Have you picked up seashells on the beach but don’t know what to do with them now that you are home? You can turn them into ornaments to decorate your home or put on your Christmas tree by painting them and adding glitter and other sparkly bits like sequins. Adults can drill a small hole in them to thread ribbon through to be a hanger. Or you can wear your creations as a necklace by Read more
For a fun STEM experiment to do with your family, have everyone wear an old sock over their shoe and then go for a walk outside. After everyone has walked around, take the old socks off and spritz the bottom of each sock with water. Then put each sock in a separate resealable plastic bag. Hang the bags in a sunny window for 2-3 weeks and see what grows. You might be amazed! Make sure Read more
Today is National Navajo Code Talkers Day, a day to honor the contributions of the Native Americans during World War II. During the war, Navajo speakers were recruited to create a code system based on their language, which had never been written down. They created a secret code that they used to send and receive messages that the Axis powers were never able to break. The program was classified until 1968, at which time the Read more
To help young children learn how to follow along when they are reading a story, let them make magic wand reading pointers today. To begin, you will need something to be the handle of the wand, such as a small dowel rod, a chopstick, a wooden skewer, or even a pencil or stick from outside. For very young children, you can use a popsicle stick or craft stick to give them something wider to hold. Read more
Want to learn to play pickleball? The library can help! We have a new kit that you can check out that includes paddles, balls, a netted carry bag, and an instruction sheet. For more information, we also have the book Pickleball for All: Everything but the “Kitchen” Sink by Rachel Simon. In it, you will learn everything you need to know about America’s fastest-growing sport.
Don’t let your school-age kids have all the fun – let everyone in your family pick out new school supplies this year. Brand-new pencils, pens, markers, journals, notebooks, colored pencils, stickers, and crayons are fun for everyone. They can use the items to work on their own craft projects, make a journal, or draw fun pictures. Dollar stores are heavily stocked with inexpensive school supplies right now, so this treat doesn’t have to be expensive.
Take inspiration from the Summer Olympics to get your family moving around: Teach young children to do a flip, handstand, or a cartwheel like gymnasts or place a piece of painter’s tape on the floor to mimic a balance beam or tightrope and let them try to walk from one end to the other without ‘falling off’. Tie lengths of ribbon or crepe paper tied to a stick to mimic the artistic swirls of rhythmic Read more
Have your family make a Message in a Bottle today. Grab an empty plastic water bottle and have each person write out a secret message to put inside. They can write it in code, such as using a simple number substitution of 1=A, 2=B, and so on. It is also very easy to make your own invisible ink. You can find several simple recipes online that use baking soda mixtures and liquids such as milk, Read more
Play Sink or Float with your family today. Grab anything that holds water, such as a bucket, a large bowl, or a large pot. If you do the activity inside, you can also just use your kitchen sink or bathtub. If you want to do the activity outdoors, you can take your water vessel outside or use a small kid’s pool. After your container is filled with water, grab a variety of waterproof objects, and Read more
Have some family fun experimenting with tie-dye today. All you need are pieces of clothing, such as a t-shirt, and some tie dye solution. Ritz is the most popular and can be found at most discount stores in a variety of colors for just a few dollars. Some solutions require you to submerge the item in the dye, so you’ll need a large bucket or plastic container if you purchase that kind. Other types are Read more
