Tag Archive for: diy-discovery

Katie H

Make Your Own Oobleck!

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Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid, a rule-breaker in the world of physics. It changes state from liquid to solid based on pressure. When force is applied, the liquid oobleck acts like a solid!

Kids can enjoy learning the science of non-Newtonian fluids, and experimenting with oobleck to discover its properties. Tap it, push it, try to pick it up, squeeze it into a ball, then let it go. Glide your fingers through it, stir it slowly, swish it around, pour it into another container. When does it act like a liquid? When is it solid?

Making and playing with oobleck requires creativity and imagination. The recipe is super simple, with just one main ingredient that you probably already have at home—cornstarch.

Oobleck Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 ½ cups of cornstarch
  • Food coloring or tempera paint (optional)

Preparation

  1. Pour the cornstarch into a mixing bowl
  2. For colorful oobleck, add a few drops of food coloring or tempera paint to your water.
  3. Add the water to the cornstarch slowly, mixing with your hands as you go. Keep adding water until the mixture feels like honey or slime and hardens when you tap on it.
Jill

Boredom Busters

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When is the best time to play on a pogo stick? Springtime!

While spring isn’t here quite yet, Spring Break is fast approaching, and with it a whole week of your kids looking for something fun to do. Here at the library we have lots of books with activity, experiment, craft, recipe, and game ideas for kids of all ages. Check out some ideas here.

We also have some great activity and craft videos from past years that demonstrate fun ideas to do with your family. Even though materials are no longer available from the library for most of these videos, you can still gather materials around your house and plan a fun crafting session with your family. Check out the playlist here.

Finally, the library is planning a week of activities for Spring Break including special scavenger hunts, take and make activity bags while supplies last, live online storytimes, and our always popular Family Bingo Online program. Learn more here!

Julia

Dice Game

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I love to write and illustrate my own stories, but am occasionally stuck for inspiration. This silly dice game is a fun way to spark your creativity! All you need to grab is one die, and writing or drawing tools.

Roll a Story / Roll a Drawing Printable (PDF)

You can also contact Youth Services for a program bag with all of the materials that you will need to complete this activity.

Call us at 715-839-5007 or send an email to Youth Services.

Julia

Dog Man Virtual Meet-Ups

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Hey, supa-buddies! Sarah Hatoff has an important report on Dog Man Virtual Meet-ups set for NEXT WEEK. Don’t forget to sign up!

Sign Up Link!

More information on this awesome event is available on our DIY Discovery page.

Julia

DIY Discovery: You’ve Got Mail

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Read more
Alisha

DIY Discovery: Book Munchers

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Read more
Julia

DIY Discovery: Create a Book Cover

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Thank you to Jason Reynolds, author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, for this project. This prompt comes from the Right. Write. Rite video series, part of Reynold’s Grab the Mic campaign.

Download this book cover template printable and gather items from home to create your project, or request a program bag with all the materials you need to do these activities by emailing Youth Services or calling us at 715-839-5007.

Looking for drawing tutorials? Check out this guide for drawing faces on the Poppy Kay Illustration blog or Jarrett Lerner’s guide to hand lettering and character design.

Bonus Project

Your story is an important part of history. For this reason, the Chippewa Valley Museum and the UWEC McIntyre Library are creating a public archive of the experiences and daily lives of community members about this time of COVID-19.

Their hope is to gather primary sources to help people in the future understand what life was like right now. A primary source is something that was created during or about a historical event made by someone who actually lived through that event. This could be a journal, a letter, a picture, a video, or even a book cover of your life.

Is your book cover impacted by your experiences during this current pandemic? Do you and your grown-ups feel comfortable sharing your personal experiences? If so, you may want to share an image of your book cover to the public archive project. Learn more and/or share your book cover to the archive project website:

http://uwec.ly/covid19project

 

Grown-ups: Do you find that the pandemic is a difficult subject to discuss? The Center for Disease Control has compiled useful resources for having conversations about the coronavirus with your children.

Jerissa

DIY Discovery: Time Capsule Journal

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Help your school-age child capture their most memorable moments this summer with our Time Capsule Journal. Filled with writing prompts, word finds, mad libs, and more, this activity journal will be a place for your child to record their thoughts, goals, and favorite memories as they live them during the summer of 2020. Store the completed journal in a safe place, and return to it and reminisce with your child in the future.

You may download and print the journal from home, or you can call Youth Services at 715-839-5007 to schedule an appointment to pick up a journal at the library, while supplies last.

Consider sharing photos of your child with their journal by emailing ysstaff@eauclaire.lib.wi.us. We would love to feature your pics on the Kids’ page of the library website.