Corky's Corner - Spring 2006
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"Hi Corky." "Hi Roger. Do you want to play some baseball? Spring is finally here and it’s time for us to start practicing before the first little league game. I asked José and Stephanie to come, too." "Sorry, I can’t," said Roger. "I have to help my mom do some spring cleaning. Then we’re going shopping for my Easter outfit. I’m going to be in the Easter Parade." "I never heard of an Easter Parade. What is that?" asked Corky. "On Easter morning we get all dressed up and go to New York City. Everyone walks along Fifth Avenue in their very best new clothes," explained Roger. "It’s like a fashion show. The newspaper photographers and TV cameras take pictures so maybe you’ll see me on TV. They even have an Easter Bonnet contest for the best hats." "That sounds exciting!" said Corky. "I guess we can practice baseball another time." "That’s just the beginning," said Roger. "After the Easter Parade, we come back to Newark and drive through Branch Brook Park to see all the beautiful cherry blossom trees." "Wow!" said Corky. "My family drives through the park, too! I love to ride my bike around the park and maybe play some tennis. You’re right, Roger, the cherry blossom trees are so beautiful. My mom likes to always take a new family picture there." "After the park, we go home for Easter dinner," said Roger. "My mom makes a roast leg of lamb with mint jelly. We have sweet potatoes and all kinds of vegetables. Best of all is the Easter bread. It’s shaped round like a wreath, and around the wreath are colored Easter eggs." "Yummm," said Corky. "I can’t wait for Easter dinner!" |
"Hi, Corky. Hi, Roger. What are you two doing?" said Rita with a bright smile. "Roger was just telling me about the Easter Parade and his Easter dinner with Easter bread," said Corky. "That’s just like our Passover Seder and Challah bread," said Rita. "The Spring holidays are my favorite and my family always celebrates Passover in a big way." "I just love all the things you can do in the Spring and all the holidays you can celebrate," said Corky. "Talking about all that food has got me thinking about planting my garden. Last year I had lots of tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers growing. Maybe I’ll even try planting some corn this year!" "Cool," exclaimed Roger. "A garden is one of the things we can do to help preserve the environment and to celebrate Earth Day in April." Rita then had a great idea. She said, "I’m going to write some poems about all of the things that happen in the Spring. Let’s see, there are all the holidays we talked about, and there’s May Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day, too." "I know," said Corky. "We can all go to the library to learn all about Spring and get ideas for some poems." "In school the teacher told us that the library was having lots of activities for National Library Week like the Create Your Own Book contest. My whole class is going to participate," said Roger. "I think we should check it out while we’re there." "And I hear there are live programs on Saturdays and Spring craft programs. I have an idea! Let’s meet at the library on Saturday and check it out," said Corky. "That’s a good idea," agreed Rita, "but I’m going to go after school, too. I can get help with my homework at the library’s Club Success! My teacher says my work has really improved since I’ve been going there." "What a great way to celebrate Spring," said Corky. |
Planting a Garden:
If you are planting indoors you will need the following:
Fill your pots with the potting soil and follow the seed packet directions
for planting.
Grow Your Own Corn
Watch the seeds sprout!
Place some dirt in a Ziploc bag, add some water and a few kernels of popcorn.
Seal the bag and place it in a sunny window. You should see some growth within
a week. Easter Bonnet Easter bonnets are fun to make and wear. Use your imagination!
What you need:
How to make them:
Tissue Paper Flowers
Tissue paper flowers are quick to make and are a treat to give to family
members. Younger children may need some help with accordion-pleating the tissue
paper.
What you need:
How to make them:
1 cup diced celery Wash and cut enough of the lettuce to fill half of the salad bowl. Add each
of the other ingredients and toss together. Add dressing and enjoy. You may
also want to add some finely sliced onions or a handful of olives or seasoned
croutons to your salad.
The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Crockett Johnson. The Happy Egg, by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Crockett Johnson. Spring Science Projects, by John Williams. Easy, clearly
illustrated projects. Includes directions on how to build a kite.
More Than Just a Flower Garden Flight: Balloons, Kites, Airships and Gliders, by June Loves. Spring, by Ruth Thompson, photos by Peter Millard. Every Day is Earth Day: A Craft Book, by Kathy Ross, illustrated by
Sharon Lane Holm.
Essential Gardening for Teens, by Ruth Chasek. G is for Garden State: A New Jersey Alphabet, by Eileen Cameron,
illustrated by Doris Ettlinger. Runny Babbit – A Billy Sook, by Shel Silverstein. The Berenstain Bears Play T-Ball, by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Abner & Me, by Dan Gutman. Oh Say Can You Seed? All About Flowering Plants, by Bonnie Worth,
illustrated by Aristides Ruiz. Branch Brook Park’s Cherry Blossom Festival 2006 Baseball: The Game and Beyond Baseball Almanac: The Official Baseball History Site Exploratorium’s Science of Baseball Riding Right Protection Skills and Problem Solvers EarthDay.gov Earth Day Crafts and Projects Environmental Kids Club and
EPA Student Center Cinco de Mayo – A Celebration of Mexican Heritage
http://www.npl.org/Pages/KidsPlace/corkyspring06.html ©2006
The Newark Public Library
A garden can be as big as your backyard or as small as a flowerpot. If you
are planting outside, you have to prepare the ground. You will need a rake and
a shovel, and should probably have a pair of gardening gloves to protect your
hands.
From www.kidsdomain.com/craft/grow.html
From www.kidsdomain.com/craft/flower2.html
2 medium tomatoes cored and sliced
1 cucumber peeled and sliced
1 head of lettuce
1 large salad serving bowl
Salad dressing of your choice
The treasured story of a little boy who had faith that his carrot seed would
grow.
Inside an egg, a little bird cannot walk, sing or fly, but when the time is
right and it pops out, it can do almost anything.
More Than Just a Vegetable Garden
Both by Dwight Kuhn. Describe both plant and animal life found in the garden.
Include a glossary and planting basics.
Gives both the history and mechanics of flight. Includes timeline.
Includes information, crafts, and activities.
A good gardening primer that can be used by children, tweens and adults.
Includes a glossary.
A fun book, chock full of interesting facts about our home state.
Enter the world of Runny Babbit and his friends Toe Jurtle, Skertie Dunk,
Rirty Dat, Dungry Hog, Goctor Doose, Snerry Jake and many others who speak a
topsy-turvy language.
Brother Bear and Sister Bear teach the younger cubs to play T-ball and try to
put together a winning team.
A Baseball Card Adventure. Stosh time-travels to 1863 right in the middle of
the Civil War to answer the question for all time: Did Abner Doubleday, Civil
War General, really invent the game of baseball?
The Cat in the Hat’s learning library teaches children all about seeds and
planting.
http://www.branchbrookpark.org/
The 29th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival Swings Into Spring in Essex County’s Branch Brook Park, with over 2,700 Japanese cherry trees taking center stage from April 10th through 23rd. Scheduled activities include Cherry Blossom run, Cherry Blossom concert, Festival Gala, Bloomfest, and Cherry Bicycle bicycle tour.
http://library.thinkquest.org/11902/
A cool ThinkQuest site that takes you on a complete tour of what goes on in the stadium, announcer's booth, behind the plate, and in the bullpen and batting cage.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/
Everything you want to know about baseball is here: history, rosters, statistics, and even jokes and songs!
http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/
Explore the science behind the game. Find out why curveballs curve and what's behind a home run swing.
http://www.mcgruff.org/ProblemSolver/bikeSafety.htm
Bicycle safety tips starring McGruff!
http://www.mcgruff.org/ProblemSolver/index.htm
Problem-solving tips and practical information for parents and kids from McGruff that help protect children and teach them to develop the skills they need to make good choices today and for the rest of their lives. Topics include: Cyberbullies, school safety, staying home alone, hanging out in the neighborhood and other awareness issues.
http://www.earthday.gov/
Learn what the U.S. government is doing to save the environment, then learn what you can do at home to help. Get a timeline on Earth Day history and a list of more web sites for kids about the environment.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/earthday/
A variety of nature-themed craft projects, print-out activities and coloring books, including other ways to celebrate Earth Day with Enchanted Learning!
http://www.epa.gov/kids/
http://www.epa.gov/students/
Information and games relating to the environment from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Includes stories and activities about plants and animals, garbage and recycling for environmental explorers.
http://www.worldbook.com/wc/popup?path=features/cinco&page=html/cinco.htm&direct=yes
This World Book site explains the holiday and explores the history and culture of Mexico.
5 Washington Street
P.O. Box 630 Newark, NJ 07101-0630
(973) 733-7784
