By Woodrow Polston
A large group of children filled the library last Wednesday as Jill Dameron, of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, prepared to begin her presentation. Crystal McCurdy, branch manager of the library introduced her.
“Good morning everyone, my name is Miss Jill,” said Dameron. “If you are shorter than me, please come closer to me so that we can sing a song together. We are going to start with a, repeat-after-me song about a moose,” she added.
After the song, Dameron read the first book called “Secrets of the Seashore,” which was a part of the “Shine-a Light Book Series” that required a flashlight to be held behind the pages to reveal images of animals. After the reading, she announced that it was time for a science project for everyone to participate in.
“We are going to make starfish today,” said Dameron. “We will use straws, paper and paint for the project.” She had the children form a line to go into the next room to get the supplies they would need for the project.
When they had finished with the craft project, everyone returned to the main floor to learn more about the secrets of the seashore. Dameron retrieved another one of her favorite books on the subject.
“We are going to read ‘Commotion in the Ocean’ by Giles Andreae. This book is all about ocean life and talks about crabs, octopi, stingrays and sharks,” said Dameron.
After the book, Dameron did a scientific experiment to show how oil helps sharks to float in the water. She filled one balloon with water and another with oil. She dropped each of them into a tub of water to reveal which one would float and which one would sink. Next, she shared an example of how whales use their fat cells keep warm by having the children put their hands into a sandwich bag full of Crisco that was submerged in cold water. All of the children participated and were excited about the presentation.
The next scheduled event at the Vandalia Branch Library will be when they host “The Bubble Professor” on Monday, July 25, at 9:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to attend the event.