TinkerLab, Reverse Engineering, STEM Saturday...

So, this happened...

                                                                                 

Old computers, laptops, and various electronics, screwdrivers, curious kids, a couple helpful parents, and lots of fun!

Be My Valentine Party!

 

So much fun packed into 45-60 minutes! The line-up for this successful party program started with a story and a song. Because about 1/2 the children attending were between 2-4 I went with a slightly younger picture book: The Shape of my Heart by Mark Sperring and Alys Paterson. Colorful pictures and having the kids name different shapes in the book made it a great interactive book with a big AWE...at the end. 

Next up: H.E.A.R.T. song (to the tune of BINGO). I made a Valentine for you. The heart shape says I love you. H.E.A.R.T. It took a couple verses to get into the swing of it because we were so used to singing BINGO. :)

Activity stations: 

• Scratch art, I SPY Valentine sheet 
• decorate your own bookmark (stickers, variety of hole punchers, and ribbon to go with the pink, red, and purple paint sample strips)
• bubble station with a bunch of different shaped wands 
• minute to win it games (stack the hearts and transfer the marshmallows with straws)
• giant floor tic-tac-toe with purple vs. pink hearts and a heart toss game - Bozo bucket style
• a "kissing booth" that was actually guessing how many Hersey kisses were in a jar
• a cookie decorating table (very messy, but yummy) and finally,
• a "Kind Bomb" area to make a sweet note to put in a book for someone to randomly find.

Blast-Off! Fun! And a little science too.

This program was a fun Saturday morning. I took over for someone who was no longer at the library, but added my own programming expertise to the line-up. We did the regular station structure I'm familiar with and although not a STEAM program, I couldn't help myself and added a couple science related activities to the mix.

First up, I read the book Mousetronaut by Mark Kelly. And as it states, it's based on a (partially) true story. Some of the truths are listed in the afterwards and there are also internet sources for more info.

The kids actually clapped with enthusiasm for the story at the end. A big thank you to my co-worker who recommended the book.

Second, making mini rocket launchers (already on the agenda, but something I recently did for another STEAM program on force and motion, so I knew it would be a hit). 

Third, the screaming (orbiting) penny trick in a balloon. I've previously posted about this.

Fourth, the game stations included names such as Ring Around Saturn (hula hoops and beach ball), Moon Rock Toss (tin foil wrapped candies in planet labelled buckets), Alien Blast (knock down the stacked cups covering a silly looking alien), and Zero Gravity (keep the balloon in the air as long as possible).

Fifth, Rocket Races.

Sixth, snacks included Star Crunches and Capri Suns. Milky Ways and Starbursts were prizes.

Lastly, I made a rocket out of an appliance box by cutting a round hole in the front to look out and a little door on the side to enter. I covered the front with white paper and painted the rocket. It was a big hit. 

Finally, due to my past STEAM programming experience, I provided take home activities for the kids and/or families to continue the education and/or fun at home. This time I provided star gazing activities and a hidden picture. The kids also took home a Space Academy certificate. I was very happy that a number of families checked out the books I had set up around the room (also a habit from previous STEAM programming).

All in all, a great time.

Storytime: Friends

Today was a blast! It was all about friends and fun. Books:
      
Welcome Song
Song: Make New Friends But Keep the Old (Using sign language, especially "friends" sign).
Book: Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great - amazingly some had tasted goat cheese, but not me.
Fingerplay: Ten Little Friends (counting forward and back).
Activity: Hold Still (Yo Gabba Gabba) Lots of wiggling, laughing, and following directions.
Book: Penguin and Pinecone - a sweet story about frienship.
Activity: If You're Happy and You Know It.
Craft: Penguin paper puppet and pinecone friend (wrap an actual pinecone with orange felt strip and have kids color a penguin picture and glue it to a popsicle stick - now they can re-create the story).
Bubbles
Goodbye Song

Storytime: Moon

My first ever, completely on my own Storytime is in the books. What fun!The theme was the moon. I choose a couple classic books to read: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes and Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown with a couple extra books for back-up/check-out options.
  
Before reading we sang our opening song: We Clap and Sing Hello to the tune of Farmer in the Dell and also did a stretching song to get out some energy. In between books we did the fingerplay Zoom, Zoom, Zoom We're Going to the Moon. After searching many CDs for moon songs, I found a song called Circle the Moon (a Ring Around the Rosie type activity) . We sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and before craft-time we caught bubbles from the bubble machine.

I was skeptical about doing a craft in storytime. I've read pros and cons about crafts vs. process art  vs free play vs more stories. All these activities are good and have value, but there is limited time. I inherited this storytime structure but I'm embracing it. I see that craft time is a available time in the storytime lineup. It helps the 2-3 year old crowd with their fine motor skills, listening skills, following directions, connections with the theme/story and is a type of play in itself. Do parents need to help sometimes? Sure, the kids are 2. Kids need to learn things like...this is the white paint, the moon is white, let's make a big white circle just like the moon in the sky, just like in the story. I love having a craft!

      
Found on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/287597126181544314/(I want to try puffy paint too). White paint mixed with flour, dab it on, stamp with bottle caps, and stick stars on the background. Viola!

Pumpkin STEAM!

It's that time of year. Let's learn and play with pumpkins! We had so much fun!
First up was reading 2 books. We chatted for a moment about the difference between fiction and non-fiction books and then I read one of each. First up:

Simple explanation of how a pumpkin grows from seed to pumpkin.

 

Cute story of a pumpkin on the loose. Run through a farm and everyone imagines what they can make with the pumpkin.

After stories, we set off to investigate what the inside of a pumpkin is all about. I had the top carved off ahead of time and the kids estimated how many seeds were in the pumpkin. We had guesses from 19 to a zillion (these are K-2nd graders). Next, they were invited to feel inside the pumpkin and squish the guts around to see if that changed their guesses. (Of course, some didn't want to). 

Our first experiement was making Oobleck with the pumpkin guts. Found a simple recipe on Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/203436108143596025/ It worked great. Simply added 1c. cornstarch and 1/2 c. water to guts and viola! Is it a solid or is it a liquid? It's a Newtonian fluid. 

What else can we do with our pumpkin? Sink or float time! I cleared out a large bin and filled it with water. The kids had to guess which item would sink and which would float. Items used, pumpkin, apple, large rock, little rock, stick, straw, paper clip, rubber band ball, plastic toy. Pumpkin floats, paperclip sinks, kids amazed!

For my favorite part of STEAM, the art. We did a mini-lesson on negative and positive space making a jack-o-latern face. Fold paper in half, cut out half on folded edge. Cut paper in half, glue to background, then glue opposite items. 

Then to top it off, we made pumpkin dip (inspiration: Aunt Roxie). It is yummy, easy and even bashful pumpkin eaters love it .  Simple as can be: can of pumpkin pie puree, tub of cool whip, and small box of instant pie filling. Mix together. Serve with a variety of items including apples, pretzels, gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, etc. 

What a great way to have a STEAM-y kind of day!

STEAM Jr, Marshmallow Shooters, and Screaming Balloons!

The first STEAM JR (K-2) event of the fall is complete and a huge success! We did some fun hands on science experiments involving force and motion. I started by reading the book Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee. There is a lot of action in the book and the book actually mentioned that the roller coaster is pulled up the tracks. We had just discussed pushing and pulling as 2 forces, so bonus example!

After our story, I showed the kids what we would be making as junior scientists. First up, marshmallow shooters. I pre-cut the plastic cups bottoms off and doubled them for strength after a failed attempted stretching the balloon over the lip of just one. Next, cut the tip off a strong balloon and stretch it over the lip end of the cups. Tie a knot on the end of the balloon. Start with just one marshmallow and experiment shooting with more projectiles, aiming at targets, going for distance, etc. We did a Bozo bucket style contest. Have kids record their results. Lots of examples on Pinterest. Https://www.pinterest.com/explore/marshmallow-shooter/. 

  

Straw rockets were next. Again, Pinterest is a great source for how-to's. Lastly, we did the screaming penny experiment found on Stevespanglerscience.com. (If you use a hex nut and a strong balloon, you have a great sound experiment.) We talked about the laws of motion, centrifical force, friction, and gravity.

   

There was more to do, but not enough time. I  love to over plan! We had a word search with terms like gravity, force, push, pull, etc. We also had a (now take home) experiment making a paper helicopter weighted by a paper clip or two. We ended our session by trying out Hula Hoops and playing with a slinky. It was a fun day experimenting with force and motion.

Just Dance Party

What a great way to finish up my summer reading programs! Hook up the Wii (thank you teen volunteers), turn on  a Just Dance game video and let the kids (1st-5th) dance. Okay, so there was a little more going on, but it was pretty simple. We handed out glow in the dark sticks to make into bracelets as they walked in. I set out bowls of popcorn and water bottles on one table. On another, teens were helping kids with a dance painting (put paper in a Pringles can with a marble (or dried beans in this case) and a few small dollops of paint and shake away as you dance...just make sure that lid is very secure or you'll have a Jackson Pollock activity room. Lastly, when taking a break from dancing, a teen taught the kids how to do the Cup Song from the movie Pitch Perfect. They had a great time performing a mini-concert for the parents who were there. The kids had a blast and it couldn't have been easier to put together. Now on to Fall...

Enemy Pie Storytime Reflection

 

Kids feeling left out or sorry for themselves, and kids learning about friendship. An accidental storytime theme developed. I started by picking one of my favorite books: Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea about that grumpy goat and ever upbeat unicorn. 

Not necessarily needing a specific theme, yet wanting a thread of similarity to run through my book choices, I next picked Duckling Gets a Cookie? by Mo Willems. Funny, and an act of kindness changes an attitude. I'm starting to like where this is taking me.

An accidental find at the library was a perfect fit for this different friendship"theme" storytime: Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli. Sam isn't number one for once but his friends still cheer him.

 I picked out Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. It's better to be yourself than just join the crowd. Not entirely happy with that choice, but I didn't want to over think the whole thing. 

 Later, out of the blue 2 more "perfect" books came to mind that would work for this storytime: Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat (see my post about this great book)and Enemy Pie by Derek Munson. I recently read Enemy Pie and thought, yes, kids would get a kick out of it AND it teaches a lesson. (Dad is making a pie that will get rid of enemies). 

There are sooo many great choices! Too many for one storytime, but options are always great to have. Will kids get all the subtleties in the books? Probably not. Will they see you need to give people a chance because they could be a great friend? Hopefully. Will they have fun listening and playing during storytime? Yes they will!

It's great to have a storytime you're excited about and all ready to go at the first opportunity! All you need to do is throw in a few action songs, a couple fingerplays, and the ever popular (well, maybe not) craft (Duckling headband with feather and beak) and let the fun, AND learning begin!

Nature's Music: Sounds Outside

Plan:
1. Read story (Bark, George for the animal sounds and general fun).
And many other themed books displayed to look at, talk about, and possibly take home.

Side note: I've heard many others say this is a great read-aloud book for younger kids. It proved great. Kids were laughing and participating in the story. The kids loved saying the different sounds George made. I'm glad I had a chance to read it in a program.

2. Brief discussion of sounds outside we hear, if we're quiet.
3. Guess the bird song video:

4. Make a "duck call" whistle from a straw.

5. Make wind chime of recycled lids, yarn, beads, bells.

6. Make simple bird feeder from Cheerios and pipe cleaners.

7. Go outside on a sound scavenger hunt.

8. Color bird pictures.

Actual:

Stuck on #5. Kids really wanted to finish these and spent more time than expected on stringing bells and beads. Many kids (grades 1 - 5) had hard time tying knots. Note to self: pre-knot the bells onto end of pre-cut yarn to speed up process. Start a sewing class and teach kids how to make knots!

Better to overplan, but I was disappointed we didn't go outside. It did allow me to give the kids the sound hunt and coloring sheets to take home as family extension activities.

P.S. Straw whistles were a HUGE hit!

SRP Minecraft Party

Okay, my first 2015 summer reading program was a success. I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and saved the ideas to check out later and possibly expand for the Fall.

Only glitch: I had a vision of the peaceful "Calm" video game music playing in the background while doing our activities, but that didn't happen. Instead a teen volunteer had his guitar and occasionally strummed away. (Music related theme...check, sort of.)

Activities:

Pin the tail on the pig...must wear "Steve Head" box. :) They loved this!

Minecraft in real life: Lego block building (some kids did this the entire time).

Pixel selfies: 100's of 1 in. square construction pieces cut and pasted to a grid for a Minecraft self portrait.

Crafting table: Construct a Creeper box (template), word search, maze. Coloring pages.

Recipe table: Make slime balls. (Plenty of paper towels on hand.)



Treat to take away: TNT Twizzlers.

Summer Reading Kick-Off

Another Summer Reading Kick-Off is in the books. It is my third one and each was VERY hot and sunny. (Better than rainy and jammed inside the library.) There was a good turn out by the community, terrific job by staff and awesome help from our teen volunteers. We had registration for the reading program and mini-golf inside. Outside we had a mini-carnival, bake sale, bounce house, craft table, lip-syncing, video game truck (cool), and my assignment: face painting. What a great way to say summer is here, let's have some fun at the library!

Popular face painting image and happy atmosphere of the day!

Tech Tuesday or Tinkerlab?

Coming up with new programs is fun. A theme, the activities, the details. I think planning is exciting, because of the anticipation of the outcome. Seeing the final program, the kids enjoyment, light bulb moments, smiles, even hugs is the icing on the cake. Right now, I'm starting to gather the ingredients to make the cake of a new program.

STE(+a)M and STEM are important to our Youth area and that is why I'm developing a new STE(+a)M program for upper elementary kids. Wanted something casual, almost drop-in, open access style after school. Give kids exposure to different types of technology (3-D printer, snap circuits, littleBits, etc.) we have at the library, but not have it be like a class. I'd like it more experimental, playful, fun. Hopefully, the experience will pique their curiosity and they'll want more.

Next step, catchy name to promote concept. So far I like Tech Tuesday or Tinkerlab. Almost time to bake this cake!

Summer Reading For Grown-Ups!

The kids are out of school (and my school library position is on hiatus until Aug.) so it must be time for Summer Reading! Yay! Even as a grown-up, I've always felt summer was the time to catch up on all the books I want to read for fun. I'll make a list, check with my reading buddy (Hi Linda!), and participate in the library's adult reading program. There is no wheel of fortune genre pick at the library this year (Comedy 2 years in a row for me! Ug! Although, Hope: A Tragedy was a great dark comedy) , so just picking some books that look interesting. I'll probably still fit in a few juv fiction and/or picture books, but I can't wait to get started on some grown-up reading.

STE(+a)M is Verdi

I love finding picture books based in fact. They make the prefect intro for a STE(+a)M program topic. This book is entertaining and factual. Verdi is yellow. He loves being young and yellow. He doesn't want to turn into an old, lazy, green snake. His adventures are laced with humorous moments. Verdi can't help but turn green and older, but he can help himself NOT be lazy. 

I hope to do a reptile program. I'm not one of the many "afraid" of snakes. I always found them quite fascinating. Once at the Minnesota Zoo there was a reptile petting zoo. (Maybe still is.) It was one of my best zoo experiences. It may be time to call (NOT Ghostbusters) Dave DiNaso's Traveling World of Reptiles. If you're in the Chicagoland area, I highly recommend him.

Programs about snakes, insects, or bats are always a big draw. If you're like me, and summer hasn't started but you're already thinking about Fall programming fun for the library, consider one of these topics. Janell Cannon, author of Verdi, is also the author of Stellaluna, perfect bat intro for Fall programming.