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Kids Stem: Paper Airplane Challenge

In this project, you make two different paper airplane designs and then test out each one to determine which one will fly the furthest.

Supplies:



  • Two pieces of paper for airplanes
  • Markers or crayons to decorate
  • Pencil and paper to record your results

Directions:

Plane Design #1- Classic Glider

  1. Fold your paper hot dog style.
  2. Lay the paper out in front of you, portrait style.
  3. Fold the top-right corner to the center crease, lining up the edges and creating a triangle.
  4. Do the same thing with the left corner.
  5. Fold the right side again, along the crease.
  6. Do the same thing with the left side.
  7. Fold the plane inwards, in half, so the previous folds are on the inside.
  8. Fold back one side so the edges align.
  9. Flip and repeat with the other wing.

Plane Design #2- Speed Glider

  1. Fold your paper hot dog style.
  2. Lay the paper out in front of you, portrait style.
  3. Fold the top-right corner to the center crease, lining up the edges and creating a triangle.
  4. Do the same thing with the left corner.
  5. Fold the point of the plane down, creating a fold along the bottom of the corner triangles. The tip should be about ⅓ of the page from the bottom of the paper.
  6. Fold the top-right corner to the center, about one inch above the tip.
  7. Repeat with the left corner. This should create a small triangle at the point.
  8. Fold the small triangle up.
  9. Flip your plane over so that your folds are on the table.
  10. Fold your plane in half, left side onto its right, so the edges line up.
  11. Fold the top wing down so your edges align.
  12. Flip and repeat with the other wing. Once you have completed your planes. Test them out in an open space, like your backyard or the park. Make a chart and compare each of your planes and how far it flew each time.

Watch these airplane projects at: https://youtu.be/QdronFgR0Yc?list=PLxg4vmuqrAte4QgWzVQ7oInsSnnMkwcil

Kids Make: Pony Bead Animal Keychains

Supplies:

  • Pattern or picture of design
  • 4ft of craft lace
  • Key Ring
  • Scissors
  • Pony beads
    • 35 green
    • 15 blue
    • 6 yellow
    • 4 orange
    • 2 black

Directions:

  1. Tie your craft lace to your key ring, leaving two legs of equal length.
  2. Look at the top line of your pattern, and find pony beads to match that line. If you’re using the bird pattern, the first line will be 3 green beads.
  3. String those beads onto one of the legs of craft lace, in the order you see them on the pattern. (This may not matter for the first line, but it’s important later on!) Push the beads up to the top of the craft lace, next to the key ring.
  4. Now, string the other leg of craft lace through beads in the opposite direction of the first leg. Pull the craft lace all the way through. Reposition the line of beads so that they form the bottom side of a craft lace triangle, with the keyring as the triangle’s top corner. When you’re done, you should have to two equal lengths of craft lace again, one on either side of the line of beads.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4 with every line of your pattern.
  6. When you’re done, tie a knot in the craft lace at the bottom of your design, and trim any excess length. Good job!

Watch this project at: https://youtu.be/T6w5u62hrp0?list=PLxg4vmuqrAtckvp9eurSGEI2DwSb1wI6o

Meet Sufia Davidson

Sufia immigrated to the United States after meeting her husband, Joshua Davidson. He is a soldier at Fort Carson and met Sufia in her home country of Afghanistan. The two were married in 2009 and in the first six years of their marriage had two beautiful children.

Sufia loved her new home and life but was still missing one thing she really wanted: a job. While attending GED test preparation classes at Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD), she was visited by Lacey Miller, PPLD’s Library Instruction Designer. Lacey told Sufia’s class about a new training opportunity: Food Industry Training. The certification program prepares participants in an intensive four week format to become qualified line and prep cooks.

“Miss Lacey told us that with this class you could learn lots of skills and you could find a job in the restaurant industry,” Sufia said. “I wasn’t sure I could do this, but then I talked to my husband. He told me to go do it because in my home country, I wouldn’t have an opportunity like this because I am a woman.”

Sufia enrolled in the program and began her intensive training during May 2019. Now, she’s a Food Industry Training graduate and working in a prominent Colorado Springs hotel.

Sufia DavidsonThe Food Industry Training program is recognized by the Pikes Peak Workforce Center and several other workforce centers in Colorado as an approved training option. Students learn the foundational skills necessary in the food service industry, such as: kitchen safety, knife skills, basic math, recipe reading, and cooking methods. Food safety and sanitation are part of every class. Real world life skills, including dependability, adaptability, memorization, time management, and team work are also of great emphasis. Work readiness skills like resume preparation, job search, and interview practice and preparation are included, too. Food Industry Training graduates have been hired by The Broadmoor, The Mining Exchange Hotel, UC Health hospitals, senior living centers, and others.

In the past, the Food Industry Training program has generously been hosted in kitchens at other organizations throughout the city. But, without a deep freezer, gas line, and necessary appliances, students have been unable to experience the full scope of working in a commercial kitchen and our program offerings have been limited to times when kitchen space was made available to us. This year, and with your support, PPLD is bringing this program in house with the renovation of kitchen space at Library 21C. Turning this space into a state of the art kitchen will help us grow and improve the Food Industry Training program and create new food education programs for our patrons. These programs, when we have been able to offer them, have been wildly popular!

In the time of COVID 19, when millions of Americans are experiencing joblessness and uncertainty, PPLD is proud to offer programs that will help members of our community get back to work. The Food Industry Training program helps not only individuals like Sufia, but area restaurants and businesses that are hurting in the aftermath of this public health crisis.

Will you support PPLD, and programs like Food Industry Training, by donating today? We serve you, your family, friends, and neighbors and exist to provide resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community.

Kids Stem: The Ripple Effect of Kindness

Supplies:

  • A container filled with water
  • Various objects of different sizes and weights - examples: beads, rocks, pennies, small plastic toys

Directions:

  1. Drop in objects and observe the effect on the water
  2. Discuss what you see. Do you notice a ripple? Does it make a splash? What happens if you drop in lots of objects at once?
  3. Discuss how our behavior and actions also have an effect on the world around us.
  4. Make a list of acts of kindness you can do.
  5. Spread the ripple effect of kindness!

Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHM_X3wcmfQ&list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5…

Kids Stem: Cabbage Juice Chemistry

Supplies:

  • 2-3 purple cabbage leaves
  • 4 cups water
  • Blender
  • Strainer
  • Bowl
  • Paper towel
  • Several clear containers or cups
  • Vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Optional: liquid dishwasher detergent, fruit juice, clear soda or carbonated water, soap, salt, other kitchen substances (with grownup approval)

Directions:

  1. Tear 2 to 3 leaves off the head of a purple cabbage, tear leaves into smaller pieces.
  2. Put cabbage leaves into a blender with about 4 cups of water and with a grownup's help, blend on high until the liquid is very purple with a few chunks remaining.
  3. Strain cabbage juice into mesh strainer lined with paper towel, over a large bowl.
  4. Pour the cabbage juice into a container or pitcher. This purple cabbage juice is now your pH indicator.
    Purple cabbage juice contains a compound called anthocyanin. Anthocyanin will turn pink when mixed with acid, blue-green when mixed with a base, and purple when mixed with a neutral substance, such as water.
  5. Take 3-4 additional clear containers: add a spoonful of baking soda to one cup; add a few spoonfuls of vinegar to a second cup; add a bit of water to a third cup.
  6. Ask your grownup if you can use a small amount of dishwasher detergent into an additional cup.
  7. Now, you'll add some cabbage juice to each of the four cups you've prepared, even the one that's just water. When the purple cabbage juice is mixed with vinegar, what happens? (You should see the mixture turn pink.) Why? Vinegar is an acid. Pour cabbage juice into the container with baking soda, then also the cup with the dishwasher soap. What is happening to these two solutions? (Baking soda is a base, so it will turn bluish-purple. The dishwasher soap mixture should turn a vivid blue-green because dishwasher soap is very basic, or alkaline.) What happened when you added cabbage juice to just water?
  8. Line your four cups up on the counter. You will use these color results to compare other substances you want to test to see if they are acids or bases.
  9. Pink indicates an acid. Place this cup to the left. Purple (water) is neutral. Place this one in the middle. Blue-green is basic. Place this cup to the right of the purple cup. If you used dishwasher detergent, place this cup to the very far right. It’s one of the most alkaline substances you will find in a kitchen.
  10. Now, try adding purple cabbage juice to other substances you want to test.
  11. Compare the colors of your test mixtures and place them between the cups, where you think they should go. Soon, you will have a spectrum of acids and bases and you can compare the acidity of two substances, such as vinegar vs. orange juice.

Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nB1UzYZf4s&list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5…

Kids Make: Crunchy Baked Cotton Balls

Supplies:

  • Cotton balls
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup water
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Food coloring
  • Baking sheet
  • Small bowls or cups
  • Either cooking spray or tin foil
  • An adult to help with the oven

Directions:

  1. Mix 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of water in the large bowl.
  2. Get your baking sheet ready by spraying it with baking spray or covering it with tin foil.
  3. Divide the flour and water mixture into 4 to 6 small bowls or cups, depending on how many colors you want.
  4. Add 5 to 8 drops of food coloring to each cup and mix well. Remember that you can make different colors by mixing the food coloring; red and yellow make orange and blue and red make purple.
  5. Dip each cotton ball into a cup. Be sure to cover the whole cotton ball with the mixture – make it nice and thick.
  6. Set the coated cotton balls on your baking sheet.
  7. Let an adult help you with this part. Bake your cotton balls in a 300 degree oven for about 45 minutes.
  8. After that, take the cotton balls out and let them cool completely – at least an hour. They should have a nice, hard, crunchy shell.
  9. Find a small hammer, a toy hammer, or even a rock. Take your cotton balls outside and - SMASH THEM WITH THE HAMMER! That’s right – smash away.

Extra fun:

Use more cotton balls to make a baked sculpture. Use the same dipping method, but keep the sculpture in the over a little longer – about 55 minutes. You can make and smash a crunchy monster!

To watch this project visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvw4q6cr6xY&list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5…

Kids STEM: Colorful Science

Colorful Experiment #1

Supplies:

  • Milk
  • Plate
  • Liquid Food coloring
  • Dish Soap
  • Q-tips

Directions:

  1. Pour the milk into a plate until you cover the bottom surface.
  2. Add drops of food coloring in middle of the milk in the plate.
  3. Coat the Q-tip in the dish soap and dip it in the milk. Watch what happens!

The science behind this reaction has to do with the way the soap molecules and the fat from the milk are interacting. Fat is hydrophobic, a type of molecule that repels water. By adding the soap, we are breaking up the hydrophobic fat particles and holding it inside the soap.

Colorful Experiment #2

Supplies:

  • Hard coated candy
  • Plate
  • Warm water

Directions:

  1. Put the candy pieces in the plate. You can place them around the edge, or any other design you can think of!
  2. Add some warm water to the plate, making sure that there is enough to cover the bottom of the plate. Watch what happens!

The science behind this interaction has to do with the warm water dissolving the color coating on the candies.
Each of the candies has a slight difference in the sugar content, which means they have different densities; they all take up a different amount of space. The reaction we are seeing here is called stratification, where water splits due to differences in the density of the materials.Try cold water and even different kinds of candy. What happens?

Watch these projects at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9geJ7KdXqK0&list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5…

Celebrating Black Voices: Picture Books

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.

Maker in Residence: Textile Art with Textiles West: Spring/Summer 2020

Celebrating Our Home, the Pikes Peak Region

Early in 2020, Makers Liz Kettle and Ruth Chandler of Textiles West set out to teach community members how to create fabric collages to celebrate the beauty of our Pikes Peak Region and share stories of our home and community. A week into the Spring Residency, everything came to a halt due to COVID-19.

Rather than stop the Textile Art Project altogether, Liz and Ruth transformed it into a virtual format, so that our community could be creative and stay connected even while sheltering at home. In many ways, the finished compilations are a record of our community and our shared experience during this unprecedented time. We’ve compiled all the finished pieces submitted by local community members into a Flickr album, which you can explore here.

MIR Collage

You can also see the pieces in person as part of a rotating display by visiting the following libraries during the months listed below. At the end of the display rotation, the piece will live at Monument Library.

Even though the Spring/Summer Textile Art Residency has come to an end, you can still create your very own collage! This project is traditionally a textile (fabric) project, but Liz and Ruth have adapted the project to use just about any materials you have at home. Get started by looking through the various PDF project patterns (see below) and reading through this tutorial PDF. This will give you a basic idea of the project and let you know what supplies you’ll need to get started.
Then, watch the video below to see Liz explain how to get creative and pull it all together! (Please note the video cuts off at the end, but all important content is included.) Links to supplementary videos examining various stitch types are also available below.

Patterns

Supplementary Videos

The Makers

Textiles West's teachers are all experts who know the power of creating and understand that for many, textiles are a much more accessible art form than traditional art forms.

Liz Kettle

Liz KettleThrough her work, Liz Kettle tells tales that are personal as well as those that speak of relationship, humanity, and the earth. She chooses a nontraditional palette of fabric and stitch because she believes they connect us and draw us closer in a way that cannot be achieved with traditional art materials alone. Liz uses a variety of techniques drawing from the deep wells of quilting, mixed media collage, and paint to tell and support each unique story.

Liz is the co-founder and Director of Textiles West, a Textile Art Center that aims to inspire widespread awareness, participation, and appreciation of textile and fiber arts.

Liz is passionate about teaching and is a co-author of two books; Fabric Embellishing: The Basics and Beyond and Threads: The Basics and Beyond. She is also the solo author of First Time Beading on Fabric, Layered and Stitched and Know Your Needles. Liz has articles published in Quilters Home, Quilting Arts, Quilting Arts In Stitches and Cloth Paper Scissors Studios, and has appeared in the PBS show Quilting Arts TV.

Ruth Chandler

Ruth ChandlerRuth Chandler grew up in Japan where the vibrant color and texture of Japanese fabric, combined with the simplicity of Japanese design, caught Ruth’s attention. Ruth learned basic Sashiko from an elderly neighbor and at the age of four, and began to create and sew her own clothes at the age of ten which became an outlet for her imagination and creativity.

She made her first quilt in 1990, a queen size, hand-appliquéd and hand-quilted Hawaiian pineapple quilt, and she has never looked back. In her own unique style she loves to use new techniques mingled with the old and her work usually shows the influence of her years spent in Japan. Shibori, Boro, Sashiko, and indigo dying are her love, however she also teaches garment sewing and other classes to children and adults.

Ruth teaches locally at Textiles West in Colorado Springs, and nationally at Art and Soul Retreats. Ruth has written several articles for Quilting Arts magazine, blog posts for Havels’ Sewing, and has work published in several books. Additionally, Ruth is one of the co-authors of the best-selling book, Fabric Embellishing: The Basics and Beyond, and is the solo author of Modern Hand Stitching.

Ruth may be contacted for nationwide classes at ruthachandler@comcast.net. 

Kids Make: Summer Solstice Celebration Crafts

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…

Celebrating the Shivers Fund Contributions

Given our stand against racism, along with the continued national and local conversations, we want to highlight and celebrate the Shivers Fund. Clarence and Peggy Shivers created the Shivers Fund at Pikes Peak Library District, in concert with PPLD, in 1993. They introduced the Shivers African American Historical and Cultural Collection at PPLD, which continues to expand annually thanks to the Shivers Fund and its many supporters. In addition to the collection, the Shivers Fund at PPLD also provides opportunities for our community to celebrate history, culture, and the arts. The Fund hosts concerts and other events, as well as helps expands educational and cultural opportunities for young people to encourage tolerance and diversity. Our Library District and Foundation applaud the Shivers Fund for its continued investment to create more tolerance, diversity, and community in the Pikes Peak region. Learn more about the history and work of the Shivers Fund.

Kids STEM: DNA Spiraling Suncatcher

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…

Kids Make: 3D Garden Art

Supplies:

  • Paper, any color
  • Cupcake liners, large and small
  • Markers
  • Glue
  • Buttons or stickers
  • 5" pieces of pipe cleaners or twist ties

Directions:

  1. Flower: flatten a cupcake liner. Fold it in half and trim around the edge of the liner, cut the edge so that it's scalloped like a flower petal. On the colored paper, using a marker, draw a stem. Glue the center of the back of the flattened, cut liner at the top of the stem. For a leaf, cut a flattened cupcake liner into small slices. Cut the edges of two slices, making them more pointy at the end like leaves. Glue onto the stem of your cupcake liner flower.
    Cut a smaller cupcake liner and glue to the center of your flower. Add a button or sticker to the very center of your flower. Bend edges of flowers outwards for a 3-D effect.
  2. Dragonfly: fold a quarter of a liner in half and in half again to make a long skinny triangle. Cut the edge again in a curvy way. Open it up and cut it down the middle. Cut each piece down the middle again. Take two small pieces and glue onto the paper to make the wings, add a piper cleaner bent double and twisted together for the body, leaving the ends free for antennas. Glue onto paper between the wings.
  3. Sideways Butterfly: Take a quarter of a cupcake liner and fold once. Cut a curvy edge. Pinch the liner piece in the middle so that it sticks up in the center. Do another. Glue both onto the paper just at the edges and place two twisted pipe cleaners cut short, or twist ties below the wings, leave the ends free to be antennas. For a front facing butterfly, take four quarters of a cupcake liner and cut wavy edges. Place and glue on the paper, with two on each side, add a pipe cleaner in the middle, leaving the ends as antennas.

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

Statement on Racism and Inequity

PPLD commits itself to join the efforts of all who share its mission of building a community free of racism, hatred, and intolerance. Our full statement is below: Providing resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community – that is the mission of Pikes Peak Library District. Our community, like others across the nation, is hurting. Just as it is our mission to build community, it is our duty to speak against the forces that would tear us apart. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have reminded all of us once again that the battle against racism and intolerance is not over. For many individuals, those forces are a constant in their lives, and that battle is waged on a daily basis. For those of us who do not experience the burden of systemic racism, events such as these may briefly ignite an urgent desire to seek justice and true equality for Black members of our community. All too often, though, we allow that sense of urgency to gradually disappear until the next horrific act of violence occurs. This cycle must stop. PPLD stands with those in El Paso County and throughout our country who are exercising their Constitutional rights to protest against systemic racism, inequity, and violence against the Black community. As a public library, we stand for the innate equality of all we serve. We pledge to do our part to help our community realize that diversity, inclusivity, and equity are pillars of a strong and thriving community and that if even one individual is harmed through injustice or racism, our entire community suffers. This is not the time to simply move on until the next act of violence jars us from our complacency. PPLD commits itself to join the efforts of all who share its mission of building a community free of racism, hatred, and intolerance. - John Spears, Chief Librarian & CEO, and Debbie English, President of PPLD’s Board of Trustees (June 5, 2020)

Pikes Peak Library District stands with our Asian American and Pacific Islander community and remains committed to building a community free of racism, hatred, and intolerance. (March 19, 2021)

For kids:

PPLD has curated a list of resources for our community. Click here to find links to national and local news coverage, deeper background on the issues, books, and other items here.

Let's Talk about Racism: Digital Book List The African American Historical and Cultural Collection, funded by the Shivers Fund at PPLD Let's Talk about Racism: Teen Collection Let's Talk about Race and Racism: Children's Collection Celebrating Black Voices: Picture Books

Social and Systemic Injustice Movies on Kanopy

Catalog links from booklist below:

Additional Resources For Adults:

For Kids:

Kids STEM: LEGO Balloon Car

Supplies:

  • Balloon
  • Legos (may vary):
    • (1) 1x2 window (no glass)
    • (2) 2x10 flat plates
    • (1) 2x12 flat plate
    • (6) 3/4" wheels
    • (3) 2x2 axles
    • (1) 2x2-2x1 tall sloped grey brick
    • (1) 2x1 tall white brick

Directions:
Assemble Lego pieces to create a car.
Tips: make the car lightweight, long, and build a tall stand for the balloon to attach to. Insert the balloon into the window (or whatever you create to hold the balloon), inflate the balloon, place on flat surface, and let it go! Measure to see who's car has gone farthest.

Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF4_xMovgG0&list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5…

Kids Make: Dry Ice Bubble Art

Supplies:

  • One small block of dry ice (about 1 lb.) broken into large pieces. (Do not touch dry ice with bare skin, it will burn!)
  • Large bowl on a tray
  • Table covering
  • Warm water
  • Dish soap
  • Food Coloring
  • Paper (any kind)

Directions:

  1. Pour warm water into the bowl.
  2. Add 2-3 squirts of dish soap (it may help to stir the solution gently at this point although I didn't).
  3. Add a chunk of dry ice using tongs or garden gloves.
  4. As bubbles rise up, add food coloring (2-4 colors).
  5. Lay paper over the colorful bubbles and press gently into bubbles. Add a different color and repeat with another piece of paper.
  6. Keep adding warm water and chunks of dry ice. Or start over with a fresh batch.
  7. Enjoy your wonderful bubble art!

Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=852TC3_bSbU&list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5…

Cupboard Crafts & Experiments: CD Case Robots

Supplies:

  • 1 CD Case (empty) with clear cover or small shallow square gift box without lid.
  • 1 piece of cardboard cut from cereal box
  • 1 piece of colored construction or printer paper
  • Small pieces of colorful scrap paper
  • 1 barcode cut from any cardboard or paper product
  • Liquid glue and/or glue sticks
  • Scissors
  • Miscellaneous small items--Examples: Stickers (especially Foamies), bottle caps or other small plastic lids.
  • Craft bling: small Beads, pipe cleaner pieces, buttons, paper clips or tiny binder clips, circle stickers (file folder labels), bendable straws (pieces), tiny flat or connector LEGO pieces, very small keys, old puzzle pieces, metal nuts and washers

Directions:

  1. Glue construction paper to a piece of cardboard, or just use the brown cardboard.
  2. Decorate CD case. Open case and place fun small items inside the case, glue items if needed. Close the case, set aside.
  3. Take construction paper or cardboard. Leaving space in the middle for the CD case. Glue on paper legs, arms, and head of robot.
  4. Glue on CD case to make the body of the robot.
  5. Decorate the robot's face with fun items.

Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6vaRll6nJE

2020 Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest Winners Announced!

Pikes Peak Library District is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest for Children:

Bricks of Wheat
By Cooper Alvin

As I come home from school, filled with resent,
I see cold cream of wheat, hard as cement!
I thought what could be built with such hard a material,
Build skyscrapers out of this rock-hard cold cereal.
A new way of building! Who would of thought evolution
Could lead to such a disgusting solution.

Cream of wheat bricks! Now that’s something new!
Guess the trick to construction is edible goo!
Someone says: “The tallest building is inside Dubai.”
“That’s nothing! Build it with soup!” I reply.
We’d build it high and we’d build it wide.
Why would we do it? ‘Cause nobody’s tried.

A cream of wheat pool? No, that’d be just gross.
A cream of wheat coaster? (sigh) That’d be shunned on by most.
A cream of wheat car? Something no one would borrow.
Well, I’m out of ideas! Come back tomorrow!

Chocolate Peppermint Delight
By Emily Lunsford

One day during lunch,
My friend and I chatted.
She asked,
“If you could invent a dessert,
ANY dessert,
What would it be?”
We started sharing,
And worked together to imagine…
The Chocolate Peppermint Delight!

A chocolate lava cake,
But with peppermint bits in the lava!
Sweet, creamy vanilla ice cream,
With chocolate chip cookie crumbled in
On top of the cake.
A peppermint shell,
For the luscious ice cream.

Topping it off,
Caramel sauce,
And don’t forget
The flavorful peppermint sauce!
Whipped cream generously deposited
Around the plate,
And up the cake.

Coming out from our dream
Of heavenly desserts,
We smiled, thinking about
The luxurious treat.
Our mouths watering,
We looked down at our trays of cafeteria food.
And our otherwise fine tacos,
They didn’t seem nearly as good anymore.
Nor did our fruit cups,
Or our milk.
With the Chocolate Peppermint Delight on our minds,
Everything else faded in comparison,
To a dull gray.

It’s funny how a daydream,
A vision of succulent delicacies,
Can bleach perfectly fine food,
Leaving only the fantasy,
Bright and colorful.
That day I learned
That pure imagination
Can achromatize
Reality.

Bitter and Sour
By Azul Padilla

I’m grabbing a mango
Dancing like a weirdo
Cutting the mango
Nice and yellow
I ask my mother
Can you pass me the chili powder
I sprinkled it all over
Bitter and sour

How to Make a Pot of Rhino Stew
By Avery Pilkington

How to make a pot of rhino stew:
Add these five things to your Crockpot
Slice up some carrots
Chop up some potatoes
Dice up some worms
Add one huge RHINO
Add a dash of ground herbs
Put the lid on
Cook for SEVEN HOURS

The Life of a Cupcake
By Maya Rebugio

They put me in the oven to bake.
Me, a depressed and miserable cupcake.
Feeling the heat, I started to bubble.
Watching the others, I knew I was in trouble.

They opened the door and started my life.
Frosting me with a silver knife,
Decorating me with candy jewels.
The rest of my batch looked like fools.

Lifting me up, she took off my wrapper.
Feeling the breeze, I wanted to slap her.
Opening her mouth with shiny teeth inside,
This was the day this cupcake died.

I Love Pasta That’s No Doubt
By Madison Smith

Hear it boil from the pot
Crunch munchy from the box
I love pasta a whole whole lot

Short, fat, long, tall, just ask me I’ve got them all
Slippery, slimy, spaghetti
Whirly, twirly, colored noodles
Cheesy, wheezy, macaroni

Spiraled, curved, rigid, smooth, pasta makes me really groove
Pesto perfecto green and grand, even beefaroni from the can.

Rigatoni in my tummy
Amazing alfredo hot and yummy
With veggies or without
I love pasta that’s no doubt.

Cupboard Crafts & Experiments: Liquid Fireworks!

Supplies:

  • Shallow containers or plates
  • Cotton swabs
  • Dish soap
  • Liquid food coloring
  • Milk (whole milk is best but any percentage will work)

Directions:

  1. Pour the milk in a shallow container, just enough to cover the bottom. (Experiment with cold or room temperature milk.)
  2. Add drops of liquid food coloring to the milk, drop them close to one another in the center for a more dramatic effect.
  3. Dip a cotton swab in a small amount of dish soap and then very lightly touch it to the side of the color. Watch the liquid fireworks!

What is happening? Milk is mostly water but it also has proteins, minerals, and fat. The milk fat molecules are more dense than the liquid food coloring therefore the food coloring floats on top. The dish soap weakens the chemical bonds separating the water loving molecules and the water fearing parts of the molecules, flinging them apart and creating beautiful bursts of color. Keep experimenting, if the action slows down pour out the milk mixture into a spare container and start over with fresh milk.

Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh7iAMH59ZU&t=7s

Free Games and Game Resources

Looking for games to play while apart from friends or family? Check out these free digital games, multi-player video games, and role-playing game resources!

Digital board games

  • Board Game Arena - Website with 175 board games that can be played in real time or as slowly as one move every other day if you can’t be online with other players at the same time. Some games must be started by a player with a paid account.
  • Dominion Online - Play the original deckbuilding game in your browser, on your own or with up to 5 other players.
  • Online Pictionary-style game - Play with up to 11 other friends! Choose how many rounds to play (each player draws once in each round), how long players have to draw, and even make your own list of words people will be drawing.
  • Scattergories Online - Scattergories in your browser - allows you to choose categories, number and length of rounds, and send the link to friends
  • Tabletopia - Website with over 800 board games in sandbox setups (the game will not tell you if you do something incorrectly). Some games may only be played with a paid account.

Print and play games

  • Distance gaming guide from Board Game Geek - This guide includes information on games you can play remotely if one person owns a copy of the board game and print and plays, including some from game publishers, including Cards Against Humanity: Family Edition and demo versions of a number of games from Asmodee.
  • PNPArcade - This catalog of print and play games includes nearly 100 for free.

Role-playing game resources

  • D&D Beyond - Create a Dungeons and Dragons character in your browser and connect them to a campaign with your party. This can replace a paper character sheet - track spell slots and hit points, level, take a short or long rest, etc.
  • DriveThruRPG - This RPG store offers thousands of items, including core rulebooks and adventures in a variety of rule systems, for free or pay what you want.
  • Dungeons and Dragons material from Wizards of the Coast - New content is added daily, Monday through Friday, for Adventurer’s League players, new players, and families alike.
  • Roll20 - Online virtual tabletop for role-playing games, including maps, assets, and chat. A number of adventure modules are available for free.

Multiplayer video games

  • Mobile only
    • Mario Kart Tour - Race against your friends.
    • QuizUp - Test your knowledge against a friend in more than a thousand categories.
    • Song Pop 2 - Be the first to identify the song or artist from a short clip.
    • Words with Friends 2 - Test your vocab against a friend in this Scrabble-like app.
  • PC only
    • Card Hunter - Lead a party on a fantasy adventure, using cards based on the items you equip. Multiplayer is available after the introductory adventure. Available in browser or through Steam.
    • League of Legends - Choose your champion and work with your four teammates to destroy the opposing team's Nexus.
    • Runescape - Explore and go questing in the fantasy world of Gielinor - this is the world's largest free MMORPG.
  • Multiple platforms
    • Brawhalla - This Super Smash Bros.-like game is available on Nintendo Switch, PC through Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with crossplay between platforms. There are a number of modes available, and games run up to 8 players.
    • Dauntless - Become a Slayer, hunting more and more powerful Behemoths, either solo or with up to four players. Available on Nintendo Switch, PC through Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with crossplay between platforms.
    • Fortnite - The uber popular battle royale is available on mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC through Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
    • Realm Royale - This fantasy battle royale has you pick a class, lets you craft items at forges around the map, and when you die... you become a chicken. If you can survive as a chicken for 30 seconds, you're back in! Available on Nintendo Switch, PC through Discord or Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Page-Turning Reads for Tweens

Looking for a book you just can’t put down? These action-packed chapter books are great picks for kids ages 9 to 12.
Click on the link below to check out the booklist!

Collecting Community Stories: Covid-19 Pandemic

Pikes Peak Library District is collecting stories about the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents of the Pikes Peak Region are invited to share their stories and experiences. People can submit written stories, photographs, or videos depicting their response to the pandemic and its impact on their lives.

Any observations are welcome. Submissions can include dealing with illness, quarantine, sheltering in-home, social distancing, employment, working from home, working in health care, schooling, travel, and other general observations.

Click here to submit your story.

Learn more about using the Library remotely.

Cupboard Crafts & Experiments: Underwater Volcano

Supplies:

  • 2 clear containers, either plastic or glass, one large and one small. The small container should fit in the large container.
  • Water
  • One small weight or rock to place in the smaller container if it is too light
  • Food coloring
  • Long spoon or stick

Directions:

  1. Fill large container with cold water halfway.
  2. Fill the small container with hot water. (Need adult to help with hot water.)
  3. Add any color food coloring to hot water and stir.
  4. Place the small container, upright, into the large container of cold water.
  5. Observe what happens to the hot water. Hot water will float to the top because it's lighter than the denser cold water.
  6. Just like a volcano, hot lava rises up because it's lighter.

Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujpr_NvUEkw

Cupboard Crafts & Experiments: Conversation Hearts

Supplies:

  • Papers of any kind; they can be construction papers, copy paper, or scrapbooking papers, and smaller scraps are fine.
  • Scissors
  • Pens or pencils for tracing and writing
  • A large, clean, clear glass jar like a Mason jar, pickle jar, or spaghetti sauce jar. Prepare your jar ahead of time by soaking off the label.

Optional supplies:
Buttons, pom-poms, ribbon, sequins, beads, stickers, or anything you happen to have on hand to decorate your jar, and some glue.

Directions:

  1. Cut out some hearts – at least a dozen. You can make a template for tracing or just cut them freehand. They should be able to fit inside the opening of your jar.
  2. On each heart, write a question that you would like to ask your family. They can be serious questions or silly questions. Here are some examples to get you started:
    • IF YOU COULD TRADE PLACES WITH ANYONE FOR ONE DAY, WHO WOULD IT BE?
    • WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK KIDS UNDERSTAND BUT ADULTS DO NOT?
    • WHAT IS THE STINKIEST THING YOU’VE EVER SMELLED?
    • WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING THE AGE YOU ARE NOW?
    • WHAT HAS BEEN THE HAPPIEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE SO FAR?
    • IF YOU COULD BE A CHARACTER IN A BOOK, WHO WOULD YOU BE?
    • DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT COOKIE
    • WHAT IS SOMETHING EVERYONE LOOKS STUPID DOING?
    • WHAT KIND OF SECRET CLUB WOULD YOU LIKE TO START?
  3. Fill your jar with your “Conversation Hearts” and pick one at dinnertime every day. It’ a great way to get to know your family, to laugh, and to always have something interesting to talk about!
  4. If you want, decorate your jar with anything you happen to have on hand.

Watch this project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCOBSA6lVuY

Cupboard Crafts & Experiments: Sock Bunny

Supplies:

  • Crew sock (any size and color)
  • Stuffing, Fiberfill, or cotton balls
  • Markers
  • Scissors
  • Rubber bands or string
  • Ribbon (optional)

Directions:

  1. Fill your sock with stuffing from the toe up to the heel.
  2. Tie off your sock at the cuff, just above the stuffing.
  3. Tie off your sock again, somewhere above the middle of the sock, to make a bunny head.
  4. Cut the cuff of your sock into two flaps. You can do this by flattening out the cuff and cutting down the middle, making sure to get through both layers of sock. You should be left with two rectangle flaps.
  5. Round the flaps by cutting a half circle on each end, to make them look more like ears.
  6. Draw a face on your bunny with markers.
  7. Tie a ribbon around the bunny’s neck.
  8. You can add more decoration to your bunny with anything else you have at home.

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