MeL Minute: Build a Program Around Scarecrow Day

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Brought to you by Christine Schneider of the MeL Team:

Michigan eLibrary

Why did a scarecrow win the Nobel prize?... Because he was outstanding in his field!

For more than a century now, people in the U.S. have celebrated Scarecrow Day on the first Sunday of July.  To help Michigan celebrate on July 1st of this year, we wanted to offer some great ideas for programming at your library or for families to do together at home using MeL resources!

1.     Host a “How to Build a Scarecrow” activity
From General Reference Center Gold:
·        Fragrant scarecrow. (Seasonal Scent)
·        Recycle Sam tin-can scarecrow
·        Corny, creative scarecrows
·        Digital scarecrows. (country lore: readers' tips to live by)
·        Not-so-scary Harry
·        Homemade garden guard: scarecrows have a long history and are fun to make
From Kids InfoBits:
·        Sew your scarecrow
·        Let’s make a scarecrow
·        Ready, set, create! Make a scarecrow

2.     Dress a Scarecrow and Run Game (taken from http://www.kidactivities.net/month-july-ideas-page-2/)
  • Stock up on oversized plaid shirts, goofy pants, floppy hats and any other clothing that a scarecrow might wear.  Make piles containing one of each item. The number of piles is determined either by the number of kids or teams participating.
  • Line up kids and let the game begin!
  • The children run to the pile, put on the outfit, and dart back to the starting line.
  • If doing it as a team game, they then switch the outfit with their teammate–who runs out and back.
  • First team with their last team member dressed as a scarecrow wins.
3.     Research stories, articles, poems, and games about scarecrows from MeL Databases:

eBooks - open eBooks first, then click on the following link:  
·        Spooky Ballet: The Case of the Whistling Scarecrow

General Reference Center Gold
·        Scarecrows, lava, and why we get the chills: do scarecrows actually scare crows?
·        Vanishing scarecrows
·        The Fake Scarecrow: A Chinese Fable
·        Scarecrow puzzler
·        The scarecrow song

Kids InfoBits
·        Scarecrows by Justin Werfel

NoveList K8+ - open NoveList K8+ first, then click on the following link:
·        Scarecrow booklist: See a list of books about scarecrows.  
·        Did you know you can check MeLCat directly from a book record in NoveList K-8+?

Opposing Viewpoints in Context
·        Video: Could Robotic Birds Lead to Safer Air Travel?

World Book for Kids - open World Book for Kids first, then click on the following link:
·        Scarecrow article

Britannica School - open Britannica School first, then click on any of the following links:
·        Scarecrow Article
·        Scarecrow Images
·        The Scarecrow of OZ eboo

4.     Borrow books from MeLCat
Scarecrows search in MeLCat


5.     Other online resources outside of MeL
Modern Farmer - Hay, Man: The Curious Life and Times of Scarecrow
Scarecrow Trivia - http://www.pumpkinnook.com/halloween/scarecrows.htm

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