{"id":20925,"date":"2019-05-05T00:01:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T04:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=20925"},"modified":"2019-05-02T12:06:07","modified_gmt":"2019-05-02T16:06:07","slug":"tween-program-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2019\/05\/tween-program-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Tween Programming Ideas: STEAM!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone! Here are some ideas to put in your back pocket for Tween programming at your library.<\/p>\n

Paper Quilling<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a form of art I had never done before, but fell in love with. I saw an example of a quilled rainbow<\/a>, a great spring\/St. Patrick\u2019s Day craft, on the blog ArtsyCraftsyMom<\/a>. I loved making the example, and it was really affordable. I purchased the quilling tools and the quilling paper on Amazon, though you can use any lightweight paper you have. A pack of 10 quilling tools, which provide a slot where you put one end of the paper before coiling, cost about $8.00. A pack of 1040 paper quilling strips in 26 different colors cost about $11.00, and we had tons leftover. The tools were a great investment as I plan to do variations of the program again, and it was nice to be able to purchase strips of paper already cut down to size. A tool, paper strips, cardstock for background, and plain ole Elmer\u2019s glue are all you need for this simple or complex craft.<\/p>\n

At the actual program, I displayed all the colors of quilling paper on a table, so the tweens were less interested in making the rainbow craft and more interested in creating their own creations. In the future, I will pull the correct number of colors per child for the craft to make it run a little more smoothly. Overall, it was a good program and good lesson to the tweens in dexterity and patience!<\/p>\n

\"Rainbow
Example of the rainbow craft!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fizzy Moon Sand<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I went to the ALSC Institute in Cincinnati last September, Amanda Bowden and Holly Jackson from the Portneuf District Library in Idaho gave a great presentation called Programming BeTWEEN the Lines<\/a>. I was about a year into my current role as Tween Librarian in the Chicagoland area, and was really appreciate of all of their creative ideas. Fizzy moon sand was one of their science program recommendations for tweens, and it sounded super fun. The recipe I ended up using I found on a blog called Powerful Mothering<\/a>, and she actually calls her concoction fizzy cloud dough<\/a>.\u00a0 She has done A LOT of different things with her fizzy cloud dough\u2014it\u2019s a great site worth checking out for ideas.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the recipe:<\/p>\n

Fizzy Moon Sand<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00bd cup flour
\n\u00bd cup baking soda
\n2 tablespoons vegetable oilOil based food coloring (5 drops per bowl)<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Mix the oil and coloring in a bowl<\/li>\n
  2. Next, add flour, mix, then add the baking soda<\/li>\n
  3. Use your fingers to mix<\/li>\n
  4. To get FIZZ, fill a\u00a0squirter\u00a0bottle with vinegar and let the kids go!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This was my basic room set-up:<\/p>\n