Introducing our Newest Kits!

You've been hearing about them at the last few meetings at SCLS, and they're finally here! The newest batch of Science Buddies Kits and Maker Kits are now available in the lending library! For today's post, we'd like to tell you a little bit about what's inside each kit.

Maker Kits

Our Maker Kits are built for use with teens and tweens, and feature Makerspace and STEM-related crafts and activities! Each kit circulates for two weeks at a time, so you have time to play around with and get used to what's inside.

Ozobot Bits

If you haven't heard of Ozobots yet, get ready to be thoroughly charmed. These adorable, round robots are designed to help teens and tweens learn the basics of coding. Ozobots are programmed to "read" colored marker lines and follow them, changing how it behaves based on the color of the line it's following. The actions it carries out depends on how YOU code it! Each Ozobot Bit Maker Kit (has a ring to it, no?) comes with four Ozobot Bit 2.0 robots, two sets of Ozobot markers, and one iPad Mini loaded with Ozobot apps (which you use to program the 'bots). There are two kits in the lending library for borrowing. Check out the Ozos in action:

Strawbees

Strawbees!! We are so excited about these little guys. Strawbees a prototyping toy for teens and tweens who love to build and fiddle. They are small plastic pieces that come in different configurations, which you use to attach straws to each other. Sounds really simple, right? That's because it is! But the creations you can build out of Strawbees are complex, cool and creative. There's no better way to understand how Strawbees work than by seeing them in action, so check out the video below - it's the pitch video from their successful Kickstarter campaign. The Strawbees Kit comes with Strawbees, Straws, and an Introduction to Strawbees creation booklet. Be sure to check out our Strawbees Pinterest Board for lots of project ideas.

Science Buddy Kits

Science Buddies Kits are designed for use with preschoolers in the 3-5 range. Each kit is designed around a unifying STEAM-based theme. Science Buddies kits circulate for one week.

Diggin' Up Dinos

What toddler doesn't love dinosaurs? And let's be honest, what adult doesn't either? This kit comes with three Dino-themed books and three experiments. In Build-A-Saurus, you'll put together a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex model puzzle as a group, and discuss the names of bones and what paleontologists do for a living. In Dino Egg Observation, toddlers are challenged to use their observational skills to determine what dinosaur each egg will hatch into. By identifying colors, shapes and characteristics, they'll be able to complete a simple matching activity and start down the road to making hypotheses. Finally, in Hunting for Fossils, little ones will become bone hunters as they hunt for hidden dino bones around the room, then match them up to fossil cards - just like real paleontologists!


Light Up Your Life

Light - it's everywhere, and it's waiting for you to start playing with it to unlock fascinating scientific properties! Toddlers will get hands on with light, shadows and mirrors in the three activities this kit comes with. In Fun with Flashlights, toddlers will play with flashlights, prisms,clear geometric solids and mirrors to experiment with what happens to light when you shine it on and through different things. They'll even make a rainbow! In Let's Reflect, break out the art supplies as young artists use mirrors to complete half-formed images, then draw what they see, all while learning about what mirrors do. Finally, in Refraction is Fun, see what water does to light by filling up clear plastic cups with H2O and sticking things in it! They'll never look at light the same way again!