Library Lab: Fizzing Frosty
Too chilly outside to play? Snow problem. Let's build a snowman in the toasty warmth of the library and learn a little about chemical reactions along the way! Many thanks to Little Bins for Little Hands for instructional inspiration. Library Supplies: baking soda water white vinegar small disposable cup two small bowls spoon glitter two googly eyes orange pipe cleaner two brown pipe cleaners Instructions: After you’ve assembled all the supplies you’ll need for this activity, carefully arrange Frosty’s two googly eyes and carrot nose (that is, an…
Figure It Out: Build Your Own Robot Hand
Brooklyn Library invites you to Make your own Robot Hand and receive a Figure it Out sticker for your Book Your Brooklyn summer gameboard with this fun activity. Try this at home or look in our BPL events calendar for a local branch hosting this fun activity! You can learn all about Summer@BPL on our website. CRAFT MATERIALS NEEDED: One piece of cardstock paper, a pencil, scissors, string or twine, tape and straws. How to: Trace a hand and wrist onto the piece of cardstock. (The bigger the hand you trace the better, so ask a caregiver to lend you theirs…
Library Lab: Paper Engineering
What kinds of tools do you use at home? We use tools everyday when we brush our teeth, open canned food, even eat dinner with a knife and fork. These tools make our lives easier. Can you imagine eating a baked potato without utensils? They don’t call them hot potatoes for nothing. Ouch! Engineers are people whose job it is to help design products that help people. They design roads, buildings, electrical systems and so much more. You can explore the engineering design process at home by creating a simple household tool out of paper. We did this during Library Lab recently…
Earth Day is inside your Refrigerator
Earth Day is right around the corner and with the necessity to shelter in place, it is even more important for children to celebrate our beautiful world from home this year. But how? I felt stuck. Many of the Earth Day traditions I would recommend to families are not possible this year, especially for children living in Brooklyn. Any other year, I'd encourage families to join a park clean-up, plant a tree, or walk or bike to a nearby park for time outside. These are not options during the pandemic. I found many wonderful resources on the web that recommend family-friendly documentaries…
Library Lab: Be a Home Botanist
In honor of National Agriculture Week, we're showing you how to Grow your Own Green Onions! Depending on who you ask, green onions are called scallions or spring onions. They are sold at various markets with the roots intact. Normally, you use everything but the roots. To save money, save time, reduce waste, upcycle and show off your green thumb you can easily regrow green onions! Here’s a super easy way to regrow spring onions so you can get an almost endless supply. A perfect way to make use of kitchen scraps. All you need are the following materials: a jar (reused a salsa…
Library Lab: Winter STEM Activity
Juanita, Branch Manager, Branch Manager
Did you ever wonder about how salt can melt ice? First, check out this COOL YouTube video on Ice and Salt. Then, try out this Winter STEM activity by STEAM Powered Family, you will be pleasantly surprised! Winter STEM Activity What you'll need: Clean tin cards Ice cubes Table salt Coarse rock salt Measuring spoons Digital Thermometer Set up 5 tin cans, each with the same amount of ice. Set one can for you to control. This one will have no salt added. In the next two cans, add table salt. Can#1 add 1 teaspoon of table salt. Can#2 add…
Library Lab: Halloween Slime
Juanita, Branch Manager, Branch Manager
Happy Halloween! Ghouls and Goblins! Here is your favorite library lab experiment that everyone enjoys--SLIME! Check out some of these books on your favorite library lab experiment: The Slime Book written by DK Publishing he Slime Book is packed full of more than 30 gloopy, squishy, and stretchy recipes to make at home. Create glow-in-the-dark slime, gross out your friends with snot slime, and take a bite out of tasty chocolatey slime. Simple step-by-steps and vibrant photographs show how to create every awesome slime. Each recipe is Borax-free and uses safe, readily…
Library Lab: Bubbles Experiments
Juanita, Branch Manager, Branch Manager
Looking to do something FUN this Summer? Do you love bubbles? If you can't get enough about bubbles, here are some books to check out: How to make bubbles written by Erika L. Shores Simple text and full-color photos instruct readers how to make bubbles and explain the science behind the activity. Check the Catalog Bubbles float, Bubbles pop written by Mark Weakland Simple text and photographs explain the basic science behind bubbles. Check the Catalog Super simple things to do with bubbles: fun & easy science for kids written by Kelly Doudna Simple step-by-…
Library Lab: Summer Reading Bookmark Straw Rocket
Use your Summer Reading 2019 rocket bookmark to create a straw rocket! All materials (including straws, while supplies last) can be found at your local branch on June 1st during Summer Launch. This year's theme is "A Universe of Stories," and every branch will feature fun activities throughout the day as we begin our summer reading challenges! Materials Summer Reading 2019 Rocket Bookmark Markers or crayons Scissors Small piece of scrap paper Tape Straw Instructions Color and decorate your rocket. Cut out your rocket along the dotted line. Roll a…
Exploring STEAM with "Brainy" Bill Louden
Late last fall, the Crown Heights Library hosted several STEAM programs presented by science edutainer “Brainy” Bill Louden. From exploring the states of matter, to digging for fossils to spoopy science, Brainy Bill made the learning experience accessible and fun for all! We hope to see more of Brainy Bill this summer as we explore “A Universe of Stories”.Just for fun, we thought we’d get to know him better and ask him some mostly serious questions.What exactly is an "edutainer"?An edutainer gets to bring the best of both 'edu'cation and enter'tainment' to each event. Science can be difficult…
Library Lab: Roller Coaster Challenge
Juanita, Branch Manager, Branch Manager
Do you love roller coasters? Or have you ever wondered how roller coasters really work? Check out some books and challenge yourself to go to a Library Lab: Roller Coaster program at your local library!
Library Lab: Slime!
Looking for good a time? It's always a great day for making slime! If you're not up on the latest slime craze, it's taking libraries and classrooms by storm. Making slime is a great way to introduce chemistry & other STEM concepts such as polymers and viscosity. Check out this video kids made at the Clarendon Branch Library for a great how-to guide! Want more library lab programs? Check out our calendar of events to find great STEM activites near you!
Library Lab: Learn to Code
Juanita, Branch Manager, Branch Manager
Learning to Code is the new wave for the future! Check out some books and programs to help you get started! Pictured Above: T4 Volunteer, Christian Giles, teaching coding at Paerdegat Library You wouldn't want to live without coding written by Alex Woolf How do you code a computer? -- How did coding begin? -- Who invented the first computers? -- How did computers develop? -- What are programming languages? -- How has the Internet affected coding? -- Who creates computer programs? -- What is debugging? -- What is hacking? -- What is a computer virus? -- How does coding…
Library Lab: Engineering Fun with the Egg Drop Challenge
Library Lab: Raspberry Pi Cloud Lamp
The kids and teens at the Clarendon Branch have been busy building and programming a fantastic cloud lamp! This marvel of math and science was wired by the kids using a breadboard, and coded in Python by the teens using a Raspberry Pi. Check out these wiz kids in action. . . Check out these wiz kids in action. . . The cloud lamp goes through a series of animations depicting sunshine, rain, a thunderstorm, overcast skies, and finally a sunset. It was a bit of work programming all the different loops for our LED strip, but it all came together with persistence and…
Library Lab: Spinning Noisemakers
Library Lab: Engineer Fun with Homemade Catapults
Engineer Fun with Homemade Catapults National Engineers Week, Feb 18-24, is a week-long celebration of engineering designed to get children and their families more familiar with the world of engineering. Check out their web site at www.discovere.org for lots of fun activities to make engineering come to life for children. And, consider registering to become a Girl Day Role Model on Thursday, Feb. 22 by planning a fun engineering activity for girls. A perfect activity for engineering week is catapult engineering. We made catapults during a recent Library Lab at Cortelyou Library; not only…
Over the River: Holiday Bridge Building
Do you go over the river to grandmother’s (or another relative’s) house during the holiday season? If so, chances are you will cross at least one, if not several, bridges on your way there. After all, New York City has some 2,000 bridges or tunnels—including pedestrian, car, bike, subway and railroad bridges. Then there are the city’s famous bridges, like the Brooklyn Bridge, which inspires people from around the world to come walk its 1,600 foot span. But bridges are more than just concrete and steel structures that get us from here to there. They connect “people with people, bringing…
Library Lab: Exploding Chalk Baggies
Looking for a quick STEM activity to beat the heat? Then this post is for you! Materials: 1 cup Vinegar 1/2 cup Cornstarch 2 tbsp Baking Soda 1 Zipper Sandwich Baggies 1 Paper Napkin Food Color/ Liquid Color Instructions: Place baking…
BKLYN Kids Code!
Interested in getting with the latest trend and teaching your kids to code? We’ve got your back. The library already offers coding classes for kids. At my home branch, Clarendon, we offer arduino classes, HTML and CSS workshops, Raspberry Pi workshops, Scratch workshops, and python workshops too. Seeing a child’s face light up after their first line of code is rendered is simply priceless. I mean, look at these cute faces! Need more convincing that coding is important for kids? Check out this article from Rasmussen on the benefits of kids coding. So, without further ado, here are a few…