What's New!

Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/r6SIFnnWVrU

Supplies and Directions:

• potato masher
• funnel
• 2 small ripe bananas
• 1 plain biscuit
• 2 empty bowls
• 30 ml or 2 T. orange juice
• 30 ml or 2 T. water
• red and green food coloring (optional)
• Ziploc bag
• one leg from a pair of old tights
• tray or plate
• scissors

1. Place a biscuit and banana into an empty bowl and gently crush with a potato masher. (This represents food being chewed).
2. Pour the crushed biscuit and banana into an empty Ziploc bag. Add 2 tablespoons of water. (The water represents saliva).
3. Pour 2 tablespoons of orange juice (stomach acid) into the bag and tightly seal it, making sure there is no air left inside.
4. Squeeze the bag for about a minute, further crushing up the biscuit and banana. (This represents the stomach breaking down the food).
5. After about a minute of squeezing, the contents of the bag should feel like a thick liquid. CAREFULLY, cut a small a small hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze the contents into the open leg of the tights. (The tights represent the small intestines).
6. Add one or two drops of red and green food coloring into the tights. (The red food coloring represents dead red blood cells and the green represents bile that is released by the liver.).
7. Carefully holding the tights over a tray or bowl, gently squeeze out the liquid. (The liquid is the nutrients that your body absorbs and uses!)
8. What is left behind… is Poop!

Photo by Sam Moqadam on Unsplash

Join PPLD in welcoming Mr. Isaac Newton Farris Jr. as he commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the topic It Starts with Me!

Isaac Newton Farris Jr., nephew of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia and attended his uncle’s alma mater, Morehouse College where he majored in Political Science. Mr. Farris’s background has given him a unique prospective and real life experience on some of the most pressing issues of our times.

Growing up in one of America’s most socially and politically active families has provided him with a front row seat, witnessing how policy is formulated and implemented.

Mr. Farris has worked with political figures such as Walter Mondale, Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, and the successful County Commissioner election of Martin Luther King III. He’s served as CEO of Clean Air Industries, President and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, and President and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the organization his uncle Martin Luther King Jr. founded.

Mr. Farris currently serves as Senior Fellow of the King Center where he not only continues to write, research, and lecture on the life, philosophy, and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., but also on how Kingian Non-Violence should guide American society as we confront the social, religious, economic, and war issues of America and of the world today.

For almost two years we have endured an ongoing pandemic, in addition to other upheaval in our lives and communities. Yet, during such trying times, I’m reminded again and again how much community matters – and how public libraries play such an important role in connecting people with what they need, when they need it.

Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) has been a staple in our community for many years, and we welcome everyone to visit and use our 16 physical locations, three mobile libraries, and ever-expanding online hub (with many resources accessible anywhere and anytime). Whether it’s to succeed at school or work, explore new ideas, connect with others, enjoy some entertainment, or do something else not mentioned here, you can most likely find it through your Library.

But PPLD wouldn’t be able to offer all of these spaces, resources, services, and opportunities without your continued support. It is because of taxpayers like you that we’re able to reinvest your dollars back into the community. Your investment in the Library District bolsters innovation and progress, improves academic success and childhood development, strengthens our workforce and local economy, and reinforces a healthy, thriving community.

With your help, we have been able to do so much for the community this past year. The Library District added equity, diversity, and inclusion as a new public service area to ensure every resident in El Paso County feels that the Library has something for them. The Manitou Springs Library and Manitou Art Center joined forces with a new co-location partnership, giving Library cardholders access to tools and resources unlike anything that we have been able to offer before. We also expanded our offerings in Adult Education, which now include a career navigator on staff as well as use of a new Library kitchen that hosts our food industry training program. Plus, the Library’s annual summer reading program for kids and teens was immensely popular, and we continued to strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones to better serve the many residents in our growing community.

In looking ahead, our Library team is ready to do even more for our community this year. For example, we plan to continue expanding our PowerPass partnership to more school districts across El Paso County, so even more students can access Library resources and services that further their success in and out of the classroom. The Pikes Peak Culture Pass will add more museums and attractions, meaning more passes will be available for checkout for individuals and families. And the Palmer Lake Library will soon reopen to the public.

All of this would not be possible without the community’s continued support for PPLD and investment in improving the Pikes Peak region for everyone. We are grateful for your trust and help in fulfilling our mission of “providing resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community.” The Library team looks forward to serving you throughout this new year!