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!
So here we are, dear readers. Pokémon's basically real now, and we find ourselves in the presence of an actual new type of game. Game developers spend years trying to convince us that one expensive console or another costly VR headset is where the future of gaming lies, then someone goes and drops a free app and turns everything on its head. And libraries have made it into the game! I have had several conversations with friends discussing whether or not any of the cultural institutions featured in the game can expect to see an uptick in actual usage; one friend told of a local museum that usually sits empty, but now that it houses a PokéStop, is swarmed with people. But he couldn't say that he actually saw anyone going in. Luckily, we as librarians know how to harness the powers of outreach and programming to draw new audiences into the building, and the audience has just shown up on our lawns! So here are some ideas on how to get started.
First: if your library has come up with a successful way of engaging your local Pokémon trainers, please share it in the comments and we'll add it to this post!
Passive Engagement
SCLS is home to both a Pokéstop and a Gym, and players were sitting on our window ledges. Now there's a picnic table in the shade!
Summer's one of the busiest times of the year, rooms are booked up solid and staffing's tight, so passive engagement is a great option for time-strapped libraries. Start with simple outreach-- find the closest PokéStop and see if there's somewhere to post flyers and advertisements, library programs and services for teens and new adults in particular. Is your PokéStop in an awkward spot, and people are sitting on the grass or on window ledges? Put out a picnic table for trainers to sit at -- and now you have somewhere to put those signs. Just make sure that wherever you put your table, you can still access the Pokéstop or Gym.
While we're talking about people camping outside the library, summer's only getting hotter from here on out, and many libraries in New York state are mandated cooling centers. For those scorching days, consider creating a refreshment station -- if you're feeling bold, call it a Pokémon Center!
In the handheld games, Pokémon Centers
are where players go to heal up their
Pokémon and trade with other players.
And check out that bookshelf!
Make a seating area in a well-air conditioned area, put out some water, a charging station and a book display with fun summer reads and Pokémon books. (If you don't have Pokémon books in your collection, now's the time to grow it. There is a popular series of graphic novels based on the video games, numerous game guides, drawing how-tos, and Pokédex books for the 700s, and even a crop of easy readers for the Schoolkid trainers in your community.)
Active Engagement
Pokémon trainers congregating spontaneously in Port Jeff
If you have the resources and want to take it further, schedule impromptu Pokémon GO meetups
or discussion groups. This is a community that's looking for opportunities to get together and talk; when I was in Port Jefferson over the weekend, trainers congregating near the waterfront were passing along by word of mouth that they had created Suffolk-specific Facebook groups to discuss the game, find friends and organize meetups. The Facebook pages would also be a great place to advertise said programs- check out the the team Valor group and team Mystic group. It looks like no one's made a Suffolk team Instinct group yet - maybe a librarian could start one? Pokémon programs for the school-aged set are sure to draw a crowd, but depending on your programming cycle that might have to wait for the fall - and that means now's the time to start planning! Pinterest is chock full of Pokémon crafts and ideas for Pokémon clubs and gaming programs. If you just want to bring people through the doors, consider offering a prize for engaging with the library in some way. You might give out a sticker to kids who visit the children's reference desk, or offer a Pokémon trinket to whoever can beat your library's Gym, or can show that they caught a Pokémon at your library. Oriental Trading has some cute favors like Yo-Yos, bracelets, pencils, and more. Party City has tattoos, bouncy balls, and a veritable ton of decorations if you want to dress up your trainer refreshment area (they also have a lot of the same favors as Oriental Trading, if you don't want to wait for them to ship). Over at Amazon, you can pick up sets of figurines at a really low cost. Some of the reviews say the paint jobs aren't great, but the prices are really low and nobody turns their nose up at a cute, free little 'mon! These look like they're probably choking hazards, so plan on awarding them to older trainers only.
There are already rumblings of new Pokémon GO features and accessories to come in addition to the new Pokémon games due out this fall, and while no one can predict what's to come, my guess is that this game is here to stay for a while. So let's rev up our creative juices and get this new community engaged! What are you planning for your library?
The 2016 SCLS Performers Showcase is just one week away! We hope to see you at this all day event. You'll have a chance to meet programmers, see performances, and even book for future events at your library!
Tweens are trending everywhere these days - especially in libraries. Join us on Friday, October 2nd at SCLS to learn about programs, collections, and services to draw and maintain this unique audience in your library's youth department.
On Tuesday, July 21st Elwood Public Library held a children's program using our Science Buddies Kits! They called it "Super Science Fun". This is the description they used in their online program calendar:
"Ok, families, let's get a little messy, learn something new, and of course, have fun with hands-on science. We will explore floating, patterns, measuring, and magnets at various learning stations. Due to small items, only children five and older are permitted to attend."
They had different stations set up for families to explore! Check out the photos below!
Families experiment with different color combinations on our light table from Colors & Patterns.
These young ones stack mini colored chairs to explore patterns with a different experiment from Colors & Patterns.
Here groups of children test different objects' magnetism with Amazing Magnets.
This family discovers buoyancy with our Sink or Float kit!
If you are interested in Science Buddies Kits there are still spots left for the rest of the summer. You can email Patty to check availability and set up a reservation: patty@suffolknet.org
On Saturday, August 1st, East Islip Public Library is hosting a Comic Con for all ages, from 10:00 am -3:00 pm. There will be contests, crafts, a short-film festival, and more! Participants are encouraged to wear their favorite costume to the event so they can participate in the costume contest. Darth Vader will be making an appearance, from the 501st Legion's City Garrison. There will also be debates to participate in - such as Marvel vs. DC and Your Favorite Dr. Who! And of course, a photo booth will be available for families to snap selfies. Check out their Pinterest Board for other Comic Con awesomeness and ideas!
On Fridays we will be taking a new pin from one of our Pinterest boards and sharing it with you here on the blog! This week I have chosen a pin that has four different STEM related activities. As you all know we have circulating Science Buddies Kits here at SCLS-YS and you could use the materials in some of them for these projects! You could make the Straw Airplane with supplies from Easy Engineering and explore even more chromatography with our Kickin' Chemistry kit. I also think both of these experiments can fit in with our super summer reading theme! Explore how Batman's Batplane flies or decorate a cape with chromatography!
The Youth Services Department at SCLS has purchased new Ellison dies to help you and your patrons be SUPER and HEROIC this summer! To request a die in Sierra, search the title scls dies and place an Item-Level Hold on a specific die/barcode or contact Kim Androlowicz (kim@suffolknet.org). Full instructions on placing a hold can be found on the Youth Services page of The Gateway.
Book, Globe Cover (Extra Large) (1 of 2)
Book, Globe Page (Extra Large) (2 of 2)
(above idea from AccuCut.com)
Bookmark, Superhero (Large)
Mask, Superhero (Double Cut- 4 7/8" x 11 7/8")
Paper Pal Superhero (Large)
Paper Pal Doctor, Paramedic and Police Clothing (Double Cut)
Paper Pal w/Firefighting Clothing (Double Cut)
Superhero #1 (Large)
Superhero #2 Large
Superhero #3 Large
Superhero #4 Large
Shields, Lightning & Stars Large
COMING SOON. . . .
Ambulance
Doctor/Nurse #2
Firefighter #2
Firetruck #2
Police Car
Police Officer #2
Get design and program ideas at www.ellisoneducation.com! Here are a couple of sample videos:
It was all about interactive science experiments at the East Northport Library this past Friday night. Families came together to get a little messy, use their brains, and of course have fun. Over forty people attended the program last week. The write-up that was used to describe the event said, "Come enjoy an evening of open-ended science exploration! Participants will visit hands-on learning stations that highlight a variety of scientific and mathematical concepts such as magnetism, sound, life cycles, and patterns." The librarians at East Northport used some of their own experiments as well as the experiments held in our circulating Science Buddies Kits. The library borrowed all six kits and said that an abundance of Skittles and Marshmallows were used. If I were there I may have had a few of these as a science snack! Congratulations on this great event!
Light Board
More Marshmallows!
Stacking Patterns
Marshmallow Structures
DIY Playdough
If your library would like the reserve a Science Buddies Kit feel free to email me (derek@suffolknet.org) for kit descriptions and available dates.
