that has all of the kit contents listed, as well as finger plays and activities. So even if a kit is checked out, you can build your own from books on the library shelves. This is actually the resource I have used the most. Just print out the list and use it to find books on the shelves, and you can use the finger plays and activities on the printable sheet. All the organizational work has been done for you. It's a win win! AND- you can use the printable list with activities no matter where you live or whether or not you have a library card.

Grandparents: This is a great resource for you if you have visiting grandchildren. Find out what they are interested in, and order the kit ahead of time. 

Many library systems have their own version of these kits, so be sure to ask your children's librarian if yours does!