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All Things Tween

Book recommendations, activities & inspiration Tweens will love.

2020 Virtual Programs

Tween Pop Rocks: Among Us Rock Painting and More!

    

 

Program by: Ms. Teague

There are so many awesome things that we can do with rocks and a just few other materials! In the video below program, I’ll be showing you how to use paint pens to make rock art of your favorite Among Us characters, kawaii faces, and cactus pet rocks!

 

Books about painting rocks!

 

 

Other Cool Rock Decorating Activities!

 

You don't have to use only paint pens for your rock decorating!  Try using regular paints, crayons or even nail polish!

Tween All Things Holiday: Ornaments

 

Program by: Miss Monica

Happy Holidays, boys and girls! Check on this page to find staff-made video how-to's on crafting eco-friendly and inexpensive decorative ornaments. We'll have two videos releasing on 12/3/2020 and 12/17/2020, so visit us on those days to see MORE content as we make our way through the month. 

 

Ornament Craft #2: Glue Gun & Glitter Ornament

 

Follow along with Miss Monica as she teaches you how to make your very own snowflake ornament out of glue and glitter!

 

You'll Need:

  • Glue gun and glue gun glue
  • Glitter: loose glitter OR glitter glue OR glitter paint (explore!)
  • Parchment Paper
  • Twine OR yarn OR string
  • Tracing tool: marker OR pen OR pencil
  • Snowflake template

 

Ornament Craft #1: Moss Reindeer Ornament Video

 

Follow along with Miss Monica as she teaches you how to make your very own reindeer ornament out of moss!

 

 

Halloween Frights and Delights

 

Program by: Christina and Monica

 

Happy Halloween, boys and girls! Read on discover some frightfully fun books to read, enjoy a reading of Fergus, the Night Demon by librarian Miss Christina, and watch some videos on how to make some spooky crafts. We dare you.

¡Feliz Dia de los Muertos, niños y niñas! Siga leyendo para descubrir algunos libros terriblemente divertidos para leer, disfrute de una lectura de Fergus, el demonio nocturno, que nos va a contar la bibliotecaria Miss Chrissy e vea algunos videos sobre cómo hacer algunas manualidades espeluznantes.

 

 

Now for some spooky crafts! ¡Ahora, algunas manualidades espeluznantes!

 

OUTDOOR FUN

Program by:  Teague

Now that the weather is cooling off, it's the perfect time to play outside and a nature journal is the perfect way to record your adventures!  Check out the books, links, and apps below to discover some of the things you can do when hanging in the great outdoors and watch my video to learn all about making your own nature journal.

Tips for making your own nature journal:

  • Journaling should be fun!  If you are feeling stuck or not enjoying yourself, set aside your journal and come back to it later!
  • Use any materials you want to--write with pen, pencil, paint, or watercolors.  Take pictures and glue them in or draw your own.  Place special items inside your journal, like a favorite flower or an oddly-shaped leaf.  
  • Check out The Handbook of Nature Study for journal ideas and activities

BOOKS

TAKE THESE APPS OUTSIDE

Star Walk 2 - Sky Guide: View Stars Day and Night is a stargazing app for both experienced and novice astronomy lovers. Explore the stars at any time and place, find planets, learn about constellations and other sky objects. Star Walk 2 is a great astronomy tool to identify objects on the map of the stars and planets in real time.

Big Magnify is the most advanced magnifying glass app available.  Head outside and look at leaves, insects or anything else you want to see really big!

Geocaching is an app for a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

GEOCACHING

Geocaching is so cool, it deserves its own section!

CAMPING

The first video has some really cool hacks, including how to make a brownie inside of an orange!  So cool!

OUTDOOR GAMES

  • Flashlight Tag: This awesome game can be played several different ways.  Check out this tutorial for more information about the game!
  • Capture the Flag:  Learn about this classic outdoor game!  Try out this alternate version of capture the flag called Pirate's Treasure.
  • Scavenger hunts can take many different forms. Here are a few from The Spruce:
    • An alphabet search: Guests search for items from A through Z, such as apples, beach balls, coffee cups, etc. until they've worked their way through the alphabet.
    • A glow in the dark scavenger hunt: This is a great activity for a sleepover party, just hide glow in the dark toys, jewelry and other items around the backyard, until your teams have found everything on their lists. If it's a clear night, add a constellation or two to your list, so that the tweens have to search the skies for their items as well as their surroundings.
    • A senses search: Make guests touch, see, feel, hear and smell the items on their list. For example, on your hunt list, you could require that the scavengers "Smell a Flower" or "Hear a Dog Bark" or "Feel Something Squishy" in order to finish their list. Be creative, and have fun with it.
    • Shopping mall hunt: This is another birthday party favorite. Divide up your teams and give them a list of items you can find in the mall. You can have them take pictures of the items (with the store manager's permission) or they could ask clerks for items that are free, such as business cards, hangers, bags or price tags. Make sure each team has adult supervision, to keep everyone in line and to avoid disturbing other shoppers.
    • A photo hunt: A photograph scavenger hunt is a fun idea and easy to do. Offer each team a digital camera, and then have them take pictures of the items on their list. They can upload their photos, and then arrange them into a short presentation. A great activity for kids who like projects and working on the computer.
    • A nature hunt: Nature hunts are probably the most popular of all scavenger hunts, and they're fun if you live near a wooded area, or are having an event or a party at a park. Just come up with a list of fun things to find and then let the kids go. Think out of the box: for example, the kids may be required to "Ask the park ranger three questions about the history of the park," or something else that encourages them to think and learn, not just gather items.

Marble Runs & More

 

Learn how to make your own marble run with Ms. Cari!

Watch Ms. Cari's video to see a marble run in action and take a look at a few other examples of epic marble runs!  Then make your own marble run at home with cardboard, tape, straws, rubber bands....pretty much anything you can think of!  Then run your marble down and see how far it goes!  

 

Marble Run From Cardboard Video

 

Marble Run Challenge Videos

 

Check out these books for more experiments using marbles!

Fairies and Nature

Program by: Valerie 

 

Learn how to make a fairy garden in a jar with Ms. Valerie!

Mini Fairy Garden Instructions

Let’s make a fairy garden.  You can make a fairy garden out of anything you have around you!  First, think of what type of fairy you’re trying to attract and what decorations they might enjoy.  A wood fairy might prefer twigs, while a plant fairy likes leaves and grass.  Gather anything you think a fairy might enjoy in their garden.  In addition to natural decorations, you can also use clay to make figurines to go in your garden. Now you need a container for your garden.  I used a spare glass jar, but you could also use a flower pot, a wooden box, or a basket just to name a few ideas. 

Once you’ve gathered all of your supplies, you’re ready to start making your fairy garden.  My first step was to add some sand to my jar.  Maybe you want to start with soil or rocks instead.  Anything makes a good fairy garden base.

Jar with sand

I topped off the sand with a scrap of moss, a rock, and a small mushroom that I made from clay.

              Jar with rocks and moss     Jar with mushroom

I found some cool looking dried leaves on the ground, so I poked the ends into the sand.

              Jar with leaves

As a finishing touch, I added a battery powered string of lights.  I think it makes it look like tiny fairies are flying around my garden.

              Jar with fairy lights

Here are a few more fairy garden ideas to get you started:

Jar with fence and door     

Now that you’ve seen my fairy garden and a couple of other examples, you’re ready to make your own unique garden.  Remember, to think like a fairy to find the best decorations for your garden.

 

Fairy Fashion

            What do fairies wear?  Whatever they can find in nature!  Sketch a fairy and gather some clothing supplies from outside.  You can use leaves, flower petals, grass, acorns, and anything else you can think of to dress your fairy.

         

 

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Fairies find all sorts of uses for things found in nature.  Mushrooms are their chairs, and tree hollows are their homes.  Check out this scavenger hunt from Woodland Trust and take a look around outside to find other things fairies can use!

https://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/FairyHunt.pdf

 

Books about fairies

Cool Duct Tape Videos

I SURVIVED: A VIRTUAL PROGRAM

 

Program by: Monica  

      Click on the image for a link to the activity!

For more interesting information about the Titanic, download the file below:

 

Liked the book? Here are even more "I Survived" books:

 

...and there are more! Just ask your friendly neighborhood librarian for more titles or visit www.mysapl.org and look through our catalog! Confused about how to do that? Just grab your adult!

SLIME, MONSTERS & MORE

 

Program by: Jasmin, Nicole, & Monica

 

 

Book Read-Alikes:

SLIME DIY

 

Check out this video by SAPL Children's Librarian, Miss Nicole, on how to make your very own SLIME!

 

 

MONSTER FOLKLORE VIDEOS

 

Check out these videos about monsters and the folklore behind them!

SPORTS BOOKS & DIY GAMES

Program by: Cari & Monica

 

FOOSBALL TABLE DIY

 

Check out this video by SAPL Children's Librarian, Miss Cari, on how to make your very own foosball table using supplies you can find at home!

 

 

BASKETBALL COURT DIY

 

Make and play with your family and friends for game night or any night!

SPIES, MYSTERIES & MORE

Program by: Cari & Monica

 

SPY VIDEOS: WHO WERE THEY?

 

DIY SPY VIDEOS: BE THE SPY!

Join SAPL Librarian, Miss Cari as she lets you in on one some of her favorite spy ideas!

Super Spy Hacks: Join Sunny as she reveals some amazing spy hacks!

 
Diary Booby Trap DIY: We all have journals and diaries that are TOP SECRET! Beware, there are agents and spies out there dying to get their hands on your files. In this video, you'll learn how to booby trap your journal/diary with a tooth-rattling alarm system!
 
DIY Cardboard Cryptex: Protect your money or secret messages with this awesome cardboard cryptex! 

LEGOS!

 

 

LEGO VIDEOS

 

Lego Earthquake Challenge- Would your LEGO build withstand an earthquake? Check out this video to watch some expert builders create builds that can stand up to major quaking!

 

 

LEGO CHALLENGES @ HOME

Lego Maze STEM Challenge - Use some of your LEGOS at home to create a fun maze. Challenge a family member- who can create the most elaborate maze?

 

 

FUN LEGO BUILDS

 

Minecraft Sword Lego Build: Want a sword like your awesome in-game sword? Use LEGOs to create one YOU can wield on your own adventures!

 

Pokeball LEGO Build: Are you a Pokemon fan? Have you ever wanted your own pokeball? If you have some LEGOs at home, you can build your own by following along with the video below!

 

Harry Potter - Hogwarts Ultra Fast Speed Build: Take a look at a builder quickly create Hogwarts castle! Can you make your own castle with the blocks you have at home?

 

Other Fun Lego Ideas:

All About ROBOTS!

Program by: Cari, Teague, & Monica

 

 

Cool Videos About Robots

Video: Coolest Robots Coming This Year (2020)

 

 

Crafts & Activities

 

 

 

Activity: Make your own problem-solving robot art! 

Let's be creative! If you could create a robot to solve any kind of problem, what problem would they solve? What would your robot look like? Share your artwork with us for the opportunity to have it featured on our guide! Email Miss Monica at monica.huerta@sanantonio.gov for the chance to have your art featured!

These are some examples of problem-solving robots Provo elementary students created:

-Art from Lakeview Elementary School students in Provo. From Daily Herald photographer Dominic Valente. 

Take and Make: Marionette Puppets

Page by: Valerie Carroll

Age: Tween

Videos to Enjoy

Crafts & Activities

May the 4th be with you!

Program by: Teague and Monica

Fun Videos

Dear Baby Yoda (Hamilton mix-up) 

Droid Orchestra

An article about the creator: https://www.space.com/lego-star-wars-droids-orchestra-video.htm

The Best Star Wars Moments of the Last Decade: 

Crafts

Craft:  Recycled Droids 

       

What do you need?

Recycled materials-egg cartons, straws, cups, tp rolls

PaperScissorsGlue 

Aluminum foil (optional) 

Paint (optional) 

Craft sticks (optional) 

More Activities

LEGO Baby Yoda Building Instructions: https://frugalfun4boys.com/lego-baby-yoda-building-instructions/

Star Wars Fortune Teller: https://rockyourhomeschool.net/star-wars-inspired-origami-fortune-tellers/

Princess Leia cupcakes: https://paintbrushesandpopsicles.com/star-wars-princess-leia-cupcakes/

Battle of Yavin Maze, Connect the Dots, & Customize Your Own Ship! From Read Brightly (Ages 4-7): https://assets.readbrightly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/dk_kit_Star_Wars_Yavin.pdf 

Bith Band Spoon Puppets Craft from Read Brightly (Ages 3-6):  http://assets.readbrightly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SW_Reads_Day3_DR_Craft_Book.pdf  

Master Yoda Puppet Stick Craft from Read Brightly (Ages 3-6):  http://assets.readbrightly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SW_Reads_Day_DR_Craft_Book.pdf  

A Glance into Yoda’s Past LEGO Word Search From Read Brightly (Ages 7-12):  http://assets.readbrightly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/lego_summerseries_activitykit_us-71.pdf