Enchanted Engineering

Update from the Children's Room!

In honor of this year's theme for the national summer reading program, Build A Better World, Miss Shannon and I decided to curate a schedule of activities and events for our calendar that all feature a focus on STEAM; that is, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. One such program that we ran yesterday, to much success, was Enchanted Engineering.

In this program, our youngest patrons were tasked with helping the Three Little Pigs build a house strong enough to withstand the respiratory force of the Big Bad Wolf. We started out by reading a version of the classic fairy tale that many of the kids were familiar with, following our three porcine protagonists through their experiments at home durability with a straw house, stick house, and finally, a brick house. After that the kids were given free rein to gather supplies and get building! We provided Popsicle sticks, playdough, Legos, and corn-starch packing peanuts. Everyone got to work and built some great homes!

Once construction was complete, the kids switched sides, coloring and cutting out a wolf mask so they could try and blow their houses down. I'm happy to report that all the residences stood strong and sturdy, despite our wolves' best efforts!

All said, there were about 15 kids who participated in the program with the help of their adult caregivers. Everyone had a blast!

We hope to see our budding architects again on Wednesday, August 16th @ 10:30AM for our second installment of Enchanted Engineering, where we'll help Jack build a beanstalk tall enough to reach the clouds.

Take a look at some of the creations!

Introduction!

Hello avid library fans!

The blog officially has a new caretaker! My name is Miss Meredith; if you or your family have visited the Children's Room recently, you might recognize me as Miss Shannon's smiling and bubbly assistant. Or, as one of our younger patrons noted, "the girl with the thing in her nose". Referring, of course, to my septum piercing, which is a constant source of joy and curiosity to kids the world over.

I originally started working at the Lawrence Library back in the winter of 2015, primarily on Saturday mornings with a night shift here or there. However, in the last few months I've taken on more hours! I now get to come in and enjoy the mornings here in the library, whether they're quiet or hectic or somewhere in between, as well as my typical evening and Saturday shifts. I've never been happier!

The summer months mean hot days, lazy thunderstorms, vacations, and of course, lots of reading time. Miss Shannon and I have been busy with book recommendations for our younger library-goers, helping them pick out the new series or old familiar favorite to keep them busy during their school break. Upstairs, my colleagues have been just as busy keeping us up to date with the newest novels, non-fiction selections, movies, graphic novels, and of course, a shiny new encyclopedia set! (It really is a beauty; be sure to check it out!)

We're also smack-dab in the middle of our Summer Reading Program. This summer our goal is get Pepperell to read 1000 BOOKS!!! Joining us in our pursuit of 1k literary conquests is easy: simply sign up on Wandoo Reader's website and log the books you read to yourself or others. Then, at the end of the summer, join us for a celebratory ice cream party on Wednesday, August 23rd at 11:00AM. Who doesn't love ice cream?!

I'll be posting and updating here frequently, now that I've been given The Power. I hope to make this a space where you, our loyal patrons, can come to get updates, craft ideas, book recommendations, literary news, and all sorts of jazz! Please feel free to leave comments here, or pop on in to say hello and let us know what you think. We value and appreciate your feedback; this library is yours as much as it is ours, and our goal has always been to work with our public to create a space for all.

Thanks for taking the time to check this all out. Stay tuned for all the fun and excitement to come, and please, have a safe and wonderful summer!

Book Treasure Box

I suppose it goes without saying that here at the Lawrence Library, we love books. We love to hold them, we love to organize them, we love to read them and we love to share them with you.

But once in awhile, an idea comes along that is so delicious and delightful, we can't help but sacrifice one of our beloved books just to have it.

Here is one of them.....A book treasure box:

How fun is this? You can use it to store your secret stuff, so your brother can't find it....

Or you can use it to stash your phone or tablet so your parents think you are reading....

Or you can leave it on a bookshelf and send private notes back and forth with someone in your family!

 I want to tell you that this treasure box is easy to create, but the truth is that the process requires a little time and a lot of patience. All you will need is a sharp exacto knife and some ModPodge or glue.

With the knife, carefully start to remove rectangle shapes, a few pages at a time. Once you get to the desired depth, it is time to stop and use the glue to paint on a few layers, which will secure the pages to each other.

If you prefer, you could like the inside chamber with felt or fabric.

VOILA! It's your little secret, and you can keep it forever.

Fun with Hot Chocolate!!!

MISS SHANNON'S HOT COCOA PLAY-DOUGH
1 1/2  cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of cocoa
1/2 cup of salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 cup of boiling water

Mix the dry ingredients together and add the oil and boiling water. Throw a healthy of handful of flour onto your work surface and knead the dough thoroughly. Add glitter if you want! And whatever you do, DON'T TRY TO EAT THE DOUGH!!! It smells so good but it tastes like YUCK.

Allow me to introduce myself...my name is Mandy Roberge (formally known to children everywhere as "Miss Mandy") and I am the new Library Assistant in the Children's Room here at Lawrence Library. And it bears mentioning that I am pretty happy about that.

Because I love to write, I have pleaded with the powers-that-be to let me take over this blog for awhile until they kick me out and let someone else do it. So for now, you are stuck with my words, my pictures, my thoughts as I tell you about all the awesome things we have going on here and about reading, literacy, kids -- basically whatever I feel like talking about when I sit down at this desk and imagine who might be out there reading. Moms? Teens? Our senior-est patrons? Whoever you are -- I'm talking to YOU!

Today I want to let you know that despite the distinct lack of white amid the outdoor landscape, it's full-on winter here in the Children's Room. We have a serious winter theme running through the room, with not only lots of snowman related activities but also plenty of books that will tickle your coldest funny bones.

With a new focus on teens and tweens, I am also pleased to announce that I will be here on:

 January 17th from 2 to 4 p.m. to offer FREE HENNA TATTOOS to patrons! 

 

Prior to coming to the library, I have worked as a traveling henna artist for the better part of a decade and I have been offering library workshops for as long. I am excited to show the Lawrence Library patrons this unique art form and maybe if you are feeling brave, you will come get a tattoo. I hope you will stop by and introduce yourself to ME!

Warmly,
Miss Mandy