What's New!

Take and Makes for this project, for ages 5-12, will be available beginning Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. Learn about air pressure with this simple experiment! You can also find more step-by-step pictures in the pdf link provided below.

Supplies and Directions:

Materials we provide:

• 2 large straws
• 1 skinny straw

Materials you provide:

• Scissors
• Tape

Directions:

1. Use the scissors to cut 2 diamond shaped holes in your skinny straw. Do this by folding the straw in 2 separate places and cutting a triangle. The holes should be in a line on the straw.
2. Tape one end of the skinny straw closed so that no air will escape when you blow into it.
3. Bend one of the large straws in half and cut a diagonal hole on each side of the straw.
4. Squeeze this straw flat and tape the ends closed. The hole should line up with your work surface. If you hold your straw up to look through the holes, the taped ends should be up and down.
5. Cut notches in the ends of the large straw. The cut should be at the top of one end and at the bottom of the other.
6. Slide your skinny straw through the holes in the large straw. You might want to place a piece of tape to keep the straw in place over a hole in the skinny straw while still allowing it to rotate freely.
7. Repeat the process with the other large straw.
8. Blow into the open end of the skinny straw and watch things twirl. If your straws don’t twirl freely, you might need to adjust the size of the holes.

Supplies:

• Half a cardboard egg carton
• Scrap pieces of newspaper or other paper
• Tape: masking tape, or painter's tape, or scotch tape
• 7 rubber bands
• Plastic spoon
• Pompoms or cotton balls or mini marshmallows
• Various clean containers

Directions:

1. Stuff each section of the egg carton with balled up newspaper.
2. Close the lid and secure with 2 rubber bands, placed around the body of the carton.
3. Wrap 2 more rubber bands horizontally around the carton, just below where the lid closes.
4. Tape a rubber band to the handle of the spoon by attaching a long piece of tape to one side of the handle and inserting a rubber band before attaching the tape to the back of the spoon.
5. Tuck the handle of the spoon under the rubber bands that were attached horizontally around the carton. The scoop part of the spoon should be facing away from the egg carton.
6. Stretch the rubber band that's attached to the spoon up and over the spoon and around the back of the carton.
7. Wrap 2 more rubber bands around the body of the carton so there are 4 rubber bands around the carton helping to keep it closed.
8. Place a cotton ball in the spoon and shoot!. Place clean containers where you can aim your cotton ball.

To watch the project, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4o4eC5E_Qs

February is Black History Month. Here is the link to PPLD programming going on in February: https://ppld.org/blackhistorymonth The Harriet Tubman Herself presentation looks really cool and is available all month!
Also, check out these additional resources:
Black Voices booklist for Kids
Storytime @ Home: Black Joy!