Summer will pack a lot of different options for interaction here at the library; we are gearing up to offer another great Summer Learning Program.
Oceans of Possibilities is the theme for this year and that means lots of ocean themed stories, crafts and activities. We’ll be offering a wide variety of programs and materials this summer to encourage ocean exploration: family art projects, STEAM outside, NTRL zine, cooking and tons of books to read.
We’ll offer art kits, crafts, and experiments for families to pick up and take home. We will also offer outdoor activities with our zine writing program, experiments outside and our early childhood Fresh Air storytimes. We will also offer some activities indoors like drop-in programming that can be enjoyed at any time when visiting the library and the return of cooking programs.
This year, you’ll be able to log books and activities you’ve completed using Beanstack. Beanstack can be accessed through a portal on our website or downloaded as an app to your device. This website allows users to log the books they’ve read, complete activities and challenges, and earn virtual badges and tickets for prize raffles. There will be a diverse group of gift cards prizes to choose from, so we encourage every member of the family to participate! Click here for more information about Beanstack and how to turn your summer learning into prizes.
Find all of our program descriptions, dates, and registration links below by scrolling down or jump to a specific activity using the following menu:
Registration links can be found next to the date of the program if applicable.
Maker Mondays Take Home Kits for Tweens and Teens
Every Monday starting with June 13th
Families will be able to enjoy kits from our makerspace. These kits can be requested online or on the phone and will be placed in the library’s lobby for weekly pick-up. Each week is requested separately. Please note that the last two editions of this activity will be in-person.
June 13: LED Flashlight. Use a mini LED light, battery, and craft materials to make a small flashlight
June 20: Hexagon Shelves. Use wooden craft sticks and glue to create mini shelves
June 27: Woven Coasters. Learn a weaving technique to design your own coaster
July 5: CD Wreath. Design an iridescent wall hanging with recycled discs
July 11: Crayon Wax Art. Melt crayons to create a unique piece of art
July 18: Window Cling Art. Use tissue and contact paper to make “stained glass” window decorations
July 25: (In-person program – 2:30 – 4: 30 pm) Amigurumi Jellyfish, Part 1. Learn how to start crocheting a small jellyfish
August 1: (In-person program – 2:30 – 4: 30 pm) Amigurumi Jellyfish, Part 2. Put the finishing touches on your crocheted jellyfish
Build-It/Tree Pittsburgh/PPG Tuesdays
Every Tuesday starting the week of June 20th
Bring your best building skills to the library! Our friends at Lowe’s and Home Depot have donated building kits that can be assembled with a hammer. Two different kits will be available on two separate dates for each kit. Please wear old clothes that can get dust or paint on them.
Tree Pittsburgh will stop by for two outdoor adventures at the library while PPG will be here for our final Tuesday of summer learning to guide us through some chemistry activities.
June 21: Wooden Seed Planter. Build a small planter and fill it up with dirt and seeds and take it home to watch your flowers grow. Join us at the library and bring your best building skills. We have received building kits from our friends at Lowe’s and Home Depot and you get to put these kits together using a hammer. We have 2 different kits but we’ll offer two separate dates for each kit. Make sure to wear clothes that aren’t too fancy, they might get dust or paint on them. For children ages 5 & up. Registration is required.
June 28: Tool Box. Build a small tool box and paint it your own way. Join us at the library and bring your best building skills. We have received building kits from our friends at Lowe’s and Home Depot and you get to put these kits together using a hammer. We have 2 different kits but we’ll offer two separate dates for each kit. Make sure to wear clothes that aren’t too fancy, they might get dust or paint on them. For children ages 5 & up. Registration is required.
July 5: Tree Pittsburgh: Animals and Trees. Start off with a story reading about our local animals and then head outdoors to investigate animal fur, skulls, and scat. Learn about the connections animals have with our local trees. All ages. Registration is required
July 12: Wooden Seed Planter. Build a small planter and fill it up with dirt and seeds and take it home to watch your flowers grow. Join us at the library and bring your best building skills. We have received building kits from our friends at Lowe’s and Home Depot and you get to put these kits together using a hammer. We have 2 different kits but we’ll offer two separate dates for each kit. Make sure to wear clothes that aren’t too fancy, they might get dust or paint on them. For children ages 5 & up. Registration is required.
July 19: Tool Box. Build a small tool box and paint it your own way. Join us at the library and bring your best building skills. We have received building kits from our friends at Lowe’s and Home Depot and you get to put these kits together using a hammer. We have 2 different kits but we’ll offer two separate dates for each kit. Make sure to wear clothes that aren’t too fancy, they might get dust or paint on them. For children ages 5 & up. Registration is required.
July 26: Tree Pittsburgh: All about Insects! Discover the amazing world of insects and go on a bug collection walk outside of the library. Learn what makes an insect special and preserve a specimen to take home. All ages. Registration is required
August 2: PPG Science Discovery. Join us at the library and enjoy a hands-on demonstration of a variety of chemical compounds and reactions. Our friends at PPG will visit and invite participants to engage in interesting scientific principles. For ages 5 & up and their families. Registration is required.
Art Club Take Home Kits
Every Tuesday starting the week of June 13th
Art kits for those ages 5 and up. A new project will be available every Tuesday and can be requested online or over the phone. Kits will be placed in the library’s lobby for weekly pick-up. Each week is requested separately.
June 14: Moon Jelly. A simple collaborative paper art project based on the moon jellyfish.
June 21: Umbrella Octopus. A simple collaborative paper art project based on the umbrella octopus.
June 28: Whale Shark. A simple collaborative paper art project based on the whale shark.
July 5: Spotted Garden Eel. A simple collaborative paper art project based on the spotted garden eel.
July 12: Pufferfish. A simple collaborative paper art project based on the pufferfish.
July 19: Clownfish. A simple collaborative paper art project based on the clownfish.
July 26: Striped Beakfish. A simple collaborative paper art project based on the striped beakfish.
August 2: Spider Crab. A simple collaborative paper art project based on the spider crab.
Drop-in Weekly Programming
Available at any time during library hours
One new engaging activity each week will be at the round table by the teen area. All members of the family are encouraged to participate!
Week of June 14: Ocean Coloring pages. Enjoy a selection of coloring pages, pens and markers and enjoy some time just coloring
Week of June 21: Fish Tails. Using a cupcake liners, cut out a nice tail for your fish.
Week of June 28: Shell Patterns. Create a cool pattern to decorate the paper shells.
Week of July 5: Comics Under Water. Create a three-panel comic to share a short story. One condition: it has to happen underwater.
Week of July 12: Ocean Poem. Use your poetic skills to write a short poem about the ocean, the sea, marine animals or the beach.
Week of July 19: Origami. Fold origami paper into an ocean creature.
Week of July 26: Ocean Books. What books do you love about the ocean? What books do you like to read at the beach? Tell us about them
Week of August 2: Thumbprint Ocean Creatures. Use your thumbprints to recreate sea animals or come up with a deep-sea creature of your own invention.
Fresh Air Playtime and Storytime
Every Wednesday and Thursday, 6/13/2022 – 8/6/2022, at 10:30am
Family storytime is moving outside! We suggest bringing a blanket or camping chairs so you can sit on the lawn nice and dry. We also promote bringing a rattle or another noise making toy as well. In case of rain, we will move inside to the program room on the upper level. Registration links below:
STEAM Outside
Wednesdays 3:00 – 5:00pm
Join us for a STEAM activity outside, weather permitting.
June 15: Candle Making. We’ll be melting wax and pouring to make simple jar candles.
June 22: Poured Resin Project. We’ll use resin to make a coaster with beachy vibes.
June 29: Bath Fizzies. Make a fizzy bath bomb, you’ll select the color and the fragrance
July 6: Paint Pouring. Learn about paint pouring and create a unique artwork.
July 13: Polymer Clay Modeling. Come and enjoy polymer clay and make an ocean themed figurine to take home.
July 20: Soap Making. You’ll get to choose different colors and scents for your own bar of soap.
July 27: Cardboard Creations. Using cardboard and other recycled materials create a tool, gadget or item made out of cardboard.
August 3: Silk-screen printing. Learn the basics of screen-printing. You can even bring a t-shirt to make your own design.
The Digital vs. Analog Showdown
Thursdays 2:30 – 4:00 pm
Who will win? Trick Question. You do… when you build, play and explore with either or both of our digital & analog activities designed for creative learning. Some activities will even send you home with an item you made yourself! This a self-directed program.
June 16: Seed starters and Beebots. Let’s get started by planting the seed of learning. Too cornnnnnn-y for you? That’s quite alright, we’re actually going to be planting succulents this first week as well as playing with bee-bots, our programmable little bee robots.
June 23: Crayon Art & Paper Circuits. What are the stylish drips you’ll see at this program? They are from melted crayons that you will use to create a piece of art. Coupled with that activity will be paper circuits. These circuits are made using copper tape to design a path to light an LED bulb.
June 30: Button Maker & Botly. In this week’s showdown, we’ll be making wearable buttons and thinkering with our Botly Robots. You can program the Botly Robots into following paths, knocking down obstacles and making noises.
July 7: Perler Beads & Makey-Makeys. Yarrrrr, who wants to parlay with me beads? No, you silly pirate. We’ll work with perler beads, the ones you stick together with heat to make cool designs. We’ll also be designing digital controllers using a Makey-Makey, cardboard and other unusual objects to play video games or play music online
July 14: Legos & Marble Maze. We’ll take a tumble into the world of computer programming, by challenging ourselves with a Turing Tumble, a toy like the game Plinko from the Price is Right but modified by computer science logic. In addition, our Lego collection will be out and about to build other maze structures.
July 21: Clay modeling & Squishy Circuits. It’s all about the squish! Squish this and squish that with our clay modeling analog activity as well as our squishy circuits for the digital activity. Squishy circuits are a conductive clay that can be shaped into creative patterns to light up LED bulbs.
July 28: Beads + Pipe Cleaners & HEXBUGs. What’s bugging you today? Maybe HEXBUGs; electronic bugs that zoom around, flip over, and do all sorts of things in an unpredictable manner. We’ll try our best to get these bugs to go through mazes decorated with beads, pipe cleaners, and other craft items.
August 4: Strawbees & Sphero. The letter of the day is S for Strawbees & Sphero. With the Strawbees kit, you’ll be able to construct intricate 3D structures and other creative designs. The Sphero is a remote-controlled robot that you get to maneuver around using an app while simultaneously showing you the code behind how it works the way you’ve told it to.
Teen Thursdays
Dates Below
Special in-person group games where we’ll all guess who is the devious player or players in our midst.
Thursday, June 30, 5:30 – 7pm: Among Us. There is an impostor among us, and they’re bringing down the ship! Can you suss out who’s sabotaging you and finish your tasks in time? Kids ages 10-18 can join us for this after-hours program where we play a live-action version of the popular mystery game. We’ll also make and eat a snack! Registration is required.
Thursday, July 28, 5:30 – 7pm: Werewolf. Your small, idyllic town is being plagued by werewolf attacks! Can you figure out who the werewolves are and save the village? Kids ages 10-18 can join us for this after-hours program. We’ll also make and eat a snack! Registration is required.
NTRLZINE
Fridays, June 17 – August 5 at 11:00am
NTRLZINE is based on the DIY aesthetic of online magazines and made to share creative works from our community as a scrapbook of our Summer Learning Program. This program is open to all ages and abilities. Each week, we will gather for brainstorming and creation sessions. Snacks and a variety of art supplies will be provided. Submissions will be compiled and published at the end of the summer. Feel free to participate remotely, too! Simply share your contributions via email northerntiersrc@gmail.com
June 17: NTRLZINE Cover Design. Share your ideas for the Cover of our NTRLZINE Project
June 24: Libraries Are For… Use words, pictures, and illustrations to create your own page about what libraries represent to you.
July 1: Patterns. Create your own unique patterns by coloring, or learning how to draw your own.
July 8: Top Ten List. Create a top-ten list of your favorite things. Rank your books, movies, artists, and songs.
July 15: Art & Doodles. Good or bad, we want to see your artistic creations! We’ll have tips and activities to help you start doodling.
July 22: Collage & Button Making. Assemble words and pictures to collage a new whole! You may also use supplies to make your own buttons.
July 29: Book Face Day. Search for and strategically lining up your face or body alongside a book cover to match up combining real life and cover art.
August 5: Photographs. Show us what great moments you’ve captured, and submit your best photos from this summer.
Community Art Project
Every other week starting June 13th
Any time you visit the library, you will get the chance to add an element to any of our ongoing community created art installations. Come on in and create!
Week of June 13: Under the Sea. Help us create an under-the-sea ambience in our children’s area.
Week of June 27: Lego Community. Get a piece of Lego every time you visit our library and add it to our Lego communal project.
Week of July 11: Pixel Art. Help us uncover the image by adding pixels to the poster.
Week of July 25: Beach Houses. Using an envelope add a house to our growing beach community.
Friday Cooking Club
Fridays at two different afternoon times
Four different areas of cooking (and eating!) will be explored this summer. We will offer a new module every two weeks. 4 sessions of the same program will be offered on two consecutive Fridays. Session A will be at 1:00 pm and Session B will be at 2:30 pm. Participants can sign up to the time and date that is most convenient for each of our four modules. You should only sign up for four cooking classes total, one for each module: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, and Dessert. Ages: 7 & up.
Module 1: Breakfast – Friday, June 17 1:00pm or Friday, June 17 2:30pm
Module 1: Breakfast – Friday, June 24 1:00pm or Friday, June 24 2:30pm
Module 2: Lunch – Friday, July 1, 1:00pm or Friday, July 1, 2:30pm
Module 2: Lunch – Friday, July 8, 1:00pm or Friday, July 8, 2:30pm
Module 3: Snacks – Friday, July 15, 1:00pm or Friday, July 15, 2:30pm
Module 3: Snacks – Friday, July 22, 1:00pm or Friday, July 22, 2:30pm
Module 4: Dessert – Friday, July 29, 1:00pm or Friday, July 29, 2:30pm
Module 4: Dessert – Friday, August 5, 1:00pm or Friday, August 5th, 2:30pm
Summer Learning Bash
August 6, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Come and celebrate the end of our Summer Learning Program! We’ll have crafts and snacks. You’ll be able to claim your free book, play games, make crafts, and enjoy a jump in the bouncy castle! We will offer tons of activities for the entire community to celebrate this accomplishment together.