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Monthly Archives: June 2017

Stargazer Nights at Skokie Public Library

2017-06-30T07:49:05-06:00

Here at Skokie Public Library, one of our favorite seasonal recurring events is our Stargazer Night program. While we first started these all-ages programs in the spring of 2015 in conjunction with an exploration of microcosms and macrocosms in our BOOMbox, we’ve continued offering 5 or 6 of these programs each year. Here’s what we do. Families take a closer look at Jupiter and its moons during Stargazer Nights. First, we choose our dates for Stargazer Night programs. We check a local sunrise/sunset schedule so we know what months might be viable for a program. We’ve tended to find [...]

Stargazer Nights at Skokie Public Library2017-06-30T07:49:05-06:00

Video: How Wolves Change Rivers

2017-06-28T08:27:14-06:00

Earth is an interacting system of Air, Water, Ice, Rock, and Life. These five things link together to make our planet hum. They’re a team. Scientists call them systems or spheres. Each system plays an important role, and they all depend on each other. The video below shows what happened to the ecosystem structure in Yellowstone National Park after the introduction of wolves in 1995. [youtube id="ysa5OBhXz-Q" width="800" height="450" autoplay="no" api_params="" class=""]   Wolves and other top predators are keystone species - they prevent overpopulation of prey species, encouraging a balance in nature. One of the most exciting scientific findings of [...]

Video: How Wolves Change Rivers2017-06-28T08:27:14-06:00

Transportation at the Depot

2017-06-27T21:33:33-06:00

Taking the STEAM concept in a slightly different direction, last week we hosted a program at the Depot Park all about transportation. This is always a popular theme, and since we were meeting at the Depot (as in train!) Park, it seemed like a natural fit. The Erlanger Depot Museum is one of the last remaining buildings of its kind in the United States. The museum building itself is an historic landmark. It’s a wooden railroad depot that was built in 1877 and remained in operation for nearly 100 years. When the building was closed by the railroad, the Erlanger Historical Society [...]

Transportation at the Depot2017-06-27T21:33:33-06:00

Join the Rage! DIY Fidget Spinners

2017-06-24T13:01:08-06:00

      I came across an interesting new type of toy online a few months ago - fidget spinners.  They're advertised as good for nail chewers, autistic people, children and adults with OCD, ADHD, and a variety of other conditions and issues.  I don't know about all that, but I do know they are kinda fun to play with, and now I see them everywhere, including spinning up a storm in the hands of library customers. I've also discovered that people are designing new styles, shapes, and forms of fidget spinners all the time.  Being ever on the lookout for [...]

Join the Rage! DIY Fidget Spinners2017-06-24T13:01:08-06:00

Geology Rocks!

2017-06-23T22:03:57-06:00

This week, as part of my Summer Reading Depot Days programs in the park series, we addressed geology; and it rocked! As usual we began the program with some good books, including A Rock is Lively, by Dianna Hutts Aston, and Earthshake: Poems From The Ground Up, by Lisa Westberg Peters. A Rock is Lively gave us lots of good geology vocabulary, including discussion of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock, and the rock cycle. It talked about minerals, fossils, and more. Poetry from Earthshake included such concepts as the layers found within the earth, and reiterated about fossils, minerals, and the rock cycle [...]

Geology Rocks!2017-06-23T22:03:57-06:00

Come see STAR_Net at ALA 2017!

2017-06-15T16:44:09-06:00

Members of the STAR_Net team will be exhibiting and providing talks at the upcoming ALA Conference in Chicago from June 22-27. Visit Us at the NASA Booth! We will be at the NASA Booth (#4051), so make sure to stop by to attend our informative NASA Hyperwall presentations on the upcoming 2017 Eclipse and Strange New Planets in addition to a variety of other activities. NASA Booth Hyperwall Presentations 2017 Solar Eclipse: Science and Resources Friday, June 23rd (Opening Reception), 5:40 p.m. - 5:55 p.m. Presenter: Paul Dusenbery Libraries Participate in the Solar Eclipse Saturday, June 24th, 11:30 a.m. - 11:45 [...]

Come see STAR_Net at ALA 2017!2017-06-15T16:44:09-06:00
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