Take and Makes for this project for ages 9-12 will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, Oct 29, 2021.

Supplies and Directions:

Supplies Included: Mini glass bottle, jump ring, metal eye hook, keyring, mini recipe card
Supplies Needed (from home): scissors, pliers, clear glue.

  1. Cut out the DIY mini recipe card (there’s an extra just in case). Remove the tape from the cork and discard. Take the cork out of the bottle and remove the metal eye hook and the jump ring. Place the recipe card in the bottle.
  2. Screw the metal eye hook into the center of the top of the cork by hand.
  3. Take the jump ring and loop it through the metal eye hook and the end of the key ring to connect the cork to the keyring.
  4. Use pliers to close the jump ring.
  5. Apply glue to the edges of the cork, and place in the bottle. Put the cork back in the bottle, pressing down to help seal the glue. Be careful since the bottle is made of glass!

Materials Needed:

  • Biodegradable Packing Peanuts
  • Black Permanent Marker
  • Small Bowl
  • Water

Directions:

  1. Use a black permanent marker to draw a ghost face on each packing peanut. Remember, they MUST be biodegradable packing peanuts. (That means they are made of starch, not polystyrene.)
  2. Fill a small bowl with room temperature water.
  3. Place one ghost on top of the water and watch what happens.

You will start to see small bubbles appearing on the sides of the packing peanut ghost. And then the ghost will disappear right before your eyes! Your results may depend on the type of Biodegradable Packing Peanuts you use. (about 5 – 10 min.)
If the melting packing peanuts are taking too long to disappear, try using hot water to help speed up the process.

 

Why Do Biodegradable Packing Peanuts Melt?
These new packing peanuts are made out of biodegradable corn starch, which means they break down easily instead of just sitting in the garbage dump for years and years like the older style ones. The water helps break them down even faster whether water temperature will affect the speed they dissolve.

  • How fast do the ghosts dissolve in different temperatures of water? Get a stopwatch and time it.
  • Make a chart to record your results.

TAKE AND MAKES for this homeschool project (Ages 7 Up) will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, Oct. 22, 2021.
Watch the Cerealism: Out-of-the-Box-Art video tutorial on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kHjyAqjtMUst

Supplies Included in Take and Make and Needed from Home

In Take and Make:

  • Cereal box or other consumer brand box (if your Take and Make does not include one, you can use one from home)
  • Book jacket / scrapbooking paper
  • Examples of Cerealism Collage sheet

From Home:

  • Scissors
  • Clear Elmer’s glue

Directions: You can find all the instructions with explanatory photos in the video and pdf link below.

Step 1: Prepare Your Box

  1. Open your cereal (or other consumer brand) box at both ends.
  2. Open the cereal box along the glued side seam so that it lays flat.
  3. Cut the front cover away from the back, along the side panel connected to the back.
  4. Cut off all top and bottom flaps. *Save the flaps
  5. Cut away the side panel from the front cover.
  6. Cut away the narrow strip from the outside of the back cover.

The front box cover will be your collage material. The back cover with side panel will serve as the foundation/background for gluing your collage to.


Step 2: Decide How You Will Cut Your Front Cover into Collage Pieces
Choose one of these four ways to cut your box cover (but wait until Step 4 to cut).

  1. Cut down the long side of your box front, making strips about ¼ inch wide. Cut each strip into 3 to 5 pieces. Arrange them “boardwalk” style, placing the pieces out of order.
  2. OR cut your box front horizontally, into 4 thick strips. Cut each strip into 3 squares. Cut each square into smaller squares and rectangles.
  3. OR cut your box front in half horizontally. Cut each half into 4 squares. Cut each square into random angles (e.g., triangles and trapezoids).
  4. OR you can combine all cutting techniques … strips, squares and rectangles, and random angles. (*WARNING: This choice is very challenging to collage!)

Step 3: Decide How You Will Sign Your Artwork (just like Michael Albert, Cerealism Artist)
Three ways to find/make your initials for “signing” your collage:

  1. Using the flaps from your box, look for the first letter of both your first and last name. If you find letters that are the size and style you like, cut around them in a square or rectangle and save them to add to your collage later.
  2. OR make your initials in block letters on the back of one of the box flaps and cut out around the shape of the letters. When you turn them over, they’ll look just like the cereal box and will be very tricky to find in your collage.
  3. OR you can search for your initials on the book jacket in your Take and Make, cut out around them in a square or rectangle, and place them in your collage later on.

Step 4: Create Your Cerealism Masterpiece
*TIP: Work from bottom to top OR top to bottom.

  1. It helps to cut about an inch wide strip off the top of your box front.
  2. Next, cut your box into sections using one of the cutting techniques above (Step 2).
  3. Each time you cut up a smaller section, practice arranging the pieces on your background. NO GLUE YET!
  4. As you arrange, decide on how much space you’ll leave between pieces.
  5. Cut larger pieces into smaller pieces when you need to. You’ll need all sizes to fit your spaces. You can also cut small pieces from your leftover box flaps and panels.
  6. When you’re ready to glue a section down, do it one piece at a time. Place a small dot of glue on the back of your piece, smooth it over the back surface, place your piece, and press firmly.
  7. When you have glued the first section down, continue to cut, arrange and glue one section at a time.
  8. Remember to add your initials into your collage somewhere in a bottom section!
  9. When your collage is complete, you can frame it by cutting the book jacket and/or the decorative paper into mosaic-like pieces, gluing them down to make an interesting border OR … you can just trim the background to fit the finished collage!
  10. Challenge your masterpiece admirers to find your “signature”!

Take and Makes for this Make project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, Oct. 15, 2021.

Supplies and Directions:

Step 1.
Gather your supplies.
Provided in your bag: cardstock leaves to color and cut out, pipe cleaners
From home: colored pencils/crayons/markers, scissors, tape or glue
Step 2.
Color in your leaves (or find some real leaves outside!). Try mixing colors to get your perfect fall leaf. Using a marker or pen, draw faces on your leaves.
Step 3.
Cut out each leaf carefully (you might need a grownup’s help with this).
Step 4.
For each leaf: cut a pipe cleaner in half. Tape or glue both halves to the back for the arms and legs. Bend them however you like to make your leaf unique!
Step 5.
Have fun with your little leaf sprite friends!

Take and Makes for this project are available starting today, Oct. 8, 2021, at area PPLD libraries.

Supplies and Directions:

Materials Provided: White Tissue Paper, Balloon
Materials you Provide: Scissors, Head of Hair, Marker, Spooky Music (optional), tape (optional)

Directions:
Cut several ghosts out of your tissue paper. Each ghost should be about 1.5 inches long. Draw eyes on each ghost with your marker.
Place your ghosts on a flat surface.
Blow up your balloon and tie the end. Rub it through your hair really fast for about 10 seconds to add a static charge.
Move the balloon near your ghosts. They should begin to rise toward the balloon. See if you can get them to rise, move, and dance around. You should be able to get the ghost to move from several inches away.
If you want the ghost to rise without sticking to the balloon, try taping just the tip to your surface.

The Science behind it:
As you rub the balloon through your hair, you are building up negatively charged electrons on the surface of the balloon. They are then able to pull light positively charged items toward them.

Take and Makes for this project for ages 9-12 will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, Oct 1, 2021.

 

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by making papel picado, “punched” or “perforated” paper. This traditional folk art is often made by drawing an intricate design and using a chisel to cut several layers of tissue paper. Because this art form is created using materials that disintegrate in the elements, not many historical pieces remain. Often elaborate, these festive banners are used at many celebrations in Mexico and areas with Hispanic roots and heritage. Use scissors to cut out your own version of this traditional art form.

Supplies and Directions:

Tissue paper, scissors, template (find online or draw), tape (washi or masking)

  1. Find or draw a symmetrical design to use as a template. Check out one of the links below for ideas. Fold the template in half.
  2. Stack two to three pieces of tissue paper in a pile and fold it in half.
  3. Slip the tissue paper inside the folded template so the folded edges are on one side.
  4. Cut out the outside of the template, cutting through the tissue paper inside.
  5. Cut out the inside shapes in the template, folding the template around to gain better access to the different shapes to cut out.
  6. Once the template is entirely cut out, remove the tissue paper pieces and unfold them.
  7. Repeat steps 1-6 with more templates and tissue paper.
  8. Using a long, flat surface, such as a table, unroll a long strip of washi or masking tape, leaving it attached to the roll.
  9. Starting at the end, attach the top of each papel picado (tissue paper design) to the washi or masking tape. Unroll more tape as needed, tearing it off the roll once all papel picado have been attached to the banner.
  10. Fold over any tape hanging over across the top of the banner.
  11. Hang your banner up and enjoy!

Adapted from https://happythought.co.uk/how-to-make-papel-picado/

 

More information about papel picado can be found at https://www.internationalfolkart.org/learn/lesson-plans/papel-picado-(d…

 

Celebrate dinosaurs this DINOvember with PPLD! Check out a Dinosaur Storytime and be on the lookout for dinosaurs in your Library! Find the dinosaur at your Library and go to the desk for a prize!


DINO Programs

Dinosaur Resource Center

Celebrate DINOvember with Pikes Peak Library District by attending the Dinosaur Resource Center program for kids ages 3 - 12! Come and learn about these amazing creatures that roamed the earth thousands of years ago.

 

Take and Make Dinorama

Make a habitat for a tiny dinosaur and decorate it with all kinds of fun supplies! Name your little dino and make sure to read it your favorite stories! For ages 5 - 12, while supplies last.

 

Virtual Puppet Show: Dinosaurs!

  • When: Mon., Nov. 1 - Thu., Dec. 30
  • Where: Virtual

ROAR! Do you want to be a dinosaur? Go back in time and discover the pre-historic steps of the gentle giants, primeval predators and leaping lizards that once stalked the earth. Fascinating dino-facts are revealed as erupting volcanoes, catchy tunes, and life-like puppets make this colossal creation come to life! Presented by the Center for Puppetry Arts. Duration 45 min.


DINOsources

September highlights suicide prevention. The booklist link below has good resources for parents and children.
See also: https://nationaltoday.com/world-suicide-prevention-day/

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, Sept. 3, 2021.

Supplies and Directions:

Materials we provide: Plastic cup, plastic sandwich bag, rubber band

Materials you provide: scissors, water, interesting specimens to observe

Directions (see pdf link below for additional step-by-step photos):

  1. Cut a hole in the side of the cup along the bottom. This doesn’t need to be neat. It’s designed as an access point for you to get specimens into the bottom of your cup.
  2. Stretch one layer of the plastic bag over the top of the cup and secure it with a rubber band.
  3. Find a specimen and put it in your cup through the hole. (A specimen is an insect, leaf, flower, etc.)
  4. Pour a small amount of water onto the plastic wrap. You want it to be a small pool.
  5. Look through the water at your specimen. The water has created a lens and magnifies your specimen.
  6. Repeat with other specimens.

How it works: A microscope uses mirrors and lenses to bend light so that an image appears larger than it is. In our microscope, the water creates a convex lens. It bends the light that passes through it and makes the specimen appear to be bigger.

 

Supplies:

  • TP tube
  • Mylar sheet
  • Straw
  • Cardstock circle
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Tape
  • Markers or other things to decorate

Directions:

  1. If you'd like, decorate your tp tube.
  2. Cut the mylar sheet into 3 equal pieces that fit to make a triangle inside the tube without falling out. Cut them a little bigger to start first. We cut ours 10 cm x 3.6 cm (3.94 inches x 1.42 inches).
  3. Line up the mylar strips with a tiny strip between them. Tape them together. Then tape them together into a triangle. The shiny side is toward the center. Slide the triangle into the tube.
  4. Cut the straw so the bendy end is about 6 inches long. Tape it to the tp tube so the bendy part hangs over the end.
  5. Cut out your cardstock circle. Poke a hole in the center. Decorate the circle using markers, stickers or anything else you have at home.
  6. Place the straw through the hole in the circle. Slide it until the circle is over the bendy part of the straw so it turns easily.

Look into your kaleidoscope and manually turn the circle. You should see lots of changing designs!

kaleidoscope 1kaleidoscope 2kaleidoscope 3kaleidoscope 4

kaleidoscope 5kaleidoscope 6kaleidoscope 7

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, August 20, 2021. Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/bShFYRZCMW4?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFenhH3jVzKk-QmaHXdAFOBq

Supplies and directions:

Provided in your bag: rocket template, straw, and pipette
From home: markers, scissors, and tape

Step 1
Color your rocket and cut it out.

Step 2
Trim your pipette with scissors so that it fits on the back of your rocket; tape in place with the
opening pointing down.

Step 3
Trim your straw to whatever size you want, put it in your pipette, and you're ready to launch!
Give your straw a big puff of air and watch your rocket fly!

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries starting this Friday, August 13, 2021. Watch this project at https://youtu.be/zGzv7SBx9Iw

Supplies and Directions:

Materials Included:

  • 4 washable markers
  • A pipette
  • A paintbrush
  • White paper

Materials You Provide:

  • A few crayons of different colors
  • A small glass of water
  • A cookie sheet or other flat board or tray
  • Some scotch tape
  1. Use some scotch tape to tape the corners of a piece of the white paper to a cookie tray or other flat board. This will help to keep your paper from blowing away.
  2. Find a sunny spot in a window or a place outside to set your tray. It should be a spot where the sun will shine on your paper for several hours. Use the pipette to make a puddle of water in the middle of the paper. Make the puddle big enough so that the water almost reaches the sides of the paper. Use a crayon to draw around the shape of the puddle. Be careful to draw around the water, not through it.
  3. Wait an hour or so and check on your puddle. Did the puddle shrink? Did it change shape? Use a different color crayon to draw around the puddle’s new shape.
  4. After another hour or so, check again. Each time you check, your puddle will be smaller and you will need to draw a new line with a different color crayon around the new shape. This process will take some time – at least a few hours - so you can do other things while you wait.
  5. After your puddle is completely dry, you should see rings of different color crayon shapes on your paper. Use the markers to color in between the crayon shapes. You can do this any way you want. Then wet the paintbrush in your glass of water and brush over the marker colors you made on the paper to spread the colors. It will look like a watercolor painting! The water won’t stick to the places where the crayon is, so you will still be able to see the original shapes.

You and the power of the sun have teamed up to make some beautiful Evaporation Art!

Here’s the science behind the project:

Evaporation happens when water, a liquid, turns into vapor, a gas, and rises up. You’ve seen what happens to a puddle after a rainstorm. Does the water stay there forever? No. The heat of the sun causes the water to turn into a vapor. It evaporates, and the puddle disappears. The same thing happens in our project. The little puddle you create will evaporate and shrink when exposed to the heat of the sun until it is gone.

 

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area libraries beginning, Friday, August 6, 2021. Be sure to check out Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, August 14!

Materials and Instructions:

  • Scissors (you provide)
  • Bam! and Pow! icons (found on PDF below)
  • Epoxy sticker (clear & round)
  • Magnet with adhesive sticker
  1. Cut out a “Bam!” or “Pow!” icon found in the PDF linked below. There are two of each icon on this sheet in case you make a mistake! Or, cut out a 1" circle and decorate it.
  2. Place your icon face up on the table. Take the backing off the clear plastic epoxy sticker and press the sticky side to the top of the colorful side of the icon. You want to be able to see the icon through the sticker. If there is a piece of plastic on the non-sticky side of the epoxy sticker, peel it off and discard.
  3. If the magnet has a separate adhesive sticker, peel the paper backing off one side of the double-sided adhesive sticker and attach to the magnet. If the adhesive sticker is already attached, skip this step.
  4. Remove the backing from the sticker attached to the magnet and stick the magnet to the back of the paper circle.
  5. Congrats you have a magnet! Repeat for the second magnet.

Come dance under the sea with us! Twirl, jump, and jam out with family and friends as we celebrate our underwater friends - you might even see an octopus!

Costumes and dressing up are encouraged.

East Library*

Mobile Library Services

Library 21c*

Penrose Library*

Mobile Library Services

High Prairie Library

Rockrimmon Library*

Cheyenne Mountain Library

*Registration required.

Coding is fun and very cool. Check out this list of coding books for tweens. Click on link below.

Photo by Marta Wave from Pexels

Can your water balloons survive a big drop? Find out with this experiment.

Supplies:

  • One balloon
  • Water
  • One plastic shopping bag
  • One rubber band

Directions:

  1. Add water to your balloon, don't fill the balloon, leave lots of room to tie the balloon closed.
  2. Cut the ends of the handles of the bags. Tie or rubber band them to the knotted end of a water balloon.
  3. Go outside and drop it from a high place to see if it breaks when it lands.
  4. Test and retest until your balloon breaks.
  5. Try it again with another balloon.

See what else you can attach to your parachute and let drop.

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area libraries beginning, Friday, July 23, 2021. Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/nrhKBIg0sl4?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu

Supplies and Directions:

Provided in your bag: a paper bowl, streamers, fishing line, assorted decorative materials (decorative materials vary amongst bags)

From home: glue, markers, tape, other decorative materials (optional)

Step 1
Color and decorate the outside of your bowl. Make sure to leave room to draw some eyes if your jellyfish needs them!

Step 2
Cut your streamers in half longways and glue/tape them to the inside rim of your bowl so they are hanging down.

Step 3
Poke a hole in the middle of your bowl and string your piece of fishing line through it; tape it on the inside so it stays in place.

Step 4
Hang your jellyfish up (you can use a piece of tape to attach the other end of the fishing line) and enjoy your new, colorful friend! Give them a name too!

Take and Makes for this project, for ages 9-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries starting Friday, July 16, 2021. Watch the YouTube tutorial here: https://youtu.be/5o6RJm9AMGY

Note: If you are not familiar with macrame knotting, watching the YouTube tutorial is highly recommended. The pdf file below will show all the steps in pictures.

Directions:

  1. Attach the cords to the keychain clasp. Secure each of the 48” pieces of cord to the keychain clasp using larks head knots. To create a larks head knot, fold one of the pieces of cord in half. Hold the cord close to the middle so it makes a little loop. Slip this behind the keychain clasp. Pull the two ends of the cord around the keychain clasp and through the loop and pull tight. Your cord should now be wrapped tightly around the keychain clasp. Repeat for the other two 48” pieces of cord.
  2. Use the safety pin or some tape to secure the clasp to something stable. You are now ready to start knotting!
  3. Tie diagonal double half hitch knots. Take the two pieces of cord on the left. Wrap the right cord (the working cord) around the left cord (the filler cord) and pull the end of the cord through the loop. Pull the knot tight and position it toward the top of the filler cord. Repeat to have two (or a double) knots. The working cord becomes the new filler cord and the cord directly to its right becomes the new working cord. Wrap the working cord around the filler cord and pull the end through the loop. Pull the knot tight and position it slightly lower at a diagonal to the first set of knots. Repeat to create your second double half hitch knot.
  4. On the right, make three diagonal double half hitch knots going down and to the left. Repeat the steps above, only going the opposite direction. This will form a nice V shape.
  5. Continue this process for six more rows (there will be seven all together). You should have two double half hitch knots going from left to right and three going from right to left for each row.
  6. For the eighth row, starting on the left you’ll do the one diagonal double half hitch down and to the right, then you’ll hold both the filler cord AND the working cord from the first knot together and tie the second diagonal double half hitch over them both (down and to the right).
  7. Then switch over to the right side and do the same process. The first diagonal double half hitch down and to the left will be normal. For the second knot, you’ll hold the filler cord and the working cord from the first knot together and tie the knot over them.
  8. Finish with a wrapping knot at the bottom. Grab the 20″ long piece of rope and hold it against the ends in a U shape. Then begin wrapping firmly right under the last row of double half hitch knots. Wrap around four times. Thread the end of the cord you’ve been wrapping with through the loop underneath the wraps (the bottom of the U you made earlier). Then pull the short cord sticking out of the top of the wraps until the loop slides up under the wraps about halfway. Don’t accidentally pull it out of the top! Trim the two ends of the wrapping knot and push them up under the wraps. Knot your thread near the end, leaving a couple inches of tail at the end so that you can tie off your thread when you’re done.
  9. Now for the fun part! Cut the fringe at the bottom in an inverted V shape (like a fish tail, or a mermaid tail in this case). If you have a macrame or pet brush, use that to brush the strands out really well. You can also pick the strands apart to create the fringe. Once it’s brushed out, trim it again back into the upside-down V shape. Optional: If desired, you can spray the fringe tail with a stiffener such as some Aleene’s Stiffen Quik spray to help it hold its shape.

It's Colorado Springs 150th birthday this month! 150 years is a sesquicentennial birthday. To celebrate, PPLD children's staff gathered some great historical fiction for kids. The books touch on several different times and places in the history of our country. Click on the pdf link below to see the booklist.

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning this Friday, July 9, 2021. Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_g0THNq4WI

Film Canister Rockets propel with a strong force. Please provide adult supervision and stand back about 6 feet as the canister flies. Personal safety goggles are recommended. This project is best done outside as the rocket may fly over 20 feet into the air! In addition, the “Alka-Seltzer” used for propulsion could be harmful if ingested.

Supplies and Directions:

Materials provided: film canister, Alka-Seltzer tablets
Materials you provide: water

Procedure:

  1. Put on your safety goggles and head outside with your materials. (If you must do this inside, do not turn the canister upside down in step 5.)
  2. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet in thirds.
  3. Fill your canister a third full of water.
  4. Quickly drop an Alka-Seltzer piece into your water and snap on the lid.
  5. Continuing to work quickly, turn the film canister upside down and place it on the ground. Step back 6 feet.
  6. In about 10 seconds, you will hear a pop and watch your canister fly!
  7. If the canister hasn’t launched in about a minute, you may have a leak. Look around your area for evidence of a leak. Pick up the canister while aiming it away from you to empty it and try again.
  8. If your canister doesn’t launch or doesn’t fly far, try some of the experiments listed below.

The science behind this:

When you combine the Alka-Seltzer tablet and the water, they produce carbon dioxide. Pressure builds up inside the canister as the gas is released. The gas builds until the lid is blasted down and the canister is propelled upwards. Real rockets use rocket fuel to produce thrust in a similar way. If you’d like, you can create fins and a cone out of paper to control your rocket’s path.

Extensions: Experiment with the following:

  • Does water temperature affect either timing or height of the propulsion?
  • How does the size of the tablet piece affect the time it takes for the rocket to launch?
  • How do your paper fins & cone affect the rocket’s path?
  • What amount of water gives your rocket its highest flight?
  • What amount of water gives your rocket tis quickest launch?

Lemonade slushies are a great way to beat the summer heat! There's little to no mess. They're fun for all ages and you get slushy goodness.

Take and Makes for this family project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, July 2, 2021.

Supplies and Directions:

Materials provided in the Take and Make kit: 1-gallon Ziploc, 1-quart Ziploc, 2 lemonade packets.
Materials you provide at home: water, salt, ice, spoon, cup (optional), towel (optional)

  1. Place ice cubes and salt in the gallon sized Ziploc bag. Start with 15-20 ice cubes and 1-2 tablespoons salt.
  2. Mix HALF of a lemonade powder packet and 8-10 ounces of water in the quart-sized Ziploc. Remove as much excess air as possible and seal the bag.
  3. Place the bag with lemonade into the bag of ice and salt. Seal the large Ziploc.
  4. Shake or knead the bags for about 5 minutes until your lemonade has become a slushy. If the bags get too cold, wrap them in a towel.
  5. Carefully remove the lemonade bag from the larger bag. You don't want to get salt in your lemonade. Pour it into a cup to eat it or eat it right out of the bag.

Tips:
If it seems to be taking too long, add more salt and ice.
Other beverages also work, so experiment to find your favorite.

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area libraries beginning Friday, June 25, 2021.

Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/ZZNhvJJAAdo?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu

Supplies and Directions:

Provided in your Take and Make bag: a paper plate, four craft sticks, sequins
Supplies from home: glue, markers, other decorative materials

  1. Cut your paper plate in half; you now have two halves to make two fans.
  2. Take your first half and two craft sticks, cross the craft sticks like an X, and glue/tape them to the back of the plate. This will be your handle.
  3. Using sequins, markers, crayons, paint, whatever you like, decorate your fans for summer! Keep one with you on hot days to stay cool!

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, June 18, 2021.

Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/dQVo4jP7a_c?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu

Supplies and Directions:

Materials provided in Take and Make kit: container for boat, plastic straw, rubber band, balloon
Materials you provide: sharp pencil to poke hole, container of water.

  1. Poke a hole in one of the short sides of the boat using a sharp pencil. It should be nearer to the top.
  2. Slide the balloon onto one end of the straw. (Pro tip: Blow the balloon up a couple times to ease expansion when on the straw.)
  3. Rubber band the balloon into place. Blow the balloon up through the straw to test if it’s secured.
  4. Stick the straw through the hole in the boat with the balloon on the inside. Having the balloon inside the boat allows it to move forward through the water.
  5. Test your boat by blowing the balloon up through the straw. Pinch the straw to keep the balloon inflated until it can be released in water such as the bathtub or pool.
  6. Watch your boat zoom off. How does air power move your boat across the water?
  7. Bend the straw in the back of the boat to make it turn.

Take & Makes for Harry Potter Bookmarks, for ages 9-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries starting Fri., Jun. 11, 2021.

Supplies and Directions:

Supplies Provided: 2 pieces of Origami paper & 2 Harry Potter themed stickers

Optional Supplies Needed (from home): Markers or other items to decorate the bookmarks if desired

See pdf instructions below for more pictures to go along with each step, or watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTBlwPG3Q6s

  1. Place the paper on the desk with the side that has the pattern or color you want to show facing down. Fold it in half from bottom to top and crease. You should now have a triangle.
  2. Take the bottom right corner, fold it up to the tip of the triangle, and crease. Repeat this with the bottom left corner and crease. Now unfold both corners. You should see lines from creasing it where the dotted lines are in the picture to the right.
  3. Now grab the tip of the triangle. There are 2 layers of paper there from where we folded it in half. Grab just the top layer and fold it down so that the tip of the triangle is touching the bottom point where the two creases meet. This will expose the other side of the paper. It should now look like this, with a little pocket in the middle of the triangle:
  4. Now take the bottom left corner and fold it up to cover the left half of the triangle. Crease, then tuck the top part of it into the pocket you formed in step 3.
  5. Repeat this with the bottom right corner, covering the right side of the triangle and tucking it into the flap.
  6. You have a bookmark! Just stick the page into the pocket you’ve formed to mark where you are in a book. You can decorate your bookmark using markers, pens, or colored pencils or by using the provided stickers.

June is Pride Month! Celebrate with these exciting books for ages 0-12! Click on the pdf link below to see the list.