Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, Sept. 3, 2021.

Supplies and Directions:

Materials we provide: Plastic cup, plastic sandwich bag, rubber band

Materials you provide: scissors, water, interesting specimens to observe

Directions (see pdf link below for additional step-by-step photos):

  1. Cut a hole in the side of the cup along the bottom. This doesn’t need to be neat. It’s designed as an access point for you to get specimens into the bottom of your cup.
  2. Stretch one layer of the plastic bag over the top of the cup and secure it with a rubber band.
  3. Find a specimen and put it in your cup through the hole. (A specimen is an insect, leaf, flower, etc.)
  4. Pour a small amount of water onto the plastic wrap. You want it to be a small pool.
  5. Look through the water at your specimen. The water has created a lens and magnifies your specimen.
  6. Repeat with other specimens.

How it works: A microscope uses mirrors and lenses to bend light so that an image appears larger than it is. In our microscope, the water creates a convex lens. It bends the light that passes through it and makes the specimen appear to be bigger.

 

Supplies:

  • TP tube
  • Mylar sheet
  • Straw
  • Cardstock circle
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Tape
  • Markers or other things to decorate

Directions:

  1. If you'd like, decorate your tp tube.
  2. Cut the mylar sheet into 3 equal pieces that fit to make a triangle inside the tube without falling out. Cut them a little bigger to start first. We cut ours 10 cm x 3.6 cm (3.94 inches x 1.42 inches).
  3. Line up the mylar strips with a tiny strip between them. Tape them together. Then tape them together into a triangle. The shiny side is toward the center. Slide the triangle into the tube.
  4. Cut the straw so the bendy end is about 6 inches long. Tape it to the tp tube so the bendy part hangs over the end.
  5. Cut out your cardstock circle. Poke a hole in the center. Decorate the circle using markers, stickers or anything else you have at home.
  6. Place the straw through the hole in the circle. Slide it until the circle is over the bendy part of the straw so it turns easily.

Look into your kaleidoscope and manually turn the circle. You should see lots of changing designs!

kaleidoscope 1kaleidoscope 2kaleidoscope 3kaleidoscope 4

kaleidoscope 5kaleidoscope 6kaleidoscope 7

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, August 20, 2021. Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/bShFYRZCMW4?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFenhH3jVzKk-QmaHXdAFOBq

Supplies and directions:

Provided in your bag: rocket template, straw, and pipette
From home: markers, scissors, and tape

Step 1
Color your rocket and cut it out.

Step 2
Trim your pipette with scissors so that it fits on the back of your rocket; tape in place with the
opening pointing down.

Step 3
Trim your straw to whatever size you want, put it in your pipette, and you're ready to launch!
Give your straw a big puff of air and watch your rocket fly!

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries starting this Friday, August 13, 2021. Watch this project at https://youtu.be/zGzv7SBx9Iw

Supplies and Directions:

Materials Included:

  • 4 washable markers
  • A pipette
  • A paintbrush
  • White paper

Materials You Provide:

  • A few crayons of different colors
  • A small glass of water
  • A cookie sheet or other flat board or tray
  • Some scotch tape
  1. Use some scotch tape to tape the corners of a piece of the white paper to a cookie tray or other flat board. This will help to keep your paper from blowing away.
  2. Find a sunny spot in a window or a place outside to set your tray. It should be a spot where the sun will shine on your paper for several hours. Use the pipette to make a puddle of water in the middle of the paper. Make the puddle big enough so that the water almost reaches the sides of the paper. Use a crayon to draw around the shape of the puddle. Be careful to draw around the water, not through it.
  3. Wait an hour or so and check on your puddle. Did the puddle shrink? Did it change shape? Use a different color crayon to draw around the puddle’s new shape.
  4. After another hour or so, check again. Each time you check, your puddle will be smaller and you will need to draw a new line with a different color crayon around the new shape. This process will take some time – at least a few hours - so you can do other things while you wait.
  5. After your puddle is completely dry, you should see rings of different color crayon shapes on your paper. Use the markers to color in between the crayon shapes. You can do this any way you want. Then wet the paintbrush in your glass of water and brush over the marker colors you made on the paper to spread the colors. It will look like a watercolor painting! The water won’t stick to the places where the crayon is, so you will still be able to see the original shapes.

You and the power of the sun have teamed up to make some beautiful Evaporation Art!

Here’s the science behind the project:

Evaporation happens when water, a liquid, turns into vapor, a gas, and rises up. You’ve seen what happens to a puddle after a rainstorm. Does the water stay there forever? No. The heat of the sun causes the water to turn into a vapor. It evaporates, and the puddle disappears. The same thing happens in our project. The little puddle you create will evaporate and shrink when exposed to the heat of the sun until it is gone.

 

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area libraries beginning, Friday, August 6, 2021. Be sure to check out Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, August 14!

Materials and Instructions:

  • Scissors (you provide)
  • Bam! and Pow! icons (found on PDF below)
  • Epoxy sticker (clear & round)
  • Magnet with adhesive sticker
  1. Cut out a “Bam!” or “Pow!” icon found in the PDF linked below. There are two of each icon on this sheet in case you make a mistake! Or, cut out a 1" circle and decorate it.
  2. Place your icon face up on the table. Take the backing off the clear plastic epoxy sticker and press the sticky side to the top of the colorful side of the icon. You want to be able to see the icon through the sticker. If there is a piece of plastic on the non-sticky side of the epoxy sticker, peel it off and discard.
  3. If the magnet has a separate adhesive sticker, peel the paper backing off one side of the double-sided adhesive sticker and attach to the magnet. If the adhesive sticker is already attached, skip this step.
  4. Remove the backing from the sticker attached to the magnet and stick the magnet to the back of the paper circle.
  5. Congrats you have a magnet! Repeat for the second magnet.

Can your water balloons survive a big drop? Find out with this experiment.

Supplies:

  • One balloon
  • Water
  • One plastic shopping bag
  • One rubber band

Directions:

  1. Add water to your balloon, don't fill the balloon, leave lots of room to tie the balloon closed.
  2. Cut the ends of the handles of the bags. Tie or rubber band them to the knotted end of a water balloon.
  3. Go outside and drop it from a high place to see if it breaks when it lands.
  4. Test and retest until your balloon breaks.
  5. Try it again with another balloon.

See what else you can attach to your parachute and let drop.

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area libraries beginning, Friday, July 23, 2021. Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/nrhKBIg0sl4?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu

Supplies and Directions:

Provided in your bag: a paper bowl, streamers, fishing line, assorted decorative materials (decorative materials vary amongst bags)

From home: glue, markers, tape, other decorative materials (optional)

Step 1
Color and decorate the outside of your bowl. Make sure to leave room to draw some eyes if your jellyfish needs them!

Step 2
Cut your streamers in half longways and glue/tape them to the inside rim of your bowl so they are hanging down.

Step 3
Poke a hole in the middle of your bowl and string your piece of fishing line through it; tape it on the inside so it stays in place.

Step 4
Hang your jellyfish up (you can use a piece of tape to attach the other end of the fishing line) and enjoy your new, colorful friend! Give them a name too!

Take and Makes for this project, for ages 9-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries starting Friday, July 16, 2021. Watch the YouTube tutorial here: https://youtu.be/5o6RJm9AMGY

Note: If you are not familiar with macrame knotting, watching the YouTube tutorial is highly recommended. The pdf file below will show all the steps in pictures.

Directions:

  1. Attach the cords to the keychain clasp. Secure each of the 48” pieces of cord to the keychain clasp using larks head knots. To create a larks head knot, fold one of the pieces of cord in half. Hold the cord close to the middle so it makes a little loop. Slip this behind the keychain clasp. Pull the two ends of the cord around the keychain clasp and through the loop and pull tight. Your cord should now be wrapped tightly around the keychain clasp. Repeat for the other two 48” pieces of cord.
  2. Use the safety pin or some tape to secure the clasp to something stable. You are now ready to start knotting!
  3. Tie diagonal double half hitch knots. Take the two pieces of cord on the left. Wrap the right cord (the working cord) around the left cord (the filler cord) and pull the end of the cord through the loop. Pull the knot tight and position it toward the top of the filler cord. Repeat to have two (or a double) knots. The working cord becomes the new filler cord and the cord directly to its right becomes the new working cord. Wrap the working cord around the filler cord and pull the end through the loop. Pull the knot tight and position it slightly lower at a diagonal to the first set of knots. Repeat to create your second double half hitch knot.
  4. On the right, make three diagonal double half hitch knots going down and to the left. Repeat the steps above, only going the opposite direction. This will form a nice V shape.
  5. Continue this process for six more rows (there will be seven all together). You should have two double half hitch knots going from left to right and three going from right to left for each row.
  6. For the eighth row, starting on the left you’ll do the one diagonal double half hitch down and to the right, then you’ll hold both the filler cord AND the working cord from the first knot together and tie the second diagonal double half hitch over them both (down and to the right).
  7. Then switch over to the right side and do the same process. The first diagonal double half hitch down and to the left will be normal. For the second knot, you’ll hold the filler cord and the working cord from the first knot together and tie the knot over them.
  8. Finish with a wrapping knot at the bottom. Grab the 20″ long piece of rope and hold it against the ends in a U shape. Then begin wrapping firmly right under the last row of double half hitch knots. Wrap around four times. Thread the end of the cord you’ve been wrapping with through the loop underneath the wraps (the bottom of the U you made earlier). Then pull the short cord sticking out of the top of the wraps until the loop slides up under the wraps about halfway. Don’t accidentally pull it out of the top! Trim the two ends of the wrapping knot and push them up under the wraps. Knot your thread near the end, leaving a couple inches of tail at the end so that you can tie off your thread when you’re done.
  9. Now for the fun part! Cut the fringe at the bottom in an inverted V shape (like a fish tail, or a mermaid tail in this case). If you have a macrame or pet brush, use that to brush the strands out really well. You can also pick the strands apart to create the fringe. Once it’s brushed out, trim it again back into the upside-down V shape. Optional: If desired, you can spray the fringe tail with a stiffener such as some Aleene’s Stiffen Quik spray to help it hold its shape.

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning this Friday, July 9, 2021. Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_g0THNq4WI

Film Canister Rockets propel with a strong force. Please provide adult supervision and stand back about 6 feet as the canister flies. Personal safety goggles are recommended. This project is best done outside as the rocket may fly over 20 feet into the air! In addition, the “Alka-Seltzer” used for propulsion could be harmful if ingested.

Supplies and Directions:

Materials provided: film canister, Alka-Seltzer tablets
Materials you provide: water

Procedure:

  1. Put on your safety goggles and head outside with your materials. (If you must do this inside, do not turn the canister upside down in step 5.)
  2. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet in thirds.
  3. Fill your canister a third full of water.
  4. Quickly drop an Alka-Seltzer piece into your water and snap on the lid.
  5. Continuing to work quickly, turn the film canister upside down and place it on the ground. Step back 6 feet.
  6. In about 10 seconds, you will hear a pop and watch your canister fly!
  7. If the canister hasn’t launched in about a minute, you may have a leak. Look around your area for evidence of a leak. Pick up the canister while aiming it away from you to empty it and try again.
  8. If your canister doesn’t launch or doesn’t fly far, try some of the experiments listed below.

The science behind this:

When you combine the Alka-Seltzer tablet and the water, they produce carbon dioxide. Pressure builds up inside the canister as the gas is released. The gas builds until the lid is blasted down and the canister is propelled upwards. Real rockets use rocket fuel to produce thrust in a similar way. If you’d like, you can create fins and a cone out of paper to control your rocket’s path.

Extensions: Experiment with the following:

  • Does water temperature affect either timing or height of the propulsion?
  • How does the size of the tablet piece affect the time it takes for the rocket to launch?
  • How do your paper fins & cone affect the rocket’s path?
  • What amount of water gives your rocket its highest flight?
  • What amount of water gives your rocket tis quickest launch?

Lemonade slushies are a great way to beat the summer heat! There's little to no mess. They're fun for all ages and you get slushy goodness.

Take and Makes for this family project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, July 2, 2021.

Supplies and Directions:

Materials provided in the Take and Make kit: 1-gallon Ziploc, 1-quart Ziploc, 2 lemonade packets.
Materials you provide at home: water, salt, ice, spoon, cup (optional), towel (optional)

  1. Place ice cubes and salt in the gallon sized Ziploc bag. Start with 15-20 ice cubes and 1-2 tablespoons salt.
  2. Mix HALF of a lemonade powder packet and 8-10 ounces of water in the quart-sized Ziploc. Remove as much excess air as possible and seal the bag.
  3. Place the bag with lemonade into the bag of ice and salt. Seal the large Ziploc.
  4. Shake or knead the bags for about 5 minutes until your lemonade has become a slushy. If the bags get too cold, wrap them in a towel.
  5. Carefully remove the lemonade bag from the larger bag. You don't want to get salt in your lemonade. Pour it into a cup to eat it or eat it right out of the bag.

Tips:
If it seems to be taking too long, add more salt and ice.
Other beverages also work, so experiment to find your favorite.

We need your help to create art for Panorama Park! The tile art project will include over 7,000 individual tiles made by the community that will come together to create a beautiful statement piece that celebrates the diversity and unity of Southeast Colorado Springs. Please attend a FREE tile art workshop to put your personal touch on the park through the tile art project.

 

This project is being paid for by the Trust for Public Land and facilitated by Sand Creek Library and local artist Jere Rose (aka Rizzo). Tile-making workshops will be happening throughout 2021 and tiles will be fired at Sand Creek Library. The mural will be installed in Panorama Park once the renovation is finished (goal of late Spring 2022).

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area libraries beginning Friday, June 25, 2021.

Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/ZZNhvJJAAdo?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu

Supplies and Directions:

Provided in your Take and Make bag: a paper plate, four craft sticks, sequins
Supplies from home: glue, markers, other decorative materials

  1. Cut your paper plate in half; you now have two halves to make two fans.
  2. Take your first half and two craft sticks, cross the craft sticks like an X, and glue/tape them to the back of the plate. This will be your handle.
  3. Using sequins, markers, crayons, paint, whatever you like, decorate your fans for summer! Keep one with you on hot days to stay cool!

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, June 18, 2021.

Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/dQVo4jP7a_c?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu

Supplies and Directions:

Materials provided in Take and Make kit: container for boat, plastic straw, rubber band, balloon
Materials you provide: sharp pencil to poke hole, container of water.

  1. Poke a hole in one of the short sides of the boat using a sharp pencil. It should be nearer to the top.
  2. Slide the balloon onto one end of the straw. (Pro tip: Blow the balloon up a couple times to ease expansion when on the straw.)
  3. Rubber band the balloon into place. Blow the balloon up through the straw to test if it’s secured.
  4. Stick the straw through the hole in the boat with the balloon on the inside. Having the balloon inside the boat allows it to move forward through the water.
  5. Test your boat by blowing the balloon up through the straw. Pinch the straw to keep the balloon inflated until it can be released in water such as the bathtub or pool.
  6. Watch your boat zoom off. How does air power move your boat across the water?
  7. Bend the straw in the back of the boat to make it turn.

Take & Makes for Harry Potter Bookmarks, for ages 9-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries starting Fri., Jun. 11, 2021.

Supplies and Directions:

Supplies Provided: 2 pieces of Origami paper & 2 Harry Potter themed stickers

Optional Supplies Needed (from home): Markers or other items to decorate the bookmarks if desired

See pdf instructions below for more pictures to go along with each step, or watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTBlwPG3Q6s

  1. Place the paper on the desk with the side that has the pattern or color you want to show facing down. Fold it in half from bottom to top and crease. You should now have a triangle.
  2. Take the bottom right corner, fold it up to the tip of the triangle, and crease. Repeat this with the bottom left corner and crease. Now unfold both corners. You should see lines from creasing it where the dotted lines are in the picture to the right.
  3. Now grab the tip of the triangle. There are 2 layers of paper there from where we folded it in half. Grab just the top layer and fold it down so that the tip of the triangle is touching the bottom point where the two creases meet. This will expose the other side of the paper. It should now look like this, with a little pocket in the middle of the triangle:
  4. Now take the bottom left corner and fold it up to cover the left half of the triangle. Crease, then tuck the top part of it into the pocket you formed in step 3.
  5. Repeat this with the bottom right corner, covering the right side of the triangle and tucking it into the flap.
  6. You have a bookmark! Just stick the page into the pocket you’ve formed to mark where you are in a book. You can decorate your bookmark using markers, pens, or colored pencils or by using the provided stickers.

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, May 28, 2021.

Spring is a great time to learn more about the birds that live in Colorado Springs! Look at the photos on the bookmark in your Take and Make and check off the birds that you can find (or click on the birds bookmark below to print). There may be some hidden in plain sight at your library location! Or head outdoors to see how many species you can spy. With your Take and Make laminated copy, erase your checkmarks with a damp cloth and use the bookmark again and again. See the bird identification chart below for bird species names.

Checkout the Birds Resources pdf below also. There are websites and books to check out.

Photo by mana5280 on Unsplash

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning this Friday, May 21, 2021.

Supplies and Directions:

Step 1.
Gather your supplies.
Provided in your bag: art paper, assorted tissue paper colors, paint brush
From home: water

Step 2.
Pre-wet your art paper using your paint brush and water.

Step 3.
Put your colorful tissue paper squares on your art paper however you like. This is process art which means you get to decide what to do and have fun doing it!

Step 4.
Using your paintbrush, brush water all over your tissue paper. Make sure you are soaking it pretty well; the colors will be more vibrant.

Step 5.
Once it is dry, peel your tissue paper pieces off and display your colorful creation!

Take and Makes for this STEM project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Fri., May 14.

Supplies and Directions

Materials Provided: 12 drinking straws, duct tape


Materials You Provide: Scissors, ruler, drinking glass filled with water, level surface that can get wet (or if not, something to protect it), sturdy chair to stand on.


While sipping a drink through your straw seems fairly simple, it’s actually a complicated process. As you sip, you are lowering the air pressure inside your mouth and the liquid is pushed up into your mouth.
In this activity, you’ll experiment with the length of your straw. Are you able to create a long straw that actually works? What is the longest straw you can create and drink out of?



Let’s get started and find out.

  1. Cut 2 lengthwise slits in one end of each plastic straw. The slits should be about ½" long. An adult can help with this is necessary.
  2. Slip the cut straw end over the uncut end of another straw.
  3. Cut the strip of duct tape into short 3/4” strips.
  4. Wrap tape around your joint so there is an airtight seal. (Why do you think it’s necessary to have an airtight seal?)
  5. Test your straw by placing the end of the straw into your glass of water. The glass of water should be on a level surface that can get wet. Try taking a drink. It’s best to hold your straw vertically.
  6. If you’re able to drink, try adding more straws one at a time. Test after each addition.
  7. If you’re unable to drink, then check each connection to see if it’s airtight. All holes will need sealed with your tape.
  8. As your straw gets longer, you may need to stand on a chair to drink. You can also test your straw with different angles.
  9. What is the longest straw that you created that worked?

Take and Makes for Paint Pouring, for ages 9-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries starting Friday, May 7, 2021.

Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/sdIewTwn6lo?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu

Supplies:

Included in kit: 1 canvas, 1 container of Floetrol (stabilizer), 2 containers of acrylic paint, wooden craft sticks for stirring, small cups for mixing

Needed from home: Newspaper, plastic, or foil (to cover your workspace)

Directions:

  1. Cover your workspace with newspaper, plastic, or foil to contain the mess from the paint. Consider wearing an old shirt or apron and push your sleeves out of the way of the paint.
  2. Pour the stabilizer (the Floetrol) into three plastic cups. Add a separate paint color to each plastic cup and mix with wooden stirrers. For best results, keep a 1:1 ratio of stabilizer to paint in the disposable cups. You can combine the two paints in one cup to make three colors.
  3. Decide which technique you want to use and follow those instructions for prepping the paint. (See “techniques” below).
  4. Pour the paint onto the canvas until it covers the whole thing.
  5. If you are not happy with the design, while the paint is still wet you can tilt the canvas in any direction and the paint will change before your eyes!
  6. As an optional step you can flick or drip rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer onto the canvas and watch the awesome things it does to your creation. A little goes a long way.
  7. One you are done pouring put in a dry place and wait 10 hours for it to dry fully.

Techniques:

  • Dirty Pour: After mixing the medium into each color, layer each color into a single cup. The first color you pour into the cup will be the last to appear on your surface and likely the most prominent. Pour straight on your surface or place surface face down over cup and flip the entire thing over. The paint will pour out of the cup and onto the surface of your canvas.
  • Direct Pour: Keeping your color mixtures separate, alternate pouring directly onto the surface. Tilt surface to create a marbleized pattern.

Take and Makes for this project, for ages 3-5, will be available at area PPLD libraries starting Friday, April 30, 2021.

Mix and match straw "beads" to create a colorful bracelet. For ages 3-5.

Directions and Supplies included in kit:

  • Pipe cleaner
  • Straw “beads”

Directions:

  1. Bend one end of the pipe cleaner, so that the beads do not fall off.
  2. String beads on pipe cleaner. Note: Leave about 1” of pipe cleaner on both ends so that you can connect the bracelet at the end.
  3. When your child is finished stringing beads, twist the ends of the pipe cleaner together to close the bracelet and then tuck them inside the beads.
  4. Enjoy your beaded bracelet!

Beading is a fun activity for children of all ages. As children are placing beads on the pipe cleaner, they are developing their pincer grasp and eye hand coordination. Beading also provides an opportunity to work on patterning, naming colors, and counting!

Patterns are arrangements of things that repeat in logical way (color, size, shape, etc.). Patterns help children learn how to make predictions. As they learn more about patterns, children begin to understand what comes next, how to make logical connections, and how to use reasoning skills. These skills are important in learning to read and in math.

Try out these beading ideas:

  • Thread Cheerios onto pipe cleaners.
  • Thread egg cartons onto pipe cleaners. (Cut egg carton into 12 pieces and use a hole punch to punch holes on two sides of each piece.)
  • Cut shapes out of heavier paper or cardboard. Thread the shapes onto pipe cleaners, ribbon, or a shoe string. Tip: When threading on ribbon or a shoe string, tape one end to a table so the beads don’t slide off.

Have fun making patterns:

  • With toys, such as blocks and cars. (Block – Car – Block – Car – Block - Car)
  • By doing something. (Jump – Clap – Clap – Jump – Clap – Clap - Jump)
  • With stickers. (Animal Sticker – Shape Sticker – Animal Sticker – Shape Sticker)
  • With items you find on a nature walk. (Rock – Stick – Leaf - Rock – Stick - Leaf)

What other items can you make patterns with? Vary the patterns, making them harder as your child has more experience doing this.

Take and Makes for this project for ages 5-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, April 23, 2021.

Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/u08_xD4-Ok4?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu

Supplies and Directions:

Step 1.
Gather your supplies.
Provided in your bag: clothespin, coffee filter, pipe cleaner
From home: you will need glue, scissors, washable markers, other coloring materials (optional), water (a spray bottle makes this easier), and something to lay your butterfly on while it dries.

Step 2.
Decorate your coffee filter with colorful designs using washable markers. Once complete, place the coffee filter on a cookie sheet or plastic bag to protect your work surface. Mist the coffee filter with the spray bottle filled with water. Watch the colors blend! Set aside to dry.

Step 3.
Decorate clothespin with markers or other coloring materials. Make any design! Set aside to dry.

Step 4.
Once the coffee filter is dry, fold it in half. Take your scissors, cut the filter into a football shape starting at the crease and cut out to the edge (you may need a grownup’s help with this). Unfold coffee filter. Cut-outs should be on the sides of the filter when lying flat on your work surface. Pinch the top and bottom of the filter to meet in the center. Open the clothespin and place the coffee filter inside.

Step 5.
Curl your pipe cleaner into antennas and put inside the clothespin. Use glue to secure it all. Take your completed butterfly and enjoy it outside, in your room, and share it with your friends!

Take and Makes for this project will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning this Friday, April 16, 2021.

The video instructions are available at: https://tinyurl.com/PPLDVirtualSTEM

Supplies and Directions:

Materials included: Cork, two 12 inch bamboo skewers, toothpick, modeling clay, googly eyes
Materials needed: glue, paint or markers (optional)

  1. Push the pointy end of a skewer into one side of the cork at a 45 degree angle; repeat on the other side just opposite the first skewer.
  2. Push the toothpick in the center of the bottom of the cork. (*The skewers should be pointing down.)
  3. Roll two equal-sized balls of clay and press them onto the bottom ends of the skewers.
  4. Glue the two googly eyes on the cork. You’ll need to allow time for glue to dry. If you want, you can use paint or a marker to add more details to the face.
  5. Place the tip of the toothpick on your finger and see if it balances. If it leans too much to one side, adjust the angle of the skewers one at a time until the cork stands upright when balanced on the tip of your finger.

Now, have some fun! See if you can gently spin your Balancing Buddy on the tip of your finger. Try walking around the house while keeping the Balancing Buddy in place. Can you balance Balancing Buddy on your elbow? Your knee? What other experiments can you do with your Balancing Buddy?

balancing buddybalancing buddy

The science behind the project:

Everything has a center of gravity, which is the point at which its mass is evenly distributed. The clay balls are heavier than the cork, so they bring the center of gravity to the bottom of the toothpick. That’s why the bottom of the toothpick will balance on your fingertip!

Take and Makes for origami fun, for ages 9-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, April 9, 2021.

Supplies:

Take and Makes will supply assorted Origami paper
Optional supplies needed needed from home: Scissors and a pen, pencil, or marker

Directions:

Star Wars X-wing Starfighter
Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/GyOw1JMO4hI and see pdf below for pictures.

  1. Fold Paper in half.
  2. Fold paper in half again to create a small square.
  3. Fold the square into a triangle.
  4. Unfold paper completely. Fold sides into each other to create a large triangle. You may want to watch the video for this step.
  5. Fold bottom corner of top side down to the crease. Repeat on the other side.
  6. Flip paper over and follow step 5.
  7. Fold bottom corner of one side up so that it creates a new triangle with a flat side on top. Repeat on other side. Flip paper and repeat.
  8. Fold the bottom edge to top of new triangle edge. Repeat on 3 other sides. This will complete the wings.
  9. Fold wing tips down to create guns on the wings.
  10. Enjoy your finished X-wing fighter!

See directions below for a cool Tortoise project also!

Take and Makes for this project, for ages 2-5, are available starting April 2, 2021 at area PPLD libraries.

Brighten up a wintry day with a tissue paper "stained glass" decoration. Hold your finished project up to a window or a light and let the colors shine through! For ages 2-5.

Supplies:

Included in kit:

  • 2 pieces wax paper
  • 4 strips construction paper (for frame)
  • 2 pieces of tissue paper

Supplies you provide:

  • Glue stick or tape
  • Child-safe scissors, Optional

Directions:

  1. Cut or tear the tissue paper into smaller pieces.
  2. Glue tissue paper to one of the pieces of wax paper until the wax paper is filled, or the design is complete. Don’t worry about the tissue paper being over the edge. It will be trimmed later. NOTE: It is easier to spread the glue on the wax paper and then lay the tissue paper on the glue.
  3. Take the 4 strips of construction paper and glue them to the edges to create a frame.
  4. Trim the frame.
  5. Glue the 2nd piece of wax paper onto the tissue paper and frame.
  6. Find a window to display your “stained glass"!

Your child can use child-safe scissors to cut the tissue paper. However, when a child tears pieces of paper, they improve hand strength in the small muscles in their hands. These small muscles are important in many fine motor skills – coloring, handwriting, buttoning buttons, building puzzles, and more! Tearing paper also improves hand-eye coordination and the ability of hands to work together. Both skills are needed to write and to use scissors.

What other works of art can you and your child create with torn paper?

Take and Makes for this homeschool experiment for ages 6-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries starting this Friday, April 2, 2021.

Introduction:

How do seeds transform into plants? What happens when a bean seed begins to grow? Watching a sprout emerge from a dry seed is nothing short of miraculous. You will plant beans inside a plastic bag to watch roots form and leaves emerge right before your very eyes. You will also compare how beans grow in light and dark environments.

Supplies Included in Take and Make Kits:

  • 2 plastic zipper storage bags
  • 10 uncooked pinto beans (remove from bag)
  • 2 paper towels
  • Data Sheet for Light Experiment
  • Data Sheet for Dark Experiment
  • Bean House Template

Supplies from home:

  • Water (in bowl or sprayer)
  • Scissors
  • Scrap paper to label beans with date
  • Scotch tape or glue stick
  • Pen or Pencil
  • Crayons or marker
  • Ruler

Safety Tip: Dried beans are chocking hazards for small children. Adults will need to supervise this activity.

For This Experiment:

  1. Experiment Light: choose a sunny window where the seeds will get plenty of light, but won’t be blasted by intense sun all day.
  2. Experiment Dark: Find a closed drawer or closet that is dark and not opened very often.

Directions:

  1. Fold paper towels so they will fit inside the bags.
  2. Dampen paper towels with spray bottle (not too wet!) and place inside bags. You will need to add water to paper towels when they dry out over time.
  3. Put 5 beans into each bag on top of paper towels (leave room between them to grow!) and zip closed.
  4. Write the date on scrap paper, label either Light or Dark, and tape to each bag.
  5. Color/decorate the frame of the Bean House Template with markers or crayons. Fold it in half lengthwise and use scissors to cut along the dotted lines (you are cutting out a large square). Tape the Light Bean Bag into the Bean House.
  6. Tape the Bean House (Light Bean Bag) to a window. Put Dark Bean Bag into a dark place.

Now you are ready to prepare your data sheets. Use the Scientific Method questionnaire on the back of each sheet to make predictions about how each bag of seeds will grow. Use the front sides of the sheets to collect data. You will make drawings and take measurements. Do this every 3- 5 days and see if your hypothesis for each bean bag comes true! Do the seeds grow the same in both bags? Can you think of other variables to try besides light and dark?

Take and Makes for this project for ages 5-12, will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, March 26, 2021.

Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/nNIaTK7sFgA?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu

Supplies and Directions:

Step 1

  • Gather your supplies
  • Provided in your bag: a bendy pencil, feathers, and a Mad Lib
  • From home: you will need glue (preferably a liquid glue like Elmer's) and a pencil sharpener

Step 2

  • Glue your feathers to the erasure side of the pencil

Step 3

  • Add a little pressure to the feathers around the pencil. This will help keep them in place.

Step 4

  • Wait for the glue to dry

Step 5

  • Use your Truffula Tree pencil to create a silly story using the Mad Lib! Try not to read the story until you've filled out all the blank spaces. You might need help from a grownup with this.