Wednesday, November 8, 2017

School-Age: Clara the Rhino

On occasion we have to be observed during our programs to make sure everything is going swell. This week I observed my Library Assistant, Ms. Carol, present a program about Clara the Rhino that I had planned.

1. Reading
She read the book "Clara: The (Mostly) True Story of the Rhinoceros who Dazzled Kings, Inspired Artists, and Won the Hearts of Everyone...While She Ate Her Way Up and Down a Continent" by Emily Arnold McCully. Yes, it is an incredibly exhaustive title, but it is a lovely tale about Clara.



I knew nothing about Clara but Emily McCully's book and another book about Clara, "Clara: The True Story of Clara the Rhino" by Sarah Hewitt, both came out in 2016 and piqued my interest in this little-known animal that was famed in her time.

The book by Emily McCully is quite long. It can be shortened by paper-clipping pages, depending on the age of the audience and what your history is with your attendees (whether or not they have sat through long books before). Ms. Carol read the whole book, which took about 20 minutes, and our kids were fascinated the entire time!

2. Discussion/Activity
I had prepared some trivia facts about Clara, and rhino's in general, for Ms. Carol to ask the kids. It tested their listening skills, since some of the questions came directly from the book. For example, one of the questions was about what Clara's favorite food was - the answer is oranges! Other trivia questions were rhino facts such as how big rhinos can get. 

3. Craft
For the craft, we made rhinos of our own. I found a printable rhino on the Learn, Create, Love blog. We printed them out on grey paper, cut them prior to the program, and handed the rhino parts out in bag kits for the craft. The kids glued their rhino parts to a piece of card stock and were able to add flair with markers as they wished.


Notes:
It was a fun program and a fascinating history to share. We only had one program this week, since we are closed for the Veteran's Day Holiday, but it was well attended and all the kids loved the topic!

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