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How's your Summer Adventure at Your Library going so far? This week's adventure is a STEM experiment perfect for our next rainy day (or, maybe a day where you can pull out a hose or sprinkler to play!) We also have an online resource to help diversify your bookshelf, a great new puppet show you can watch online, and more. Let's go! 

Adventure of the Week: Make the Best Umbrella!

Alaina at R.H. Stafford Library

Stuck inside on a rainy day this summer? Try this STEM challenge at home to design the perfect umbrella.

First, go around your home and gather materials (get started with coffee filters, sponges, straws, paper plate, etc). You’ll also want to find some small toys or objects to serve as your test subjects!

Then, challenge yourself to make a working umbrella using only the supplies you have found. Follow the design process:

  1. Plan: Grab a piece of paper and a pencil to draw a blueprint of your idea.
  2. Build: Create your prototype using your discovered items.
  3. Test: Try out your design by placing the small toys underneath your umbrella and gently pouring some water on top.
Try building multiple umbrellas out of different objects. Do your toys stay dry? Which design worked the best? What changes can you make to improve your umbrella? Just like real-world engineers, keep trying and tweaking your plans to design the best umbrella for your toys!

See some photos and other examples for this STEM challenge at Raising Lifelong Learners. Share your results with us by sending an email or posting on social media with the hashtag #WashCoLib! And make sure to fill in a planet on your Summer Adventure game card! 

Fact of the Week

The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn!

Source: What’s Weird on Earth from D.K. Publishing

Online Resource of the Week

The Brown Bookshelf

You may have seen us share The Brown Bookshelf’s Kidlit4BlackLives Rally a few weeks ago on social media. Follow The Brown Bookshelf year-round for resources and book reviews that amplify Black voices and stories.

Song of the Week

We’re celebrating the classic children’s song "Itsy Bitsy Spider" this week with Miss Dawn at R.H Stafford Library!

Literacy Tip of the Week

Children in elementary school are ready to learn about more complicated emotions like pride, embarrassment, or pity. Use characters in books and movies to discuss these emotions: “Why is this character feeling this way? What would you do if you were in that situation?” Social skills matter. Help children understand that others’ thoughts and emotions are different from their own. 
 
Source: Center for Childhood Creativity

Featured Illustrator:
Kaylani Juanita

Kaylani Juanita is an illustrator who is California grown and raised. She is a new illustrator whose work exemplifies inclusivity. Her mission is to support the stories of the under-represented and create new ways for people to imagine themselves. You can place a hold on her titles in our catalog

Upcoming Events

  • Schiffelly Puppets: "A Boy, a Cow and a Mean-Lean-Steamed-Green-Beanstalk" – Join us for a laugh out loud retelling of the classic Jack and the Beanstalk. In this version, the audience and a zany cast of characters help Shelly get to the top of the beanstalk before the end of the show, or else! This program is available on our website from June 27-July 3.
  • Storytime on Facebook Live – Join Washington County librarians on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. for a live storytimes on Facebook as we sing, talk, read, write and play together! 
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