Are you ready for a LEGO Building Challenge? We sure are!
Create ten LEGO objects (cars, animals, buildings), then hide them around your house for a scavenger hunt! No LEGOs? No problem! Use any materials you have to complete the challenge.
As always, we’d love to see your photos! Email photos of your completed challenge to ysstaff@eauclaire.lib.wi.us. Your photo may be featured right here, on our Kids website, soon.
– Julia, Youth Services
We have a new Try-It Tray this week! Create your own clowder of Cardboard Cats using just cardboard, yarn, and your creativity. Snap a pic and send it to us – we love to see your imagination at work! Your picture may be featured right here, on our Kids website.
This Try-It Tray activity is sweet and simple. Make it with just some cardboard, yarn, and creativity. Or adapt it to materials you have in your home, like an old paper bag for the kitty and crayons for the clothes. I used fabric torn into strips for the example to the left. Have fun and use what you’ve got!
If you do use cardboard, keep the shape simple and large enough to cut easily with a scissors. I made all straight cuts in the example above. 
Keep the bottom of the cat flat so that you can make two small, upward cuts along the bottom to form the paws on either side and a tab in the middle that can be folded back into a stand for your cat. The face you draw and the clothes you create will make your cat one of a kind!
Alternative idea: Be a rebel and make a dog!
-Sam, Youth Services
Parents, do the words, “Do you want to play with me?” secretly make you want to take a nap? Parent Play & Learn is back with a project that is sure to spark playtime joy for you and your children.
Tip 1: Delight in sending and receiving letters to and from your kiddos. Visit the link below for ideas on setting up this space in your home.
Tip 2: This activity is an opportunity to develop essential early literacy skills like print awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, and more.
Send us your pics of what pretend play looks like at your house!
-Jerissa, Youth Services
Art is a creative and engaging process that helps develop important skills. Bring more art into your home by exploring COLLAGE with your family. Be sure to talk about the process, play with the materials, and share your collage-making pics with us by email.
Tip 1: Build your child’s vocabulary and narrative skills by making observations and asking open-ended questions about their work.
Tip 2: Help your child develop a growth mindset and understand that success comes from practice by celebrating their effort.
Need inspiration? You can find 50+ collage art ideas from the Artful Parent here: https://artfulparent.com/collage-art-ideas-kids/
-Jerissa, Youth Services
Parents, Preschool STEM is back this week with a fun math activity! Early math skills can be incorporated into many simple activities. This “Money Muncher” activity includes lots of math skills. Colors, shapes, sizes, counting, sorting, and measuring by identifying what is bigger or smaller…this is all early math! Let us know how it went, and share a pic with your “Muncher” creation. Pictures may be featured on our Kids website!
Looking for a fun activity to do with your kids? The Try-it Tray is a great place at the library for kids to try out crafts and games, and we are bringing those ideas online for you to try at home.
We’d love to see your story cards and hear the stories you create, so please comment below, or email us comments and photos at ysstaff@eauclaire.lib.wi.us. Happy making!
Story Cards Instructions (pdf)
Our popular Preschool STEM series is now online! Discover solids, liquids, and even the in-between with your kids in this science experiment. If you have cornstarch and water then you’re all set!
Oobleck: solids, liquids, and in between.
1. A liquid is something that can be poured. Find things that are liquid around your house. What other liquids can you think of?
2. Solids cannot be poured. What can you find around your house or outside that are solids?
3. There is also something in between a solid and a liquid called a suspension. Sometimes a suspension appears to be a liquid and a solid.
4. Oobleck is a suspension. Make your own Oobleck!
5. Stir together 2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup of water.
6. Experiment with the Oobleck. How does it act like a solid? How does it act as a liquid?
It’s time for a LEGO Building Challenge! We may not be able to meet in-person for LEGO Club, but we can still build together, virtually.
Build your ultimate LEGO playground! No LEGOs? No problem! Use any materials you have to complete the challenge.
As always, we’d love to see your photos! Email photos of your completed challenge to ysstaff@eauclaire.lib.wi.us. Your photo may be featured right here, on our Kids website, soon.
– Julia, Youth Services
