Spring Break Inspiration
Hiking, Legos, Science: The Sky’s The Limit
By Becky Corning
Librarian, Pauline Robinson Branch
Looking for ideas to keep children busy and learning over Spring Break? Look no farther than your library. Along with fun programs to attend at the library (see gobs of possibilities below), check out the following books for lots of fun ideas for your littles, and not-so-littles.
Try a do-it-yourself walking tour of Denver. Walking Denver: 32 Tours of the Mile High City’s Best Urban Trails, Historic Architecture, and Cultural Highlights by Mindy Sink with Sophie Seymour will help you and the kids find new adventures and history in your own city.
Want to venture beyond the city? Part of the Ranger Rick’s Kids Guides series, Kids’ Guide to Hiking: All You Need to Know About Having Fun While Hiking by Helen Olsson covers topics such as outdoor clothing, packing for adventure, safety, and trail etiquette.
Produce your own electricity or defy gravity with a ping-pong ball. TheDadLab: 50 Awesome Science Projects for Parents and Kids by Sergei Urban will take you step-by-step through simple projects with an emphasis on science.
Use a body wash bottle to make a rocket ship or a juice box to make an owl. In Project Kid: Crafts that Go!: 60 Imaginative Projects that Fly, Sail, Race, and Dive, author Amanda Kingloff provides step-by-step photographs and instructions.
Explore electronics. Learn how to work with supplies like conductive thread and sewable LEDs in The Crafty Kid’s Guide to DIY Electronics: 20 Fun Projects for Makers, Crafters, and Everyone in Between by Helen Leigh. The book also includes interviews with four inspiring makers.
If you have some basic Legos, try something new from Genius LEGO Inventions with Bricks You Already Have: 40 New Robots, Vehicles, Contraptions, Gadgets, Games and Other Fun STEM Creations by Sarah Dees. Dees provides projects such as a robot with moving legs or a Lego pinball machine you can make from scratch.
Pauline Robinson Events
Tech Help Appointments | Tuesdays, noon-1 p.m.
Get technology assistance from one of our in-house experts on your own device or a public computer. Learn the basics, such as email, social networking, word processing and eMedia. Call the library at 720-865-0290 to schedule an appointment for Tuesday.
Preschool Storytime | Wednesdays, March 4, 11, 18, 25, 10:30 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for 3-5 year olds and their parents or caregivers.
Drop-In Tech Help |Saturdays, March 7, 14, 21, 28 noon-1:30 p.m.
Learn how to use tech more effectively. Get help navigating the internet, email and social networks. Learn how to access ebooks on any device and get you phone and tablet questions answered.
Fired Up & Ready to Go: The Photography of Patricia Duncan |Saturday, March 14, 2 p.m.– 3 p.m.
Local photographer Patricia Duncan shares her never-seen-before photos of Barack Obama, who served as a U.S. Senator and was elected 44th president of the United States. Duncan is the author of A Defining Moment: Barack Obama: The Historical Journey to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and Defining the Times: Barack Obama The Historic Journey of the first African American President through the Eyes of a Colorado Photographer.
Dementia 101: Knowing the Landscape, Reducing the Risk | Thursday, March 19, 1 p.m.
This free one-hour program covers the most current understanding and science of Alzheimer’s and dementia – causes and treatment – and touches on what to do if you are a caregiver and a patient. It also goes through what you can do to reduce risk. An excellent introduction to the topic.
The Pauline Robinson Book Club | Saturday, March 28, noon
This month’s selection: No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts.
Drop-ins are welcome.
Park Hill Branch Events
All Ages Storytime | Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for children of all ages and their parents or caregivers. Craft activity immediately follows the program.
Baby Storytime | Thursdays and Fridays at 11:15 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for babies ages 0-18 months and their caregivers. Play and social time immediately follow the program.
Toddler Storytime | Fridays at 10:30 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for toddlers ages 18-36 months and their caregivers.
Plots, Naughts and Sticky Spots | Wednesdays, March 4, 11, 18, 25, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Do you start writing a story only to find yourself completely lost by page 3? Are you not sure where your plot is going? Is it difficult to get your ideas on the page? Then join local writer and editor S.E. Fleenor for this four-week series of workshops covering everything that goes wrong when writing fiction, memoir, and nonfiction.
Make Your Own Toys | Friday, March 6, 4:30 p.m.
Make clothespin dolls or soldiers, yarn dolls and/or string phones inspired by the toys played with during the 1930s.
No Strings Attached Book Chat | Saturday, March 7, 11 a.m.
Read whatever you want and attend whenever you can. Share a recent read, an old favorite, or anything in between.
Needle in a Bookstack | Saturday, March 7, 2 p.m.
Come practice your needlecraft with friends and neighbors. This is a drop-in craft group designed for moderate help/instruction in knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and hand stitched craft projects. Please bring your own project and supplies.
Make Your Own Cards | Monday, March 9, 2 p.m.
Like to keep in touch the old-fashioned way? Why not send a letter using your own personalized stationery? Make your own cards with our fancy paper press! Variety of colors and patterns available.
Teen Advisory Board (TAB) | Tuesdays, March 10 and 24 at 6 p.m.
Join the Park Hill TAB. Help plan events and projects, talk about your favorite books, music, movies and make your opinion count. Plus snacks. Ideal for ages 13-18.
Up
in
the
Air
Vaudeville Show | Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m.
Come experience entertainment similar to that from around 100 years ago when Peter Davison presents Up in the Air, a show inspired by vaudeville shows of old. Great for adults, kids, teens – everyone!
Conversation for the Ages: The Past | Saturday, March 14, 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
What do we owe to each other? How do we talk about what matters most? Engage in one or all of our monthly discussions using classic and contemporary texts as springboards for talking about pressing issues.
Kids’ Book Club | Tuesday, March 17, 3:30 p.m.
Read this month’s book Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl by Debbi M. Florence at home and be ready to talk about it. We will have a hands-on drumming lesson from two Taiko “drummer girls” for our activity.
R.A.D.A. Inspired Workshop: Talking with Kids About Microaggressions | Saturday, March 21, 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
How do we talk to the children in our lives about race, social justice and equity? In these interactive workshops, adults will explore their own messages about race, and discuss strategies that engage children in meaningful dialogue. Workshops are facilitated by members of Denver Public Library’s Read. Awareness. Dialogue. Action. (R.A.D.A.) book discussion group and is ideal for parents, caregivers and educators. This session will focus on microaggressions. Drop in for a single event, or attend them all. A children’s activity, ideal for ages 3-8, accompanies each workshop.
Play and Explore | Monday, March 23, 10 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
Play with us! Enjoy unstructured play and social time for children and their caregivers. Ideal for ages 12 months to 5 years, accompanied by an adult. Dress for mess and do some finger painting to celebrate the 1930s with us.
The Buzz About Pollinators | Saturday, March 28, 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
Join us as EarthLinks delves into the world of pollinators beyond honeybees, and walk away with ideas for how you can provide habitat for these critical and threatened creatures.
Butterfly Balloon Craft | Tuesday, March 31, 3:30 p.m.
It’s Spring Break! Paint a butterfly balloon (paper lantern) to decorate your room.