TD Summer Reading Club 2012
Guide to Activities at the CNIB Library
Imagine
A program of the CNIB Library
Guide to Activities at the CNIB Library
Page 2
Guide to Activities at the CNIB Library
Table of Contents
Club intro ........................................................................ 4
Teams ............................................................................ 5
Kit contents ..................................................................... 6
Participate online .............................................................. 9
Prizes ............................................................................. 9
How to earn points........................................................... 10
Crafts ............................................................................ 13
Recipes .......................................................................... 17
Activities ........................................................................ 20
Tips for better library service ............................................. 25
How to contact us ............................................................ 26
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Club intro
Welcome to the 2012 TD Summer Reading Club.
What do vampires, fairies and aliens have in common? They’re all
part of a fantastical, phantasmagorical world that you can visit
this summer. The only ticket that you’ll need for this trip is…your
imagination!
Hop on the Hogwarts Express, climb into the Magic Tree House or
take a tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice.
Read books and do any of the activities described in this Guide to
earn points for prizes – for yourself and your team. How do you
know which team you’re on? Your team is listed on your passport,
and we’ll tell you more in the ‘Teams’ section of this Guide.
Once a week we’ll be sending out prizes. As long as you’ve
earned points sometime during the week, you’ll receive a prize in
the mail. The CNIB Library will keep track of your points – all you
have to do is let us know how you’re participating. How do you
earn points? Check out the ‘How to Earn Points’ section of the
Guide.
And remember, if you help your team earn more points than any
other team by the end of the summer, we’ll send you a prize for
that too.
Plus, everyone who participates, even if they only earn a few
points, will be eligible for a special prize draw at the end of the
summer. The more you participate, the more points you earn,
and the better your chances of winning!
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Teams
What team are you on? Find your passport in your Kit. Your
passport will tell you:
 the name of your team
 your fantastical destination
There are five teams for this year’s Club. They are:
Goblins
Fantastical destination: Where the wild things are
Dragons
Fantastical destination: Narnia
Titans
Fantastical destination: Neverland
Jabberwocks
Fantastical destination: Wonderland
Wizards
Fantastical destination: Oz
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Kit contents
1. Imagine CDs
 There are three CDs in your Kit: audio recording of this
Guide to Activities (tells you everything you need to
know about how the Club works)
 audio recording of the Book Lists (divided into 4
categories: books for kids up to age 7; books for kids
8-12 years old; books for kids 13-16 years old; family
favourites and classics) * these are just suggested
titles, go ahead and read any books you want!
 compilation CD of three ready-to-read DAISY books!
QUICK TIP: the Guide to Activities and Book Lists are
also available in contracted or uncontracted braille, on
request
2. Three free DAISY books (on one CD)
We’re including three complete DAISY audio books all on one
CD in this Kit! Don’t have a DAISY player yet? You can
download DAISY software to your computer or contact your
local CNIB office or public library to find out how to get a
DAISY player.
Books included on the enclosed DAISY CD:
For kids up to 7 years old
Catmagic by Loris Lesynski
A collection of four stories by Lois Lesynski, including
“Catmagic”, “Ogre fun”, “Boy soup or when the giant caught
cold”, and “Dirty dog boogie”.
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For kids 8-12 years old
Hamish X and the cheese pirates by Sean Cullen
After arriving at the Windcity Orphanage, where the children
are forced to make stinky blue cheese, Hamish X, the scourge
of the Orphan Disposal Agency, is soon planning his escape.
But his plans are put on hold when the factory is suddenly
attacked by a fierce gang of pirates. In order to save the other
orphans, Hamish X and his friends Mimi and Parveen must
embark upon an epic adventure across the Arctic.
For kids 13-16 years old
The book without words, a fable of medieval magic by Avi
A mysterious book with dangerous secrets and blank pages
that can only be read by green-eyed people falls into the hands
of a medieval alchemist determined to create gold and discover
an elixir of immortality. When a local lawman desires the
alchemist’s book of dark magic for himself, a priest, a poor
orphan girl, and a talking raven must keep the book from
falling into the wrong hands.
QUICK TIPS:
- this CD is yours to keep, but any other CDs you get
from us do have to be returned
- if you read one or more of these titles, don’t forget to
add them to your list of books read this summer!
3. Passport
For this summer’s trip into the world of fantasy, you’re going to
want to keep the passport (included in your Kit) handy.
You will find the name of your team and your fantastical
destination in both large print and braille on your passport.
Add your name at the top of your passport at the start of the
summer.
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During the summer you can add the special skills of your team
(use the back of your passport if you run out of room!)
At the end of the summer you’ll be able to add:
 the number of books or minutes you read
 the number of points you earned
 the number of points your team earned (we’ll announce
this at the end of the summer on the Library website
and on the KidsLine voicemail)
4. Silly Bandz
The package of Silly Bandz (bracelets) in your Kit includes an
assortment of fantasy shapes. Can you tell them apart? Did you
get a unicorn? A mermaid? What else?
Some of these fantasy shapes are glittery and some are glow-inthe-dark!
5. Fairy/Pixie door
In your Kit you’ll find a tactile sheet that you can use to build and
decorate two doors.
These are tiny magical doors that let imaginary folk (like fairies
and pixies) in your neighborhood know that they’re welcome to
visit you.
Be sure to check out the ‘Craft,’ section of this Guide for
Fairy/Pixie door instructions plus more ideas to keep you busy
this summer!
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Participate online
To participate in the Club online, go to the CNIB Library website
at: cniblibrary.ca
On this website you’ll find important information about the Club
as well as updates about how many points your team has and
which team is in the lead.
Prizes
Every week we’ll be sending out prizes to the kids who have
earned points. As long as you’ve earned points sometime during
the week, you’ll receive a prize in the mail.
We’ll also be having a special draw for a grand prize at the end of
the summer. The more points you earn during the summer, the
better your chances of winning our grand prize! If you help your
team earn the most points, you’ll earn a prize for that too!
Don’t worry about keeping track of your points – just keep in
touch with the CNIB Library and we’ll do that for you. All you
have to do is participate!
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How to earn points
There are lots of different activities you can do to earn points.
Some of the activities involve reading. The Book Lists has
suggestions for books. But remember, these are just suggestions.
Read any books you like this summer!
Book Reports
Read any book or story and then tell us what it was about and
why you liked or disliked it. Send your reports to the CNIB Library
as you do them, or send them at the end of the summer. You can
even send your reports by email, or call KidsLine and leave them
on voicemail. A sentence or two is OK for younger kids…but if
you’re older your report should be a little longer.
Points: Earn two points for each book report
Book Log
Keep track of all the books and stories you read this summer! You
can keep track of the number of books you read, or you can keep
track of the minutes you spent reading. Let us know at the end of
the summer. It doesn’t matter how many books you read, even if
you only read a few. And remember, you can read any book on
any topic, in any format (braille, audio, etc.) If you’re lucky
enough to have someone reading stories out loud to you, be sure
to include those too!
Don’t forget to add this information to your Passport.
Points: Earn five points for your end-of-summer book log
QUICK TIP:
- make sure you provide us with an email address so we
can send you reminders about earning points plus
quick links for submitting book reports and book lists
Mystery Questions
Call KidsLine for the weekly Mystery Question. Or, go to
cniblibrary.ca to find out what the question is. Remember,
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there’s a brand new question every Monday!
Points: Earn one point for each question you answer
QUICK TIP
- all of the answers to the Mystery Questions can be
found somewhere in the Book Lists
Participating at your public library
Many public libraries offer the TD Summer Reading Club too. Did
you know that you may be able to visit your local library and
participate in crafts and activities there? Call or drop by your local
branch to find out! You can also find online activities for the TD
Summer Reading Club at:
tdsummerreadingclub.ca
Points: Earn one point for each activity you do at your
public library or on the public library website. Just call or
email the CNIB Library to let us know the name of your
library branch and what sort of activity or program you did
there
Quest Questions
Answer as many of these questions as you like, as often as you
like, any time this summer. Contact the CNIB Library with your
answers (by phone, email, fax or regular mail)
Points: Earn one point for each question you answer
1. Build and decorate a fairy/pixie door. Send us a picture or
describe it to us. We especially want to know where you’re
planning to put it, and what sort of imaginary creatures you
hope it will attract.
2. Tell us about a book that includes a fantastical contraption,
machine or robot. Tell us more than just the name of the
book, tell us what the story was about.
3. Build a fort – or a castle – or a cave (inside or outside). Use
things that you find around the house, like cushions or old
blankets and sheets. Make sure it’s big enough to hold you
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and the book you’re reading! Describe it to us, or send us a
picture. You can earn double points by sending a picture that
shows you inside your hideaway, reading.
4. Have you read a book that featured a talking animal? What
was it about and how did you like it?
5. Make up a cheer for your team – a cheer is a rhyme (at least
4 lines long) that’s meant to be chanted or sung out loud.
Tell us why your team is the greatest! You can email it to us
or we’ll give you double points if you call up and leave your
cheer on the KidsLine voicemail! Extra points for extra
enthusiasm!
6. We’ve left a blank space on your Passport for your team’s
special skills. What are some magical or special skills you
think would be useful or fun for you and the other kids on
your team to have? Here are some examples to get you
started thinking: the ability to travel through time or to
control the weather.
7. Did you make a magic wand? Tell us how you decorated it
(or send us a picture). Tell us what magic spells you’re going
to use your wand for.
8. Keep track of all the real and imaginary places that you visit
as you read books and stories this summer and send us a
list!
9. Tell us about your very favourite legend or myth.
10.
Your Passport includes a fantastical destination for your
team. Have you read any books associated with your team’s
fantastical place? How about any of the other fantastical
places? (Where the wild things are, Narnia, Neverland,
Wonderland, Oz).
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Crafts
These crafts will let your imagination soar as you create some
awesome objects. It’s a good idea to have an adult around if
you’re using glue or scissors or paint. Always help with clean-up
when you’re finished. Let’s get started!
Fairy/Pixie Door
In your Kit you’ll find a tactile sheet that you can use to build and
decorate two doors.
These are tiny magical doors that let imaginary folk (like fairies
and pixies) in your neighborhood know that they’re welcome to
visit you. You’ll need a good imagination to build one of these
doors!
Remember, these creatures are small, so the door has to be small
too. And it doesn’t matter if the door you build can’t be opened
by human hands…magical hands will find a way to open it!
You can make your door out of many different materials. To get
you started, your Kit includes a thick piece of paper with two fairy
doors outlined. You should be able to feel the shape of the doors,
(they’re tactile) so you can cut them out. Once you’ve cut them
out, go ahead and decorate them to attract the magic creatures!
Some fairies and pixies like bright colours, textures, and shiny
ornaments. If you decorate your door with lots of stickers and
textured objects, you may want to glue it to another thicker piece
of cardboard. Other magical creatures prefer doors that aren’t as
fancy. It all depends on the type of creature that you want to
attract. You might want to attach something that can be used for
a doorknob (like a button or bead).
Place your door in a quiet corner by leaning it against the wall
along a baseboard. And remember, these creatures are very shy
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so they may only use the door when there are no people or pets
around.
If you decide to put your door outside where it may be damaged
by snow or rain (at the base of a tree or against a stone or
fence), you’ll need to make it weatherproof by covering it in clear
plastic and maybe using a piece of string to keep it from blowing
away.
Now that you know a good size and shape, go ahead and
experiment with different materials. Magic doors can be made out
of cardboard or even wood. Have you ever seen a dollhouse
door? They’re the perfect size!
Coat of Arms
Originally used by feudal lords and knights in the mid-12th
century on battlefields, the coat of arms or family crest is a
symbol of a family's identity and values.
Create your own coat of arms by cutting out a banner (strip of
paper) or a shield shape (oval) out of paper or thin cardboard.
Then you can either draw right onto it or cut and paste pictures
that have meaning for you. Use symbols that reflect something
about your family and yourself, your personalities and interests.
If you like, make your family’s coat of arms 3-D by attaching
models of the things that are important to you.
For example, if your family thinks it’s important to have meals
together whenever possible, then a knife, fork and spoon might
be part of your family’s coat of arms!
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Flying Saucer
You’ll need:
 a paper bowl (12-14 ounces)
 two standard-weight dinner-size paper plates (using two
plates will make your flying saucer more stable, so it’ll fly
better)
 double-sided foamtape or glue
 things to decorate with: glow-in-the-dark stickers, beads,
scrunched up balls of foil, coloured or metallic
markers…the sky is the limit, but remember, if you use
decorations that are too heavy, then your saucer might
not achieve lift-off!
1. Use double-sided foam tape or glue to stick together the two
plates, one nesting inside the other.
2. Tape (or glue) the rim of the bowl to the bottom (middle) of
the plates. This is the section of your flying saucer where the
flying saucer pilot and passengers sit. If you’re using glue
instead of tape, you’ll need to allow time for the glue to dry!
3. Use your decorating supplies to personalize your flying
saucer.
4. When it’s finished, and any glue or paint is completely dry,
try it out by throwing it like a frisbee! Or you can hang it
from the ceiling in your room for an out-of-this-world
decoration.
Magic wand
Pick out your wand
 find a small, straight, tree branch, (30-50cm long).
Branches that are 1-2cm wide make the best wands.
 don’t snap a fresh branch off a tree to use, it’s best to use
a dry branch that has already been off the tree for a
while.
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 remove any extra small branches or leaves and peel off
the bark so that your new wand is smooth and as clean as
possible.
Decorate your wand
 if you‘re painting your wand, be sure to find somewhere
safe to do this (for a sparkly wand, sprinkle some glitter
onto the paint before it dries).
 using copper wire from a hobby store, craft glue or
coloured pipe cleaners, attach decorations such as
ribbons, feathers, dried flowers and stickers to your wand
(be careful not to make your wand too crowded with
decorations or too heavy).
 find a special small object (like a stone or a pinecone or a
jewel) for the tip of your wand – starting a few
centimeters from the end of the wand, wrap copper wire
around and around the wand tip and then attach your
object by looping the wire over the object and back to the
wand – keep doing this until the object is securely
attached to the tip of your wand
 if you use wire to attach things to your wand, make sure
you don’t leave any pointy ends sticking out that might
scratch
Test your wand’s magic!
Remember, magic wands are powerful but very delicate; they’ll
lose their magical properties if you aren’t super careful with
them!
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Recipes
Whenever cooking or working in the kitchen, be sure you start
with clean hands and make sure someone is available to help you
with any measuring, mixing or working with knives or appliances.
Edible Magic Wands
For this recipe you’ll need:
 some pretzel rods (long thick straight pretzels)
 a tub of white frosting
 a bowl and spoon
 some edible sprinkles and decorations
 wax paper
1. Use the spoon to scoop some of the frosting into your bowl.
2. Dip the pretzel in the frosting, then twist and pull it out so
that the end of the pretzel is coated with frosting.
3. Press the sprinkles and decorations into the frosting.
4. Place your decorated edible wands onto the wax paper and
refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
The pretzels will make the frosting tips taste a little bit salty, so
save the rest of your frosting to decorate cookies or a cake.
Healthy Robot
For this recipe you’ll need:
 plain flat crackers
 cream cheese (or peanut butter)
 a selection of cheese, and washed and dried fruit and
vegetables
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1. Spread two big squares or rectangles of crackers with cream
cheese (or peanut butter). One will be your robot’s body, the
other will be the head.
2. Cut sticks and slices of fruit and vegetables to be the robot
arms and legs and to use in decorating the head and body.
(for example, grapes, olives or cherry tomatoes cut in half
can be used as buttons and knobs). Be sure to use fruit and
veggies that you like, because the final step is going to be to
eat your robot!
Robot Cake
This is a family project, start it today, eat it for dessert tomorrow!
You’ll need:
 a cake recipe or box of cake mix (a dense pound cake will
be easier to work with than something fluffy like
angelfood cake)
 icing
 an assortment of candy to decorate your finished robot
cake
1. Bake your cake in a square or rectangular pan.
TIP: You’ll find it much easier to cut the cake if you
refrigerate it overnight before you try to cut it (some
people even recommend freezing it).
2. After the cake cools completely, cut it into robot pieces
(squares and rectangles). Plan the pieces you want to end
up with, BEFORE you start cutting! Try to end up with: a
square head, rectangle body, and 4 smaller rectangles for
arms and legs. If you run out of cake, you can always use
something different for the arms and legs, like chocolate
bars or licorice twizzlers.
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3. Assemble your pieces into the shape of a robot on a flat
serving tray (like a cookie tray).
4. Spread icing on your cake pieces (at least on the tops) and
decorate with your choice of candy.
Remember, the CNIB Library would love to see a picture of your
decorated Robot Cake before you eat it!
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Activities
Be sure to ask for permission before you try either of these
activities since they involve special supplies that you may need to
buy or using tools such as knives.
Slime
Remember, slime is NOT edible!
For this activity you’ll need:
 a little bit of borax (this is a household detergent powder
that you can find in the laundry section of most grocery
stores)
 water
 white craft glue or glue gel (use white glue if you want
opaque slime. Use glue gel if you want clear jelly-like
slime. A little food coloring can be added to turn your
slime any color you want)
 food colouring (optional)
 two bowls for mixing
 stirring stick
Slime is made by mixing together a borax solution and a glue
solution. Prepare these solutions separately first (directions
follow) and then use just the amount of each you need to make
perfect slime.
1. In a bowl, stir 1 teaspoon of borax into a half cup of water.
2. Mix this until the borax stops dissolving (the solution may be
a little cloudy but that’s OK; you’re going to use the liquid
part, not the gritty stuff left at the bottom of the bowl).
3. In a second bowl, stir 4 ounces of glue into 1 cup of water.
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4. If you like, add a couple of drops of food coloring to the bowl
with the glue (for example, if you’re using blue glue gel, you
can get green slime by adding 2 drops of yellow food
colouring).
5. Stir the glue and water mixture well.
6. Add the borax mixture slowly to the bowl containing the glue
mixture.
7. Keep stirring as you add them together, until you get the
consistency you want (don’t worry about using all the borax
mixture).
8. Once the slime starts to form a lump, it’s OK to mix it using
your hands.
When you aren't using your slime, keep it in a sealed plastic bag
so it won't dry out. Your slime should stay moist and disgusting
for a couple of weeks if you store the bag in the refrigerator.
How does it work? It’s not magic, it’s science! When you mix the
glue and the borax together, a chemical change occurs in the
polymer in the glue, polyvinyl acetate. Cross-linking bonds are
formed, making the glue stick to you less and to itself more. You
can experiment with the amount of glue, water, and borax that
you use to make the slime more or less gooey. The molecules in
the polymer are not fixed in place, so you can stretch the slime.
Elf Head
Are you a fan of the Harry Potter books? Remember the shrunken
house-elf heads? Even if you haven’t read the books, you can
make an elf head of your very own by carving an apple and then
drying it out!
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For this activity you’ll need:
 apple
 paring knife or small spoon
 bowl
 water
 lemon juice
 salt
This activity isn’t exactly a recipe, but if you start with clean
hands then you can eat the parts of the apple that you carve off.
Plus, if you make a mistake or don’t like the way your elf head is
turning out, just eat it and start over with a fresh apple!
1. Take your fresh, medium sized apple with no bruises and
use a paring knife to scrape or peel off all the skin. Remove
the stem from the apple (if there is one) – this will become
the top of your elf’s head.
Next you need to carve your apple to resemble a face.
When it’s ready to start drying out, your carved apple will have
three chunks sticking out: rectangles on either side (ears) and a
triangle on the front (nose).
Here’s how to get your apple to resemble a face:
2. Use the knife to mark the apple with the triangle shape for
the nose and rectangles on either side for the ears. You
won’t want to carve inside these three shapes.
3. Carve down everywhere else on the apple by a few
centimeters (carve down where the forehead, cheeks, and
mouth and chin will be, but don’t forget to leave the ears
and nose sticking out).
4. Make sure you don’t carve all the way down to the core of
the apple; just remove a few centimeters of apple all around
the three sticking out shapes.
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5. Work slowly; it may be easier for you to carve using a tiny
spoon instead of a knife.
Does it feel like a face yet? You should be able to feel where the
nose and ears stick out. You can shape the ears and nose chunks
a little but remember everything will start to look different when
the apple starts to dry and shrivel up.
Once you have an apple that feels sort of like a head, you need to
add some final details:
6. Below the nose, add a thin slit for the mouth.
7. Above the nose add two rounded pits for the eyes.
8. You may also want to add a few thin wrinkle lines at the
corners of the eyes and around the sides of the mouth.
Here’s a picture of what your carved apple should look like when
it’s ready to start drying out.
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Now you need to soak your apple head in a special bath to
prepare it to dry and begin its transformation into an elf!
9. Soak your apple head in a bowl of water with about 1 litre of
water, 3 tablespoons of salt and 3 tablespoons of lemon
juice, for about 5 minutes.
10.
Remove and pat dry.
Now it’s time for the magic! You’ll need to be patient for this last
step.
Final step
If the weather is dry and it’s not too humid, you can let your
apple air dry for 2-3 weeks. While it’s drying, prop it up with
toothpicks or stick it onto a pencil so that the air can reach all
parts of the apple, even underneath.
OR
If the weather is rainy or hot and sticky, think about putting your
apple into an oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees
centigrade) with the oven door slightly open, for just a few hours.
This will give your apple a head start on drying out.
In either case, it’s very important that you not handle the apple
too much while it’s drying. Be sure you put it somewhere safe
where it won’t be in the way and no pets can reach it.
The apple will shrink as it dries and it will feel spongy when it’s
ready.
We’d love to see how your Elf Head turned out. Did you add
colour to the face by using magic markers, or glue yarn to the top
of the head for hair? Is it scary? Is it funny? Send us a picture!
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Tips for better library service
Send your books back right away
Be sure to send back library materials as soon as you’re done
with them. Even though DAISY audio books on CD have your
name and address printed on them, they still belong to the library
and must be returned. Receiving PrintBraille, braille or videos?
Other kids want to read the same books and watch the same
movies that you do. Hanging on to library materials past the due
date slows down your service and keeps others waiting.
Returning library materials as quickly as possible helps us to
provide better service!
Keep your information up to date
If you don’t like the kind of books you’re getting, or are getting
books that are too easy or too hard for you, let us know! We
don’t automatically change your reading level as you get older, so
if you’re going in to high school and want us to stop sending
books about Curious George or Clifford the Big Red Dog, please
let us know so we can update your library information.
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How to contact us
One of the best ways to stay up-to-date with the TD Summer
Reading Club through the CNIB Library is by email. Make sure
we have your email address and we’ll send you updates
and reminders about the Club! That way you won’t miss out
on any prizes.
If you need to contact the CNIB Library:
 to request books or make changes to your service
 to participate in Club activities
Phone: 1-800-268-8818, ask for KidsLine
Email: kids@cnib.ca
Online: cniblibrary.ca
Ask your parents to follow us on Twitter (@cniblibrary) or like us
on Facebook (CNIB Library)
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