Archives for Kids

STEAM at Home: Fireworks in a Jar

STEAM at Home: Fireworks in a Jar

Today we are going to do a simple project making fireworks in a jar. This is cool and quite fun to watch, and a simple lesson in liquid density. Materials: Glass Jar or Glass (make sure it is clear) Small Dish Cooking Oil Food Dye (3 or 4 colors) Toothpick Water Getting Started: Fill the glass jar with water, but leave some room at the top. Take your little dish and cover the bottom with cooking oil. Add 3-5 drops of food coloring, keeping the drops separate. Take your toothpick and dab the drops of food coloring to break them
Read More

October 5, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM at home, STEAM learning, STEM, and videos.

Celebrate Eat Better, Eat Together Month

Celebrate Eat Better, Eat Together Month

Food is a delicious part of life, made even more delicious when shared with family and friends. October is Eat Better, Eat Together Month so here you’ll find books to tickle your funny bone and recipes to make you the best chef ever. Read the stories out loud while eating your favorite treats or surprise your loved ones with your new delicious recipes. Either way, may you have “good fun and good eats!” You may think that the biggest benefit of eating together as a family is to ensure everyone has food in their stomachs. However, sharing meals does more
Read More

October 2, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, cookbooks, Eat Better Eat Together Month, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Diwali: A Celebration of Light

Diwali: A Celebration of Light

Diwali, or Dipawali, is India‘s biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians. Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that's also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji,
Read More

October 2, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, diwali, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, and virtual book display.

STEAM at Home: Human Robot

STEAM at Home: Human Robot

This week’s STEAM At Home project will teach you a little about coding, without needing a computer. Materials: Printable Scratch Blocks (or you can make your own!) Paper Scissors Tape – scotch and masking tape Pen Another Person Background: Scratch.mit is a website used for teaching simple coding and computational thinking. You drag and drop blocks into your work area to create a program, the coding is done in the background. They use visuals, simple language, and a snapping feature to fit your blocks together, making it easy to write a computer program. You need a computer and internet connection
Read More

October 1, 2020 2:17 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: coding, STEAM, STEAM at home, STEAM learning, STEM, and videos.

Race Consciousness: Recommended Reading, Part 2

Race Consciousness: Recommended Reading, Part 2

On Wednesday October 21st, Sachi Feris of the blog Raising Race Conscious Children will lead a workshop to help parents and caregivers learn how to talk about race with young children. Each week until the workshop, I’ll share an article or resource to help you begin thinking about some related topics. Recommended Reading, Part 1 Recommended Reading, Part 3 Recommended Reading, Part 4 This week, I’m sharing a New York Times article: “These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids.” While the article was written in early June, it’s still relevant. Author Jessica Grose interviewed a
Read More

September 30, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Antiracism, caregiver, children, parenting, parents, raising race conscious children, The Trove, and White Plains Library Foundation.

Mental Illness Awareness Week: Chapter Books

Mental Illness Awareness Week: Chapter Books

White Plains is a wonderfully diverse community! Parents, children and teens have expressed an interest in titles that reflect the diversity in the community, and Ashley, Kathlyn, and Raquel's “Dive Into Diversity” column will spotlight noteworthy children's and teen titles that are inclusive, diverse and multicultural to fulfill that interest. Ashley's portion is aimed at readers in grades 4-6. The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller For children in grades 3-7. OverDrive: Audio & eBook Just a few months ago, seventh grader Natalie Napoli’s mother was Mom. Lately though, she’s been Not-Mom. Her mother used to be so bubbly
Read More

September 24, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: chapter books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, mental illness, Mental Illness Awareness Week, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Mental Illness Awareness Week

Mental Illness Awareness Week

Mental Illness Awareness Week was established in 1990 by the U.S. Congress in recognition of efforts by the National Alliance on Mental Illness to educate and increase awareness about mental illness. It takes place every year during the first full week of October. In her Publisher’s Weekly article, “Mental Health and Middle Graders,” Shannon Maughan writes, “A 2019 article in JAMA Pediatrics cites data revealing that one in six youths ages six to 17 experience a mental health disorder in a given year, and that in 2016, 16.5% of U.S. youths ages six to 17 (7.7 million people) experienced a
Read More

September 24, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, mental health, Mental Illness Awareness Week, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom is a series of picture books written by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by G. Brian Karas. What I love about this series is that they provide educational lessons and also social emotional lessons for children. Each book follows the kids in Mr. Tiffin’s classroom as they take part in classroom learning, such as the math lessons
Read More

September 24, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: autumn, back to school, children's literature, fall, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

STEAM at Home: How Strong is Spaghetti?

STEAM at Home: How Strong is Spaghetti?

How strong is spaghetti? In this STEAM project, we’ll use a foam block as a base for long strands of dry spaghetti. Then, we’ll balance various objects on top of the spaghetti to see how much weight it can support. This is a great opportunity to test out different variables and see what happens! For this project, you only need spaghetti and a piece of foam. I didn’t have styrofoam, so I used a yoga block instead. You can begin by taking a piece of spaghetti and pushing one end into the foam block, letting it stand alone. Have your
Read More

September 23, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, Library News, and Uncategorized.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, and STEM.

Summer of Making Recap

Summer of Making Recap

Earlier this year, the Library was very happy to learn that Verisk Analytics would continue supporting our Summer of Making programs during the pandemic. We also received funds from Con Edison to support two weeks of afternoon programming this summer as well. This year we faced a big challenge: how to offer these programs virtually. The Library hired two Edge-ucators to run our virtual programs for teenagers. Carolina Melo grew up in White Plains and graduated from White Plains High School. She recently graduated from Parsons School of Design with an MFA. Michael Brand is a student at Iona College
Read More

September 22, 2020 11:40 am | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Con Edison, STEAM, STEAM learning, STEM, Summer of Making, Verisk Analytics, and White Plains Library Foundation.

STEAM at Home: Cloud in a Jar

STEAM at Home: Cloud in a Jar

This week’s STEAM At Home project is weather science. We will be learning about how clouds are formed and make a cloud in a jar. Materials: Jar with lid (mason jars work really well) Ice Hot Water Pollutant (I used hairspray) Procedure: Heat up ⅓ cup of water. Poor the water into the jar, and swoosh it around the sides carefully so the glass heats up. Take the lid and turn it upside down, and fill it with ice cubes. Place the lid on top of the jar (still upside down so the ice cubes don’t fall into the jar).
Read More

September 21, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, STEAM learning, STEM, and videos.

Trove StoryWalk: Steamboat School

Trove StoryWalk: Steamboat School

Get ready to step back in time as you take a walk along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the Library Plaza. Follow the panels and read, The Steamboat School: Inspired by a True Story by Deborah Hopkinson. In 1847, the Missouri law stated that “No person shall keep any school for the instruction of negroes or mulattoes, reading or writing, in this State.” However, teacher, Reverend John Berry Meachum, and his students refused to accept discrimination based on skin color. Read how Reverend Meachum opened the “Floating Freedom School” on a steamboat in the middle of the Mississippi
Read More

September 18, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: STEAM activities, Steamboat School, storywalk, The Trove, The World is Waiting for You, and Trove StoryWalk.

Talk Like a Pirate Day: Swashbuckling Reads

Talk Like a Pirate Day: Swashbuckling Reads

Ahoy, me hearties! Avast! Get yar stern to a comfy couch or deserted isle, prop up yer peg leg and get to reading some of these thar piratical reads!  Before I make ye walk the plank! Saturday, September 19th is International Talk like a Pirate Day. When you're finished reading, try one of these Seafaring Activities or else you'll have to swab the deck ye scurvy dog! Picture Books The Pirate Princess by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen Some princesses may like tea and fancy parties, but Princess Bea would prefer sailing upon the briney deep in this tale of girl power on the
Read More

September 17, 2020 12:10 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book recommendations, eBooks, fun, Observances and Celebrations, staff recommendations, and Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Talk Like a Pirate Day: Seafaring Activities

Talk Like a Pirate Day: Seafaring Activities

Ahoy, me hearties! Blimey! Saturday, September 19th is International Talk like a Pirate Day! Although pirates were once considered to be dangerous, today they are often parodied in books and films (just think of the Pirates of the Caribbean films). Did you know that many of the words we use today, such as chopsticks, posse, and barbecue were introduced by a pirate named William Damper? In addition to being a pirate, Damper was also an amateur historian and the first person to circumnavigate the world three times. When ye need a bit of a respite from these adventurous activities, take yar
Read More

September 17, 2020 11:51 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: activities, arts & crafts, crafts, eBooks, fun, Observances and Celebrations, staff recommendations, STEAM activities, and Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Chapter Books

Hispanic Heritage Month: Chapter Books

White Plains is a wonderfully diverse community! Parents, children and teens have expressed an interest in titles that reflect the diversity in the community, and Ashley, Kathlyn, and Raquel's “Dive Into Diversity” column will spotlight noteworthy children's and teen titles that are inclusive, diverse and multicultural to fulfill that interest. Ashley's portion is aimed at readers in grades 4-6. Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres For children in grades 3-6. Hoopla: Audiobook OverDrive: Audiobook & eBook There’s a lot going on for seventh grader Stef Soto! She’d love for the kids at school to stop calling her Taco Queen
Read More

September 16, 2020 10:59 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, Hispanic Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, The Trove, and virtual book display.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15th to October 15th. The month-long celebration recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. The day of September 15th is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September
Read More

September 15, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, Hispanic Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. Now, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with the books that came before these two titles, but in both cases my daughter absolutely loved the sequel, and was sort of meh about the first one in comparison. Sometimes, I think it is that perhaps the creators have a better sense of the characters and the best story
Read More

September 10, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Autumn: Children’s Books

Autumn: Children’s Books

Autumn is the season of shorter days, frosty nights, delicious apples, pumpkins, cranberries and more. The sweaters come out, the animals prepare for hibernation and we watch the leaves falling to the ground. Families get cozy together to celebrate the bounty and togetherness. However you decide to enjoy the season, make sure you take advantage of everything autumn has to offer. eBooks in OverDrive: Over in the Forest, by Marianne Berkes. Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin, by Tad Hills. Apple Orchard Race, by Abby Klein. How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?, by Margaret McNamara. The Apple Orchard Riddle, by
Read More

September 9, 2020 5:39 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: autumn, children's books, eBooks, Observances and Celebrations, picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, and virtual book display.

STEAM at Home: Nature Bracelets

STEAM at Home: Nature Bracelets

Autumn is a time when we shift our eyes from the summer sun to watch the leaves change color. There are so many fun outdoor activities that kids can do safely. For example, children love jumping on a bed of leaves and hearing them crunch beneath their feet. One fun activity that you can do with your family is take a nature walk and create an autumn nature bracelet. You will need duct tape, scissors, possibly a ruler, and found objects from your nature walk. Please follow the CDC guidelines for walking in the park. Also, Liz Lee Heinecke advises
Read More

September 9, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, STEAM learning, and STEM.

STEAM at Home: Styrofoam Glider

STEAM at Home: Styrofoam Glider

This week’s project was to take a piece of styrofoam and make it fly through the air. This is a fun and simple way to learn a little about aeronautics. Supplies: Styrofoam rectangle (you can use a meat tray) Playing card Tape Coins Ruler Marker Exacto Knife Instructions: Make a styrofoam rectangle. I used a meat tray from the supermarket; wash off all of the salmonella and cut off the rounded sides to create a flat piece. Center of Gravity: For an object to fly, the center of gravity (CG) needs to be 75% behind the balancing point. Right now
Read More

September 7, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, STEAM learning, STEM, and videos.