Exploring STEAM with "Brainy" Bill Louden
Late last fall, the Crown Heights Library hosted several STEAM programs presented by science edutainer “Brainy” Bill Louden. From exploring the states of matter, to digging for fossils to spoopy science, Brainy Bill made the learning experience accessible and fun for all! We hope to see more of Brainy Bill this summer as we explore “A Universe of Stories”.Just for fun, we thought we’d get to know him better and ask him some mostly serious questions.What exactly is an "edutainer"?An edutainer gets to bring the best of both 'edu'cation and enter'tainment' to each event. Science can be difficult…
Book Talk: Children's Picture Books About Mindfulness
Despite its status as a buzzword these days, mindfulness is an essential life tool. Studies show that people of all ages benefit from mindfulness practices. Children who learn these tools are able to focus better in school, they are less anxious, more confident and creative, and more likely to become leaders among their peers. By instilling mindfulness in children at a young age, they will be able to carry these lessons with them into adulthood as old friends, instead of struggling to create new habits as is often the case when we are already grown. This list is by no means exhaustive, but…
Kids Create: The Kindness Rock Project
As Summer Reading 2017, Build A Better World came to a close, young patrons at the Crown Heights Library participated in a program to create their own “kindness rocks”. Inspired by The Kindness Rocks Project, participants created their own rocks with positive, uplifting messages to inspire all those who gaze upon them. The rocks were installed as an inspirational rock garden at the front of the library building. There were about 18 participants during the scheduled program and each person made several rocks. There were unpainted rocks leftover so we invited other patrons to decorate the…
You are YOU-nique!
Sometimes creating your own path or doing things your own way is difficult but it is ultimately rewarding. These picture books caught my eye not only because they are fun and quirky, but they also inspire individuality and encourage kids to embrace their differences. All make for great read-alouds and are suitable for kids from pre-K to about first grade. More and more inclusive, diverse and mindful books are being written for children these days. Most of the books on this list are fairly recent publications. For more suggestions, check out these other lists by Brooklyn Public Library…
Build a Better World: Keith Haring
Once a month, for the past several months, Crown Heights Library has been holding a Kids Create: Artist Highlight program. During these programs, we learn briefly about a famous artist, utilizing books and databases from the library, and proceed to make an art project in the style of the chosen artist. Since January, we have covered Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Georgia O’Keefe, George Seurat, and Henri Matisse. When faced with the choice of who to feature in June, I took several things into consideration. First, this was to be the final such program before the summer, when I planned to…