by A’ndrea McAdams
Special to TownTalk News
info@www.towntalkradio.com
On Wednesday, January 20, 2016, the youth of Yoakum County Library in Plains were introduced to the water cycle. Michelle Cooper, the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Sandy Land Under Water Conservation District, was a welcomed guest speaker to a packed Heritage Room. There were 13 kids in attendance: Jadon and Nathan McAdams, Ethan Moya, Ella and Case Bearden, Elijah, Ben, and Gershom McAdams, Johan Neudorf, Ariel and Moriah Smithson, Jordy Bell, and Ian De La Rosa.
Beginning the extended time together, the “Days of the Week” and “I’m a Friendly Snowman” songs were enjoyed. After pledges, the book “Snowballs” was read. This selection introduces the idea of a snowman family melting, and the children began to recognize the water cycle. Mrs. Cooper then gave a slideshow of snow, exposing the unique patterns of snowflakes and the six-sided similarities of the flaky precipitation. One hint about examining snow crystals: place a piece of black construction paper in the freezer and when it’s put outside during a snow, the crystals can easily be seen and studied at home. Next, Mrs. Cooper read the book by Neil Waldman titled “The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story,” which takes readers month-to-month in becoming aware of the cycle of water, beginning and ending with a snowflake. With a creative visual aid, Mrs. Cooper included a wonderful flannel-board illustration for the children.
Finishing the book, a very peppy rap song about the water cycle was shared via YouTube and a few of the kids were bouncing to the beat. Following the music, Mrs. Cooper gave the children a hands-on experience. Gathering four household items—cotton ball, 2 pony beads, and a Styrofoam peanut—from shoe boxes, the children compared and contrasted each item to wet and dry snow. For further fun, each child was given a cup of baking soda and a dollop of shaving cream to make their own cold snow.
One other book helped expose water-saving techniques: “Why Should I Save Water?” The creative time was concluded with a water-conservation comprehension game that also involved a very large stack of Styrofoam peanuts. The group had a hefty dose of fun and learned a lot at the same time! There were additional learning activities sent home with each child. Join the Storytime fun each Wednesday during the school year at 10 a.m. at the Plains library.
