Take it Away

Children & Families

Family Storytime Kits
For some inspiration in developing your own Family Storytime Kits–visit The Orland Park Public Library. They advertise them, “Missing Storytime at the Library? Now you can have Family Storytime from the comfort of your home with our new Family Storytime Kits. You can read, create, dance, and explore with these themed kits using links to ebooks, online music, crafts, and age-appropriate informational resources!”
Family Storytime Kits

Templates for flash cards, crafts, plus writing prompts for all ages from Lakeshore Learning
https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/resources/free-resources

POP Projects
Thank you Cathy Lancaster-Library of Michigan
POP Projects are quick & easy engagement activities for families on the go. Include a brief explanation of craft & crafting materials in a popcorn bag.

Make your own scratch-off ticket: Draw a picture, write the punchline of a joke, or let a friend know how much you care about them. Cover the words or drawing with a scratch off sticker and give it to someone special.

Free Printable: ToBe Fit Activity Bits
https://foodplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ToBe-Fit-Activity-Bits.pdf

Bedtime Storytime

Send home materials to make star puppets (sticks, star shape, glitter? paint?). Sing Twinkle Twinkle. Read Star Light Star Bright poem.
Other Make Idea: Sleeping bag with wooden spoon person.

5 Popular Children’s Take-and-Make Kits for Libraries Kristen Peirson, Director of Family Learning at the Fayetteville Free Library in upstate New York reports these kits have been the most popular at her library. They include DIY bouncy balls, DIY scratch art, DIY Chia Pet, Alka-Seltzer® Rockets, and solar oven.

Take-Home Activity Kits for Little Library Visitors | First Steps
by Rachel G. Payne and Jessica Ralli
Feb 11, 2021

STEM

Take & Make STEM Activity Ideas:
StarNet: http://clearinghouse.starnetlibraries.org/163-take-make
NISE Network: https://www.nisenet.org/kits
Montshire Museum At Home Resources: https://www.montshire.org/montshire-at-home/montshire-at-home-online-resources
ECHO at Home: https://www.echovermont.org/events-programs/echo-at-home-learning/

Stem Walk

As the weather shifts into beautiful spring days, you may want to consider taking youth in your programs outside to engage in STEM. One way of doing so is through a STEM walk.

What is a STEM walk? The idea behind a STEM walk is to have teams of youth go around the outdoor space where your program is based and find at least three stops. Youth can focus on either the natural or built environment. They will do the following:
1. Notice: Where do they see STEM in this location?
2. Wonder: The youth can ask questions that come to mind related to STEM. What are they curious about in terms of this space?
3. Curate: How will youth get others to engage in this stop? Think about utilizing technology, if available, or creating signs to engage others in noticing and wondering about STEM in this space.

If you are engaging with youth virtually, you can have youth engage in a STEM walk in the community around their homes. They can also bring an object to your virtual meeting that they feel comfortable sharing and create a virtual STEM walk based on these objects.

The article here (https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-outdoors-teach-stem) gives some resources on how to do STEM walks and videos to preview, as well.

I hope you have fun engaging in a STEM walk with your youth, and sharing the joys of noticing and wondering about the STEM that is all around us!

Becky Tapley
STEM Education Specialist, Mathematics
pronouns: she/her/hers
Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance

In follow-up to the National Summer Learning Association Voices of Summer February webinar, here are some free and low-cost resources. Entrepreneur education can integrate easily into STEM, arts, leadership, language arts, math and more and builds on kids existing interests. Students learn about their communities and develop lifelong skills.

WagiLabs - a free curriculum for kids ages 8-11 that focuses on social entrepreneurship (ways in which kids can make a positive impact on the world around them)..

Young Entrepreneur Institute’s YEP toolkit - a resource for facilitating four 45-minute sessions with K-12 students that culminate in a pitch event.

VentureLab - has free and low-cost age-banded curricula for K-12 students that culminate in a pitch event.

The Ohio Afterschool Network has created a google document with suggestions for books, videos, games and activities that can be easily integrated into existing programming.

Have fun!

Seasonal Idea Page

Looking for Craft Inspiration:

Children/Family
10 reasons to craft with your children by Ben Franklin Crafts
Idea Websites:
https://programminglibrarian.org/
https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/
https://www.craftideas.info/
https://www.dltk-kids.com/type/index.htm good list by craft material for kids
https://www.favecrafts.com/
https://www.freekidscrafts.com/
https://funfamilycrafts.com/
Teen/Adult
10 benefits of crafting as an adult.
Idea Websites:
https://programminglibrarian.org/
https://www.allfreecrafts.com/
https://craftsbyamanda.com/

Looking for some creative PD for yourself--check out https://www.crayola.com/education

Adventure Kits at the Lafayette Public Library

Teens & Adults

Great Picks for “Take and Make” for tweens and teens
The awesome Librarian and Blogger of Y.A. Awesome Sauce, Brooke shows us her favorite tweens and teens “Take and Make” kits.

Chopped Virtual Kitchen Challenge
Kimberly Usselman from the Cumberland Public Library in Rhode Island is hosting a Chopped Virtual Kitchen Challenge for kids and tweens 8-14. Based loosely on the popular cooking show, they are challenging kids and tweens to pick up their secret ingredient kit. They have a week to come up with a recipe and use the secret ingredients. Then they will meet by zoom to show off their kitchen creations. They should also take a picture of the dish, post a recipe and of course taste test it for themselves.

Spice Club
Distribute a spice and recipe. Participants make and try the recipe at home and then meet in a virtual meeting to discuss the spice and recipe.
~ Christy Clark Billings, Russell Library, Middletown, CT

Indoor Gardening
Improve your indoor air quality & more with Indoor Gardening. Work with your local garden club, staff member or community member(s) with green thumbs. Take & Make: small planting kits.

The Free Library is opening a plant cutting swap station.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer-Grace Dickinson 4/12/21
The Free Library's new pilot project allows you to bring a plant cutting and take a plant cutting, so you can share and grow your plant collection for free.

Issue oversized blank puzzle pieces for community members to decorate.

Job Fair To-Go Bags

Hackley Public Library in Michigan is partnering with Loutit District Library to bring their community members helpful Job Fair To-Go bags, containing information, resource lists, and worksheets focused on job-searching, skill-building, resume-writing, and overall career-building. Local businesses focused on finding or supplying jobs for the people of West Michigan have contributed to the bag.

Social Emotional Learning

From the Cloquet Public Library, Cloquet, MN:

TAKE IT AWAY