Categories
El Pomar Foundation honors Peggy Shivers with Inaugural Excellence in Arts and Culture Trustee Award
Award Presented as part of El Pomar’s Annual Awards for Excellence
On Friday October 1, 2021 Peggy Houston Shivers was recognized by El Pomar Foundation Trustees as the recipient of the inaugural Excellence in Arts and Culture Trustee Award, which honors an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to the advancement of arts and culture in Colorado. In a ceremony with other Awards for Excellence honorees at The Broadmoor Hotel, Shivers was introduced by El Pomar Trustee Colonel Gail Colvin, US Air Force (Retired), before delivering her own remarks. As a part of the award, a $10,000 grant was given to the Shivers Fund at Pikes Peak Library District.
From a young age, Peggy Houston Shivers studied voice. She was selected by Duke Ellington to be the featured soloist in his Sacred Concert II at Grace Cathedral and was the featured artist for the Bicentennial Celebration sponsored by the United States Embassy in Spain. Peggy also worked in the public school system in the United States, helped develop a program for dyslexic children of American families living in Spain and a crisis line program for Torrejon Air Force Base. She moved with her husband to Colorado Springs in 1979.
Peggy Shivers helped create the Shivers African American Historical and Cultural Collection at the Pikes Peak Library District to address the lack of information about African American history in Colorado Springs. The Shivers Fund at Pikes Peak Library District has also been established to ensure that funds will be available to maintain the collection for years to come. The Shivers Fund sponsors a concert series which allows young artists the opportunity to perform in a professional setting, awards grants, scholarships and financial support to students and provides educational activities to encourage young people to participate in and enjoy the classical arts. A choral group, the Celebration Multicultural Ensemble, has also been organized as an extension of the Shivers Fund. In addition, she has served on many boards including NAACP, Urban League, United Way, Colorado Springs Symphony, Colorado Springs Dance Theatre, Colorado Opera Festival -- where she served as president -- and the Pikes Peak Library District Foundation.
About El Pomar Foundation’s Awards for Excellence Program
El Pomar Foundation’s Board of Trustees developed the Awards for Excellence program to honor the commitment of Spencer and Julie Penrose to excellence in the nonprofit sector. The program recognizes individuals and organizations from across Colorado who serve their communities with distinction. Honorees are selected by a committee of community leaders, council members from El Pomar’s Regional Partnerships program and El Pomar Fellowship Alumni. Since its inception in 1989, Awards for Excellence has provided more than $6.5 million in grant support to more than 500 nonprofit organizations throughout Colorado.
About El Pomar Foundation
El Pomar Foundation is one of the largest and oldest private foundations in Colorado. El Pomar contributes approximately $25 million annually through grants and Community Stewardship programs to support Colorado nonprofit organizations involved in health, human services, education, arts and humanities and civic and community initiatives. Spencer and Julie Penrose founded El Pomar in 1937 with the mission to enhance, encourage and promote the current and future well-being of the people of Colorado.
There are so many great stories about how Pikes Peak Library District has helped individuals in our community connect to resources and opportunities that enrich their lives. We want to collect and share these stories with our community through PPLD’s social media channels! If you have a great story that you’d like to share about the Library District, please complete the form below.
If your story is selected, you will be interviewed, and photos and video may be taken of you. Then you and the story will be featured on our website, PPLD’s social media platforms, and possibly in promotion of the program.
Featured Story
Pikes Peak Library District, like many other organizations and companies across the Pikes Peak Region and nation, has experienced staffing shortages over the past year. Presently we do not have enough employees to maintain our current service hours at all Library locations, which is why we’re having to adjust open hours at several libraries across El Paso County.
Here’s what Library patrons can expect: Beginning the week of Oct. 3, Ruth Holley Library and The Hall at PPLD (formerly known as Knights of Columbus Hall) will be closed on Mondays, Sand Creek Library will be closed on Fridays, and Monument Library, Rockrimmon Library, and Library 21c will be open one hour later, until 6 p.m., on Fridays and Saturdays. Then, starting the week of Oct. 10, Cheyenne Mountain Library will be closed on Wednesdays, Old Colorado City Library will be closed on Tuesdays, and Monument Library will be closed on Thursdays. Our locations continue to remain closed on Sundays.
Earlier during the COVID-19 pandemic, Library leadership had to made the difficult decision to close all locations on Sundays due to similar reasons. Due to continued staffing shortages, we’ll now have to close some locations another day of the week. Before selecting which days of the week, our team did review Library location visits and considered which days and hours had fewer visitors so the community impact would be minimized. We also factored in feedback from Library patrons about preferred days and hours, which was provided during a Library patron survey conducted in the Spring of 2021.
Pikes Peak Library District is here to connect families and individuals with the Library resources, services, and spaces that can help them thrive, and we want to be able to provide service hours that match community needs. We hope as the economy rebounds from the ongoing pandemic that our team will be able to hire more employees and we can resume pre-pandemic Library service hours in the near future.
Take and Makes for this project for ages 9-12 will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Friday, Oct 1, 2021.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by making papel picado, “punched” or “perforated” paper. This traditional folk art is often made by drawing an intricate design and using a chisel to cut several layers of tissue paper. Because this art form is created using materials that disintegrate in the elements, not many historical pieces remain. Often elaborate, these festive banners are used at many celebrations in Mexico and areas with Hispanic roots and heritage. Use scissors to cut out your own version of this traditional art form.
Supplies and Directions:
Tissue paper, scissors, template (find online or draw), tape (washi or masking)
- Find or draw a symmetrical design to use as a template. Check out one of the links below for ideas. Fold the template in half.
- Stack two to three pieces of tissue paper in a pile and fold it in half.
- Slip the tissue paper inside the folded template so the folded edges are on one side.
- Cut out the outside of the template, cutting through the tissue paper inside.
- Cut out the inside shapes in the template, folding the template around to gain better access to the different shapes to cut out.
- Once the template is entirely cut out, remove the tissue paper pieces and unfold them.
- Repeat steps 1-6 with more templates and tissue paper.
- Using a long, flat surface, such as a table, unroll a long strip of washi or masking tape, leaving it attached to the roll.
- Starting at the end, attach the top of each papel picado (tissue paper design) to the washi or masking tape. Unroll more tape as needed, tearing it off the roll once all papel picado have been attached to the banner.
- Fold over any tape hanging over across the top of the banner.
- Hang your banner up and enjoy!
Adapted from https://happythought.co.uk/how-to-make-papel-picado/
More information about papel picado can be found at https://www.internationalfolkart.org/learn/lesson-plans/papel-picado-(d…
The homeschool team takes us on a tour of several creative spaces at Pikes Peak Library District, including: Library 21c Studio, MAC - loom and jewelry rooms, and the Library 21c Makerspace. Plus, an interview with a expert quilter plus a sewing lesson for beginners. Check out the booklist link below and the directions for the sewing project.
Check out this video: https://youtu.be/HuqP8-VqK1U?list=PLMEg2Dd0dSFctLfDQxsL5SmuE8zkwQFmu
Commemorating the start of Arts Month in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region, Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) is pleased to announce the region’s first Pikes Peak Poet Laureate since 2017. Ashley Cornelius is a nationally recognized and award-winning spoken word poet in Colorado. Her poetry has been featured at TEDx Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College, the Colorado Springs Women's March, Denver Public Library, Colorado Nonprofit Association, as well as on many stages. Additionally, she was the 2018 Women of the World Poetry Slam Colorado Springs representative and competed nationally. A winner of multiple poetry Slams in Colorado Springs, Cornelius was also the Colorado Springs Independent Best of Artist in 2019 and was recognized by the Colorado Springs Business Journal as a Rising Star in 2021. She is sought after across the nation for speaking engagements and workshop facilitation utilizing poetry.
“It is an honor to select Ashley Cornelius to serve as the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate,” said Dustin Booth, project chair and PPLD Manager for The Hall at PPLD (formerly known as Knights of Columbus Hall). “She will be an incredible ambassador for the arts in the Pikes Peak region and her poetry inspires those who witness her work to think deeper about the roles we all play in our community.” Cornelius was selected through a competitive Poet Laureate application and interview process. The Poet Laureate committee contributed to the selection process and included Molly Wingate, Juan J. Morales, Andy Vick, Michael Ferguson, and Susan Peiffer. Cornelius’s four-year term will begin late October. As Poet Laureate she will work closely with the Library District to build a literary arts community through poetry by developing an appreciation of written and performance poetry, as well as inspiring and celebrating poetry and poets in the Pikes Peak region with dynamic programs of engagement, advocacy, and education. “This is an incredible honor, and I am excited to serve as the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate,” said Cornelius. “My intentions are to reach as many people as we can through poetry and storytelling and to be a champion for equity, diversity, and inclusion in our local creative spaces.” PPLD will host an official inauguration ceremony appointing Cornelius as the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate at a celebration on Sat., Oct. 23 at The Hall at PPLD (formerly known as Knights of Columbus Hall), part of the Penrose Library campus in downtown Colorado Springs. The event will start at 6 p.m. and will feature presentations by a few rising stars in the Colorado Springs poetry community, pieces by previous poet laureates, and a keynote presentation by Cornelius.
Celebrate dinosaurs this DINOvember with PPLD! Check out a Dinosaur Storytime and be on the lookout for dinosaurs in your Library! Find the dinosaur at your Library and go to the desk for a prize!
DINO Programs
Dinosaur Resource Center
- When: Sat., Nov. 20 from 11 a.m. - noon
- When: Sat., Nov. 20 from 1 - 2 p.m.
- Where: Library 21c Venue
Celebrate DINOvember with Pikes Peak Library District by attending the Dinosaur Resource Center program for kids ages 3 - 12! Come and learn about these amazing creatures that roamed the earth thousands of years ago.
- When: Fri., Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Where: All Library Locations
Make a habitat for a tiny dinosaur and decorate it with all kinds of fun supplies! Name your little dino and make sure to read it your favorite stories! For ages 5 - 12, while supplies last.
Virtual Puppet Show: Dinosaurs!
- When: Mon., Nov. 1 - Thu., Dec. 30
- Where: Virtual
ROAR! Do you want to be a dinosaur? Go back in time and discover the pre-historic steps of the gentle giants, primeval predators and leaping lizards that once stalked the earth. Fascinating dino-facts are revealed as erupting volcanoes, catchy tunes, and life-like puppets make this colossal creation come to life! Presented by the Center for Puppetry Arts. Duration 45 min.
DINOsources
PPLD is excited to announce that patrons will be able to use a certain number of supplies for free when they visit a Library
makerspace. Whether you want to engrave a family photo on the laser cutter, 3D print a replacement part for your vacuum cleaner, or just learn how to use an embroidery machine, there will be materials available for you to use to test out your designs and explore the space.
In every session, you will have access to:
- $1 worth (20 grams) of 3D printing.*
- 1 piece of wood for the laser cutter (6”x12”).
- 5 buttons for the button maker.
- 1 piece of wood for the CNC.
- 2 sheets of embroidery backing for the embroidery machine.
- 1 sheet of vinyl for the Silhouette Cameo or Curio die cutters.
*This amount is calculated from the standard $0.05 per gram rate for printing. Anything over that amount will be charged at the usual $0.05 per gram rate.
PPLD’s makerspaces can be found at:
- Library 21c: Make and Make II
- East Library: Make at East
- Sand Creek Library: Make at Sand Creek
- Manitou Springs Library: Make at Manitou Springs (Note: This does not apply to the Manitou Art Center’s makerspace.)
We hope to see you soon!
Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us. “I’m offended”….”How can I explain this to my kid?”….”This isn’t what I believe”….The idea that books that present these challenges should be taken off of the shelves, and the opposing assertion that all knowledge should be available to everyone, is the foundation of librarians’ favorite holiday week: Banned Books Week, Sat., Sept. 26 - Sat., Oct. 2.
Programs and PPLD Resources
Teens Eat: Book-tasting Get ready to sample books and snacks! You will be introduced to four different Banned Books that will each be paired with a related snack. Child and Young Adult Reading List
Banned Books
When you read a book or watch a movie, ever think to yourself “I’m offended” or ”How can I explain this to my kid?” or ”This isn’t what I believe”? Those thoughts are common and every library has something that offends someone. Banned Books Week is about keeping materials available for all – even if they offend someone. The American Library Association honors this tradition by taking the time to educate us all on intellectual freedom. Banned Books Week launched in the 1980s after a rise in challenging and banning controversial materials (including Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss).), In short, this is your right to read whatever you want, whether someone else agrees with it or not. So this Banned Books Week, go out and explore without limitations! Read the books that you want to read and find the information that you want to know whether it’s offensive, different, scary, magical, or anywhere in between!
The Top 10 National List The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 156 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2020. Of the 273 books that were targeted, here are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books:
- George by Alex Gino
- Reasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community”
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
- Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people
- All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
- Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now”
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author
- Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
- Reasons: Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and their negative effect on students
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Reasons: Challenged for profanity, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message
Check out challenged titles at PPLD.
Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) believes in freedom of information for all and does not practice censorship. The selection of Library materials is predicated on the patron's right to read and freedom from censorship by others. Library materials may be controversial and any given item may offend some person. Selections for the Library are made solely on the merits of the material, in relation to the development of a collection that serves the needs and interests of a diverse population. Community members are always welcome to submit a reconsideration request form for Library materials. Please see our Challenge Materials Policy for more information.
September highlights suicide prevention. The booklist link below has good resources for parents and children.
See also: https://nationaltoday.com/world-suicide-prevention-day/
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):
- 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.
- Stretch one layer of the plastic bag over the top of the cup and secure it with a rubber band.
- Find a specimen and put it in your cup through the hole. (A specimen is an insect, leaf, flower, etc.)
- Pour a small amount of water onto the plastic wrap. You want it to be a small pool.
- Look through the water at your specimen. The water has created a lens and magnifies your specimen.
- 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:
- If you'd like, decorate your tp tube.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- Cut out your cardstock circle. Poke a hole in the center. Decorate the circle using markers, stickers or anything else you have at home.
- 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!
The Friends of the PPLD holds two big book sales per year, typically in March and October.
Scheduled dates for 2023 are
- March 10, 11 and 12
- October 13, 14 and 15
Watch this space for details!
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove the backing from the sticker attached to the magnet and stick the magnet to the back of the paper circle.
- Congrats you have a magnet! Repeat for the second magnet.
Come dance under the sea with us! Twirl, jump, and jam out with family and friends as we celebrate our underwater friends - you might even see an octopus!
Costumes and dressing up are encouraged.
- When: Wed., Sep. 8 from 9:30 - 11 a.m.
- Where: Community Room
- Click here to register.
- When: Sat., Sep. 11 from 10 - 11 a.m.
- Where: Switchback Coffee Roasters Hillside, 917 E. Moreno St., 80903
- Click here for more information.
- When: Sat., Sep. 18 from 4 - 4:45 p.m.
- Where: Venue
- Click here for information.
- When: Wed., Sep. 29 from 11 - 11:30 a.m.
- Where: Columbine Meeting Room
- Click here for more information.
- When: Sat., Oct. 2 from 11 - 11:30 a.m
- Where: Banning Lewis Ranch, 8833 Vista Del Pico Blvd, 80927
- Click here for more information.
- When: Sat., Oct. 9 from 9:30 - 10 a.m.
- Click here for more information.
- When: Tue., Oct. 19 from 9 - 9:30 a.m.
- Click here for more information.
- When: Sat., Oct 30 from 10:30 - 11 a.m.
- Click here for more information.
*Registration required.
Coding is fun and very cool. Check out this list of coding books for tweens. Click on link below.
Photo by Marta Wave from Pexels
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:
- Add water to your balloon, don't fill the balloon, leave lots of room to tie the balloon closed.
- Cut the ends of the handles of the bags. Tie or rubber band them to the knotted end of a water balloon.
- Go outside and drop it from a high place to see if it breaks when it lands.
- Test and retest until your balloon breaks.
- 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/5o6RJm9AMGYNote: 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:
- 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.
- Use the safety pin or some tape to secure the clasp to something stable. You are now ready to start knotting!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
It's Colorado Springs 150th birthday this month! 150 years is a sesquicentennial birthday. To celebrate, PPLD children's staff gathered some great historical fiction for kids. The books touch on several different times and places in the history of our country. Click on the pdf link below to see the booklist.
Starting on Thu., July 1, 3D printers will be available for use during Open Hours through walk-ins and reservations at East Library, Library 21c, Sand Creek Library, and Manitou Springs Library! Learn about all equipment available here.
PPLD Makerspace Equipment is also available now at Manitou Springs Library. Learn more about what's available here.
Visit our 3D Printing LibGuide for more information.
PPLD is proud to announce the return of the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate Program! We will be accepting applications for the position from Thu., July 15 to Sun., Aug. 15. The Poet Laureate builds a literary arts community through poetry by developing an appreciation of written and performance poetry and inspiring and celebrating poetry and poets in the Pikes Peak Region with dynamic programs of engagement, advocacy, and education.
Click here to apply!
Printed applications can be submitted at any PPLD Location.
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_g0THNq4WIFilm 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:
- 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.)
- Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet in thirds.
- Fill your canister a third full of water.
- Quickly drop an Alka-Seltzer piece into your water and snap on the lid.
- Continuing to work quickly, turn the film canister upside down and place it on the ground. Step back 6 feet.
- In about 10 seconds, you will hear a pop and watch your canister fly!
- 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.
- 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?