Tag / library program

by cholliman1

Harold And The Purple Crayon Party

Synopsis: Preschool aged program based on Crockett Johnson’s 1955 book Harold And The Purple Crayon.

Budget: Less than $50

Supplies: Basic craft supplies including: Construction paper, toilet paper tubes, googly eyes, large roll of white paper

Directions: We set up several stations in our Children’s Department. We opened the program with a reading of Harold And The Purple Crayon. Children and parents were then free to move from station to station at their own pace.

Station 1: Purple shape art. Children could place basic, pre-cut shapes, onto a black piece of construction paper to create imaginative scenes.

Station 2: Create your own story in a book. We handmade many small books out of construction and art paper, even using twine for the binding. I referenced this video for the binding. Children were invited to write and illustrate their stories on the inside. They could also paste pre-printed name plates on the front of the book. This station was meant mainly as a take away activity.

Station 3: Create A Group Story. We hung large pieces of white paper on a wall and on the floor. Children could use purple paint to decorate and create whatever they wanted. It was interesting to see the final large scale masterpiece at the end of the program.

Station 4: Make A Purple Crayon. This one was pretty on the nose, but children enjoyed the activity. I found instructions for this activity here: https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/toilet-paper-roll-crayons/

Conclusion: This program was well received by young people. The variety of crafts and allowing everyone to self direct proved to be a good choice. I am proud that we were able to bring the community together to celebrate a children’s book published 78 years ago.

by cholliman1

Boats That Float Program

Synopsis: Using basic materials, children crafted small boats that actually float.

Prep Time: If you have the materials on hand, prep time is pretty negligible.

Budget: Around $20 – $40 depending on how many materials you would like to include

Supplies Needed:

Styrofoam

toothpicks or popsicle sticks or some type of small wooden dowels (these will serve as your nails to connect Styrofoam together)

craft foam material

kiddie pool or some type of large container to hold water

chenille sticks

box fan

sponges (optional)

aluminum foil (optional)

rubber duckiees (opitonal)

Other craft supplies as desired

Directions:

This is the type of program that I truly enjoy running, because the children can dive right in from the beginning and begin to tinker and play. Preparation for the program was gathering the materials and placing them out for the children to use. I also filled up two kiddie pools with water. The building blocks for the program were large pieces of Styrofoam (whenever I hear of anyone tossing out a large amount of Styrofoam, I try to snag it because I know that I’ll eventually use if for a library program.).

I did build a couple of boats ahead of time to give children some ideas of what they could create. I showed them how to connect blocks of Styrofoam together using popsicle sticks and tooth picks as ‘nails.’ I also demonstrated how to construct a ‘sail’ using pieces of craft foam and turned on the fan to show how it would push the boat across the water.

The children took over from there and, as you can see from the pictures, they came up with some fantastic boats!

by cholliman1

LEGO Car Program

Synopsis: We built motorized LEGO cars powered by small DC motors and 9 volt batteries.

Age Group: Elementary Aged

Prep time: several hours

Budget: around $50 for a program with 12 children attending

Supplies needed:

small DC motors with gear boxes

9 volt batteries

small switches

9 volt battery clip connectors

3D printed axels (to connect gearbox to LEGO axel)

Lots of LEGOs (especially wheels and axels)

Soldering tool

glue dots

Directions:

I wired and soldered all of the electronics ahead of time, because this process is not safe for children. Begin by soldering the wires to the motor leads. Then solder one motor wire to a lead on the switch. Solder another motor wire to the battery clip connector. Solder the other wire from the battery clip connector to the other switch lead. Refer to the picture for the final result.

Next insert your 3D printed axels (mine are blue in the picture) onto your gearbox axels. Then insert LEGO axels into your 3D printed axels. Connect the 9 volt battery and turn on the switch to see if it all works. Refer to the picture for reference.

Now use glue dots to place a couple of LEGO pieces on top of the gearbox, on top of the battery, etc. These LEGO pieces will serve as the starting point for kids to build and connect other LEGO pieces to make their car. Also make sure to use glue dots to position the battery. Refer to the picture for my final outcome. Yours may look a little different and that’s fine.

When the program began, I placed all of the wired motors and batteries on a table, so that children could grab one and get building.

Encourage children to be as creative as they want. Many of the kids in my program built some interesting looking cars! We even set up some ramps using cardboard and wooden blocks, which was a big hit.

Conclusion: This program was a hit. I would grade it as a B+/A- based on the enthusiasm and interest level of the children. I allowed each child to take their pre-wired motor, battery, gearbox, etc. so that they could continue to build at home. The only downside of this program is the expense of materials and the time spent soldering, 3D printing, and putting things together.