What's New!

Black Lives Matter and so we celebrate Black Voices in stories for children. These picture books are available at the Pikes Peak Library District. Click on the pdf link below to see the booklist.

Shadow Art

Supplies:

• Animal toys
• Blocks
• Large paper
• Marker
• Watercolors or crayons

Directions:

1. Set up toys and blocks in a sunny area outside, preferably on a hard surface.
2. Put a large piece of paper next to the toys and position it so that the shadows of the toys can be seen on the paper.
3. Trace the shadows with a thick, black marker.
4. Try tracing several times throughout the day to track how the shadows change shape as the sun travels across the sky.
5. Add watercolors or crayons to make your shadow art come to life!

Nature Crowns

Supplies:

• Two long strips of paper 1 - 2 1/2 inches wide
• Colorful paper
• Cardstock
• A pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Stapler

Directions:

1. Draw petal and leaf shapes on your colorful paper. You can create templates for your petal and leaf shapes by drawing on a thick paper, cutting out the shapes, and tracing it onto the colorful paper.
2. Cut out flowers and leaves.
3. Use glue and/or stapler to attach the long strips of paper.
4. Glue on flowers leaves.
5. Wrap your crown around your head to find the right length for you and then glue or staple it together.
6. Your nature crown is now ready to wear!

Time Capsule Envelope

Supplies:

• An envelope
• Paper for writing or drawing
• Markers or colored pencils

Directions:

1. Decorate your envelope, write Summer Solstice 2020, and a include a future date when the envelope can be opened.
2. Take some time to write about what today means to you. What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
3. Take a walk and collect some nature treasures to include in your envelope, draw a picture, add in anything else you’d like!
4. Put in a safe place to store until it can be opened again.

Watch these projects at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy4f4OV_KJ8&list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5…

Supplies:

• 18 gauge jewelry wire
• 200 or so beads (pony beads, jewelry beads, or any beads that will fit on your wire)
• Small wire cutters
• Small pliers or other tool for bending the wire
• Piece of string or ribbon for hanging

Directions:

1. With the wire cutters, cut two lengths of 18 gauge wire about 24 inches long and 6 to 8 more shorter pieces about 3 inches long.
2. Wrap the two long pieces of wire around a round bottle or jar that has a circumference of about 7 inches, then release the wires. They should fall into a loose spiral.
3. Using the small pliers, twist one end of each spiral into a small circle. This is so that your beads will not fall off.
4. You’ll need 65-75 beads to fill the length of each of the two spirals. If you work with a partner, you can each choose beads for one spiral. (These will be sun catchers when you’re finished, so make them pretty!)
5. When the spirals are full: Using the small pliers, twist the top end of each wire into another small circle to hold the beads on.
6. Loop the piece of string or ribbon through both spirals at the top so they hang together.
7. Now, using the small pliers, attach one end of each of the short pieces of wire along the length one of the two spirals and fill each one with beads, leaving enough wire to attach the other end to the second spiral. Space the shorter pieces out evenly. These should make what looks like a spiraling ladder with beaded rungs along the length of the ladder. It helps to have a partner to hold the spirals for you while you work.
8. You have made a beautiful DNA Sun Catcher! Hang your DNA double helix model in the window to remind you how beautiful and unique you, and each of us, are.

THE SCIENCE: DNA is short for deoxyribonucleic acid. Long strands are connected by genetic material to form a double helix. Inherited traits from your ancestors are located in your DNA. DNA is found in all living organisms.

Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuTVAt31POw&list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5…