Making Rockets at the Headlands Branch

On Wednesday, we used water, Alka-Seltzer tablets and old film canisters to make some backyard-safe rockets at our Headlands Branch.

This is a fun and simple craft you and your kid can do if you have any Alka-Seltzer tablets left over from making your own lava lamp.

All you need to do is:

1. Get a container that closes airtight. The smaller it is, the easier this experiment will be. We used old film canisters. (They make a satisfying *pop* noise that you can hear repeatedly in our video.) But you could even use a Ziploc bag as long as you close it securely.

2. Put water in the canister.

3. Drop in an Alka-Seltezer tablet.

4. Secure the top onto the canister so it's airtight.

5. Set the canister down and give it some space. The tablet and the water are interacting and creating carbon dioxide. Eventually, it will create too much gas for the container to hold and shoot its top off.

There won't be any fire in this explosion, but it could still hypothetically whack you in the eye; so it would be safest to wear goggles.

By the way, if you put less water in the canister, then it actually causes a bigger pop because it leaves space for more gas. However, you'll have to wait longer for your container to pop.

You can do a similar experiment with a Ziploc bag, warm water, baking soda and vinegar. Put the warm water in the bag first, then three scoops of baking soda wrapped in a tissue, and finally the vinegar. Make sure the bag is sealed completely shut or it will just leak instead of popping.

For more fun experiments and programs at Mentor Library, visit www.mentorpl.org.

Olivia and Bella prep their rockets for launch.

Saying goodbye to summer reading for another year

Libby Davis tries to blow the world's most stupendous bubble during our Summer Reading finale party.

It was a great summer.

We built hovercrafts, made lava lamps, learned how to train our dragons, blew up pop bottles, learned how to take fingerprints and were visited by one of the NASA scientists who helped make the Mars Rover.

We also got to Know Poe.

More than 1,400 kids, 350 adults and almost 200 teens participated in our summer reading programs. We got to give away a bunch of cool prizes, including 573 Library Champion signs to all the kids who read 15 hours or more.

Lexi Neigoot (with a little help from Shana) enters a ticket to win a second-chance raffle at our Summer Reading finale party.

Thursday night, we had a Summer Reading finale party. Kids got to recreate their favorite Mad Science Monday experiments. (Bubbles!) And we capped the evening with a concert from Eve 'N Stephen Music Fun Band.

From all of us at Mentor Public Library, we hope you had as much fun this summer as we did.

We hope you learned new things, stimulated your imagination and had a great time.

Most of all, we hope to see you again soon at the library.

Because summer reading may end, but the fun never has to.

Zackary Posen dances with his sister, Victoria, and mom, Katherine.

For more photos from our Summer Reading finale party, visit Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Another big summer at Mentor Public Library

Kids (like Hazel here) earned Library Champion signs by reading (or being read to) for 15 hours.

Our Summer Reading Program may be over but the fun isn't done.

You can join us for an End of Summer party from 6 to 8 p.m. this Thursday, Aug. 7, at the Read House, which is next door to our Main Branch on Mentor Avenue.

We'll be hosting a special concert with the Eve 'n Stephen Music Fun Band. They'll be taking the stage at 7 p.m.

Before then, kids can see if they won any of our awesome Summer Reading prizes and perform some of their favorite Mad Science Monday experiments.

Now with more bubbles!

There will also be second-chance raffles where kids can get more fun prizes, but you have to be at our party to win.

This year, we dedicated the summer to science. We built hovercrafts, made lava lamps, blew up pop bottles, learned how to take fingerprints and were visited by one of the NASA scientists who helped make the Mars Rover. (We also learned how to train dragons; but that, admittedly, may not have been scientifically accurate.)

And then we got spooky when we dedicated July to Edgar Allan Poe.

We celebrated all aspects of Poe: his writing; his influence on art and cinema; his groundbreaking work in suspense and detective fiction; his interest in codes and cryptography. It wasn't easy, but we even found an age-appropriate way to introduce Poe to kids.

Zack squeezes the Tell-Tale Heart during our Poe-themed obstacle course.

More children than ever before—1,462, to be exact—signed up for our summer reading program at Mentor Library. And they read or were read to for 17,385 hours. (Also, a record high for us.) And 586 kids earned library champion signs by reading or being read to at least 15 hours this summer.

We also had more than 500 teens and adults sign up for summer reading, and they read more than 3,200 books.

All totaled, it was one of our biggest summer reading programs ever!

Of course, that just means we need to think even bigger next year.

See you at the library!

Kacey and Annalise grab a quick snack after an afternoon of granting wishes yesterday by our Read House.

Make your own lava lamp

Here's a fun science experiment that we did Wednesday night at our Headlands Branch that you and your kids can do at home.

Jack fills his bottle with oil and water and lets them settle.

Step 1: Fill a plastic bottle with one part water, two parts oil and let them settle. Use a funnel or this experiment gets a lot messier.

Rachel adds food coloring to her mixture.

Step 2: Once the water and oil have settled, add ten drops of food coloring—any color you like.

Ellie drops a glow stick in to add a little color.

Step 3: If you're feeling funky, activate a glow stick by cracking it and then drop it in the bottle. (Note: if you're going to keep your lava lamp, you'll have to swap out your glow stick every now and again.)

Olivia reaches for an Alka-Seltzer tablet.

Step 4: Drop an Alka-Seltzer tablet your bottle and watch the colored water erupt into the oil. The more pieces of tablet you put in, the crazier it will get.

Once the tablet dissipates, the oil and colored water will settle back down. But all you need is another tablet to get the party started again.

This year we’ve dedicated our Summer Reading Program to science, so we've been making fun experiments all summer.

In June, we made tiny hovercrafts out of CDs and balloons over at the Headlands Branch. On August 13, we'll be blowing stuff up. (Don't worry. The explosions will be small, though they may be a little messy.)

Our Summer Reading Program runs until Aug. 2. That means there is still time for your child to become a Library Champion.

Everyone who participates in our summer reading programs—either by reading and/or attending library programs—has a chance to win prizes. Grand prizes include a $100 gift card from Toys ‘R’ Us for kids and Nook eReaders for teens and adults. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning something.

And everyone is invited to our Summer Reading Finale, Aug. 7 over at our Read House, which is next door to our Main Branch on Mentor Avenue.

Visit Mentor Library’s Facebook page for more photos of kids making their own lava lamps.

Wands, Wishes & More Fairies at the Library

Kayla casts a spell during our Wands & Wishes story time.

Another fairies story time with more wishes? Why not? After all, you shouldn't limit how many wishes a kid can make. (Unless you're a genie. Then three is pretty much the accepted maximum.)

On Friday, kids had a special scavenger hunt in which they searched our Read House yard for clues to the ingredients of Fairy Soup. (That's a soup FOR fairies, not made OF fairies, by the way.)

They also practiced casting spells and made wish boxes in which they can keep their wishes.

There's a lot of glitter in this Fairy Soup but absolutely no fairies.

Once the kids figured out all of the ingredients, they made a special batch of Fairy Soup.

And the soup was so good our fairy friends, Brzzt and Ivy Greenbriar, returned to thank the children for their gift.

Ivy Greenbriar is the one with the wings.

Fairy Soup may look pretty with all of its flower petals and glitter, but it's not especially tasty; so the kids snacked on cupcakes afterward, instead.

Hazel's dress coincidentally coordinated with her cupcake.

You can visit Mentor Public Library's website for more children's programs, and check out its Facebook page for more photos from its Wands & Wishes story time.

Splish Splash Water Science at Mentor Library

Saige and Natasja relax with a pair of freeze pops.

This year we've dedicated our Summer Reading Program to science, so we had some fun with the science of water last week.

Kids tested the surface tension of water by seeing how many droplets they could fit on a coin, checked to see which fabric absorbed the most water and recorded everything in their science logs.

They also tested the density of different items by seeing if they'd float in a pool.

Do dinosaurs float? This one does.

But it wasn't all log books and logarithms. After all, water can also be used for art, so some of the kids tried their hands at watercolor painting.

Water's good for science AND art. Sarah paints with watercolors.

And, then, somebody broke out the water balloons and the freeze pops!

Somebody's about to get a science lesson in velocity.

Our Summer Reading Program runs until Aug. 2. That means there is still time for your child to become a Library Champion.

Everyone who participates in our summer reading programs—either by reading and/or attending library programs—has a chance to win prizes. Grand prizes include a $100 gift card from Toys ‘R’ Us for kids and Nook eReaders for teens and adults. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning something.

You can sign up for summer reading at any of Mentor Public Library’s branches.

Visit Mentor Library’s Facebook page for more photos from Splish Splash Water Science and our summer reading events.

Egg-celent Experiment during Mad Science Monday

We've experimented with squirt guns, bubbles and the five senses during Mad Science Monday this summer.

And, this week, things got a little messy.

Kids tested the strength of eggs by walking across them. Then they compared different packing materials—from Styrofoam to paper towel tubes—to see which best protected the egg when it was dropped.

We still have two more Mad Science Mondays before the end of summer reading. Every week we have different experiments from 1 to 2 p.m. outside of our Read House. We hold it rain or shine, and no registration is necessary.

Hope to see you there!

Having Fun at the Lake and Headlands Branches

Some fun from the chalk art program at Mentor Library's Headland Branch.

We have a lot of fun over at our Main Branch on Mentor Avenue with our dragon training and Mad Science Mondays, but you'll miss a whole lot if you never venture to our Headlands and Mentor-on-the-Lake Branches.

Just last week, we dyed T-shirts with Kool-Aid over at Lake Branch, and kids broke out the chalk and practiced their sketch art at Headlands.

We've also been having Lakeside Labs over at our Headlands Branch where we've learned about UV rays and built small hovercrafts.

It's about to get colorful at our Tye-Dye program.

The fun continues this week. Travelin' Man Band is playing a free concert this Wednesday evening at our Headlands Branch. (Bring a lawn chair or a blanket, if you like.)

And Know Poe—our month-long celebration of Edgar Allan Poe—continues at the Lake Branch tonight with Mystery on the Lake. Kids can use their sleuthing skills to solve a whodunnit. (After all, Poe did invent the detective genre, as well as horror.)

We're even making lava lamps on June 30 at our Headlands Branch. (You can use them while wearing your new tye-dye shirt.)

Getting creative with the chalk on the Headlands Branch sidewalk.

You can see what other programs and events we have coming up this summer at Mentor Public Library's website. So check it out and join us for some fun at any of our branches this summer.

Forensic Fun at Mentor Library

CSI stood for Children's Science Investigation during our Forensic Fun program.

As we've mentioned before, this year we're dedicating our Summer Reading Program to science.

Last Friday, we focused on the science that helps law enforcement solve cases. Kids analyzed lip prints and learned how to lift fingerprints from evidence.

The kids learn how to identify different kinds of lip prints, just like they were fingerprints.

They even made their own badges.

The badges were pretty cute, but we're not sure where they have jurisdiction.

And there's still plenty of science left this summer.

We're having Mad Science Mondays every week where children can perform hands-on experiments and make crafts with different themes. (This week, we're making egg drops over at The Read House. Come join us!)

We’re also hosting Trashy Tuesdays every other week where kids can make fun crafts using recycled supplies.

Linsay presses down on her paper so it can dry out and solidify during Trashy Tuesday.

And this Thursday we'll be exploring the science of water. You can register for it on Mentor Library's website.

Mentor Public Library's summer reading program runs through Aug. 2, so there's still plenty of time for kids, teens and adults to sign up.

Everyone who participates in our summer reading programs—either by reading and/or attending library programs—has a chance to win prizes. Grand prizes include a $100 gift card from Toys ‘R’ Us for kids and Nook eReaders for teens and adults. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning something.

If you want to sign up for summer reading, you can register for it at any of our branches.

Ms. Kim shows a couple of young scientists how to lift fingerprints.

Edgar Allan Poe for children

Zack squeezes the Tell-Tale Heart during our Poe-themed obstacle course.

As we may have mentioned once or twice already, Mentor Library has dedicated the month of July to Edgar Allan Poe. All month, we've been hosting Know Poe events: citywide book clubs, free film festivals, scary video contests; and we still have more to come.

However, admittedly, a lot of our Know Poe programs have been for adults and teens. After all, with all the people getting dismembered, buried or burnt alive, it's difficult to design appropriate Poe programming for children.

But Mentor Public Library is for the whole family, so we took it upon ourselves to create programs that would introduce children to Poe without traumatizing them.

Peyton and her mom, Theresa, sort out some Poe codes during our cryptography program at Headlands.

For example, we held a program for kids about Poe’s love of cryptography last Saturday at our Headlands Branch.

Cryptography, in case you haven't heard of it, is secret writing. Or, rather, it’s using codes and rubrics to hide secrets in plain sight. Poe was fascinated by cryptography and hid all sorts of secret messages in his prose and poetry. For example, he hid the name of his friend Sarah Anna Lewis in his poem “An Enigma.”

On Saturday, the kids used one of Poe's own rubrics to crack codes and learn secret messages.

Erin came dressed in costume for our life-sized, Poe-inspired game of Clue.

Then this week, we had a special life-sized version of Clue in which we transformed the Garfield Room into an enormous game board. Then we substituted Colonel Mustard and company with characters, places and demises from Poe stories.

Some people even showed up in costume.

Elizabeth hides in the House of Usher.

Just yesterday, we unveiled a special obstacle course where all 10 obstacles come from Poe stories. Kids had to dodge The Pendulum, escape The House of Usher, break The Gold-Bug's code and even make their own mask for a masquerade.

For more photos from the obstacle course, check out Mentor Library's Facebook page.

And we're not done yet.

On July 22, kids can use their sleuthing skills to solve a mystery at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch. After all, Poe did invent the detective genre, as well as horror.

(By the way, I know it’s not for children but we’re hosting a special horror writing workshop for teens on on Saturday at our Main Branch. It’s a fun opportunity for young writers to hone their crafts.)

You can sign up for any and all of these Know Poe events on Mentor Public Library’s website.

Paws-ing to Read

Nobody finds Paws to Read more relaxing than Caesar.

I've been talking about Poe and science so much this summer that I've neglected an old favorite—Paws to Read.

This program is a personal favorite. It pairs young readers (between the ages of six and 12 years old) with therapy dogs, who listen to the children as they read.

If your child can read independently but doesn’t like to do it in front of other people, you might try signing them up for Paws to Read. (Especially if your son or daughter is also a dog lover.)

Annaliesse read to our newest Paws to Read volunteer: Jazz.

The next session is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Mentor Library's Main Branch.

Registration fills up quickly, so contact the children’s department at Mentor Public Library soon if you think you child could benefit from Paws to Read.

There is often a waiting list for the program once registration begins.

For more information on Paws to Read and other children’s programs at Mentor Public Library call (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.

Jenna and Diva take a reading break for some snuggle time.

For more photos from Paws to Read, visit Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Join the ranks of our Library Champions!

Congrats to Giselle and all of our Library Champs!

You may have noticed our Library Champion signs popping up in yards in and around Mentor this summer. And when you saw them, you may have thought, "That's a snazzy sign. How can I become a Library Champion?"

The bad news is that these signs aren't for grownups. However, the good news is that, if you're a kid, you already possess the innate potential to be a Library Champion.

Every child that signs up for our Summer Reading Program and reads (or is read to) for 15 hours gets a Library Champion yard sign.

Sam's got a great book and a 100% organic reading chair.

Our Summer Reading Program runs until Aug. 2. That means there is still plenty of time for your child to become a champion.

You can sign up for summer reading at any of Mentor Public Library's branches.

You can see more Library Champion photos on Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Edgar Allan Poe's love of cryptography

Edgar Allan Poe was fascinated by cryptography and codes.

When you remember Edgar Allan Poe, you tend to think of people getting dismembered, buried or burnt alive.

Consequently, a lot of the programs during our Know Poe month this July are aimed toward teens and adults.

But we didn't forget about the kids. We've found some fun ways to introduce Poe to children without traumatizing them.

For example, we're hosting a program for kids about Poe's love of cryptography this Saturday at our Headlands Branch.

And what is cryptography, you ask. It's secret writing or, rather, it's using codes and rubrics to hide secrets in plain sight. Poe was fascinated by cryptography and hid all sorts of secret messages in his prose and poetry, including the name of a friend. His treasure story, The Gold-Bug, revolves around a coded message.

Kids entering third through sixth grade can solve a few cryptograms and even create a few of their own this Saturday at our Headlands Branch. Click here to register your child for our cryptography program. (By the way, all of our programs are free.)

And that's not our only Know Poe program for kids. On July 17, we're unveiling a special obstacle course where all 10 obstacles come from Poe stories. Then, on July 22, kids can use their sleuthing skills to solve a mystery at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch. After all, Poe did invent the detective genre, as well as horror.

(By the way, I know it's not for children but we're hosting a special horror writing workshop for teens on on July 19 at our Main Branch. It's a fun opportunity for young writers to hone their crafts.)

You can sign up for any and all of these Know Poe events on Mentor Public Library's website.

Mad science experiments for kids each Monday

Lily uses a frame to make an enormous bubble during Mad Science Monday at Mentor Library.

Mentor Public Library is dedicating its summer reading program to science this year. That means we've been blowing up pop bottles and bringing in NASA scientists to talk about Mars rovers.

Kids can get involved with the science, as well.

Every week we have Mad Science Monday from 1 to 2 p.m. outside of our Read House. We hold it rain or shine, and no registration is necessary.

Clara plays percussion by spraying a Splash Orchestra with water.

Every Monday, kids can try out new experiments. So far this summer, they've already manipulated the shapes of bubbles, tested their five senses and used squirt guns as percussive instruments.

Kids can visit us each Monday to see what our new scientific theme is.

And, while you're at the library, you and your children can sign up for our summer reading programs.

Owen gets a whiff of vinegar while learning about his five senses.

Everyone who participates in our summer reading programs—either by reading and/or attending library programs—has a chance to win prizes. Grand prizes include a $100 gift card from Toys ‘R’ Us for kids and Nook eReaders for teens and adults. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning something.

If you want to sign up for summer reading, you can register for it at any of our branches.

Visit Mentor Library's Facebook page for more photos from Mad Science Mondays and our summer reading events.

Little Fairies Learn About Wishes

Evie and Maddie Smith pour glitter into a special Fairy Soup.

Mentor Library had a very special story time with wands, wings, wishes and glitter—so much glitter—at our Read House on Tuesday.

Kids from three to five years old dressed in fairy finery for fantastic fairy-themed fun. The story time began with Ms. Lisa reading a couple of books to the children about fairies and wishes.Then our little sprites learned about and practiced all the different ways people can make wishes: by catching a feather; seeing a comet; blowing out a birthday cake; tossing a coin in a wishing well, and more.

Kacey and Emily practice blowing out birthday candles.

Joe helps Isla catch a feather.

The kids also decorated their wands and also made a special soup for the fairies to enjoy with shamrocks and glitter.

So much glitter.

When it was over, the sprites got a little snack of their own.

Kacey and Annalise grab a quick snack after an afternoon of granting wishes yesterday by our Read House.

Mentor Library is hosting another special fairy program on July 25. This one's for kids who are a bit older (ages 6 to 12.) You can register for it here.

For more photos from Mentor Library's fairy story time, you can visit our Facebook page.

Fun with recycling during Trashy Tuesdays

Linsay presses down on her paper so it can dry out and solidify.

What does Mentor Public Library have in common with Oscar the Grouch? (Besides the fact that we—much like the grouch's eyes—never close.)

We both love trash.

Granted, we don't love it for the same reasons. Oscar loves trash because, well, he's a grouch.

We love trash because it gives us a chance to teach kids about recycling and reusing.

Eli helps his recycled paper dry out.

That's why we're teaming with Bonnie Rice from the city of Mentor and Beth Bollas from the Lake County Solid Waste District to have Trashy Tuesdays all summer.

Rice and Bollas will also show children some of the fun ways they can reuse their trash. For example, this week, kids took recycled paper slurry and turned it into sparkly, new construction paper.

Beth and Bonnie are going to have Trashy Tuesday crafts every other Tuesday this summer over at the Read House. They will show kids how to make a wallet, beads and other fun crafts from recyclables.

Sarah makes construction paper out of a bucket of purple slurry.

We hope the kids who come to any of the Trashy Tuesday sessions have a lot of fun, learn something about recycling, and even bring those lessons home to their families

All of the Trashy Tuesday programs are free and open to kids of all ages.

However, we ask that parents register their children beforehand. They can do so by calling Mentor Public Library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 221 or on the library’s website.


For more photos from our first Trashy Tuesday, check out our Facebook page.