Make your own Harry Potter T-Shirts

Kids made their own Harry Potter shirts at our Lake Branch, and you can do the same!

Kids made their own Harry Potter shirts earlier this year at our Lake Branch; and it was awesome, except for one thing.

You didn't get a shirt.

But we can fix that with the crafting experience of MPL Library Associate Ragan Snead. Follow her instructions, and you'll have your own personal Potterverse shirt to rock. Fabulosa!

Here's what you'll need:

1. A simple, bold Harry Potter design (Spend some time searching the Internet, especially Pinterest, for one you like.)
2. Cardstock
3. Fabric paint
4. Scissors or Exacto knife
5. T-shirt (Any light-colored shirt will work, but the craft is easiest with a white shirt.)

Instructions

1. Pick your Harry Potter-related design. The simpler it is to cut out, the easier your life will be.
2. Print the design on cardstock and cut it out using an Exacto knife or scissors.
3. Put an extra piece of cardstock inside the T-shirt to keep the paint from bleeding through to the back.
4. Paint your design using fabric paint. For our craft, we used fabric paint in spray bottles giving the design a splattered look. With this method, you can get creative with what colors you use and how dark or light you want them.
5. After you are finished painting, let the t-shirt dry for about 30 minutes before removing the stencil. The more paint you use the longer it will take to dry.
6. After the paint is completely dry it can be washed normally.

For more fun and crafty programs at Mentor Public Library, visit our event calendar.

A Magical Day at Hogwarts (at Mentor Library)

Paige sports the Luna Lovegood look during her day at Hogwarts.

Some kids who had Friday off from muggle school because of NEOEA Day decided to try their hand at wizarding school, instead.

For one day only, Mentor Public Library transformed its Main Branch into Hogwarts on Oct. 16.

The young wizards made and decorated their own hats and wands. Then they attended magic and potions classes. They even had lunch in a room that had been redecorated to look like Hogwarts’ Great Hall.

Jaden makes sand art, mixing the various colors during the potions class.

During potions class, the children mixed different colored sands to make colorful art. Each of the sands had a fun label on their bottle, claiming they contained octopus tentacles, spider hair, sea horse tails and more.

Finally, the kids took magic class with magician Mr. Zap, also known as Bob Durante. First, they watched his magic show; then, he taught them a few sleight-of-hand tricks of their own.

Professor Zap shows Anna how a poacher's pouch works.

Mentor Public Library has more Halloween programs coming up in the next few weeks including:

• a special Goosebumps-themed party on Monday, Oct. 26,at our Lake Branch.
• Mr. Dennis’s annual Halloween puppet show on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at our Headlands Branch.

Finally, kids can trick or treat at Mentor Library’s Main Branch from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its Main Branch on Friday, Oct. 30.

All programs are free but some require registration. For more information, call Mentor Public Library at 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library's website.

Spend a Day at Hogwarts (by way of Mentor Library)

Make your own wand and take a magic class this Friday, Oct. 16, at Mentor Public Library.

School's out this Friday, Oct. 16, for NEOEA Day, so why not spend the day at Hogwarts?

For one day only, Mentor Public Library's turning its Main Branch into Harry Potter's wizarding school.

Kids (from ages eight to 13) can take a magic class with Mr. Zap or a potions course with Ms. Kim. They'll also be able to make their own wand and enjoy a snack in the Main Hall.

The program is free and open to the public, but parents need to register their kids for it beforehand. They can do so online at Mentor Library's website or by calling the library at 440-255-8811 ext. 221.

Other Halloween events the library has upcoming include:

• a Zombie Party for teens on Monday, Oct. 12, at its Lake Branch. Teens can just bring themselves. The library will provide the zombie makeup, “brains,” fog machine and laser show.
• a Ghost Hunting talk on Monday, Oct. 12, at its Main Branch. Join members of the Banded Spirits group as they talk about their adventures ghost hunting.
• a special Goosebumps-themed party on Monday, Oct. 26, at its Lake Branch.
• Mr. Dennis’s annual Halloween puppet show on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at its Headlands Branch.

Finally, kids can trick or treat from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at MPL's Main Branch on Friday, Oct. 30.

House points to everyone who attends.

Pumpkin Painting & Getting Ready for Halloween

Peyton gives her pumping the Jackson Pollock treatment during the Pumpkin Decorating program at Mentor Library.

The wind is blowing, the leaves are turning and everything edible now comes in a Pumpkin-Spice variety.

It must be October.

At Mentor Library, we're ready for autumn and Halloween, in particular.

On Wednesday, families decorated pumpkins together at our Main Branch.

When your kid wants to paint but you don't want to wash paint stains from his shirt...

And the fun's just begun. We have several Halloween programs coming up in the next few weeks including:

• A Day at Hogwarts on Friday, Oct. 16, at our Main Branch. Kids can make their own wands and take potions and magic classes.
• a Zombie Party for teens on Monday, Oct. 12, at our Lake Branch. Teens can just bring themselves. We'll bring the zombie makeup, "brains," fog machine and laser show.
• a Ghost Hunting talk on Monday, Oct. 12, at our Main Branch. Join members of the Banded Spirits group as they talk about their adventures ghost hunting.
• a special Goosebumps-themed party on Monday, Oct. 26, at our Lake Branch.
• Mr. Dennis's annual Halloween puppet show on Wednesday, Oct. 28, our Headlands Branch.

Finally, kids can trick or treat at our Main Branch from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at our Main Branch on Friday, Oct. 30.

Might as well get as much use out of their costumes as possible.

Wands, Wizards & Writing this MLK Day at Mentor Library

It's going to be a Harry Potter party this Jan. 19 at our Lake Branch. (Don't worry. No snakes are invited.)

Schools are closed this Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but we'll be open with a full carte du jour of programs for teens and kids.

If your kids are looking for something fun to do on their day off, we have you covered.

At our Lake Branch, we're throwing a Harry Potter party at 6:30 p.m.. Kids can make their own wands, while playing wizarding games. (No curses allowed!)

Meanwhile, Studio MPL—our art club for kids in first through fifth grade—will have its monthly meeting at 4 p.m. at our Main Branch.

During the last two years, the kids in Studio MPL have made sun catchers, painted sunsets, weaved and even garnered inspiration from Jackson Pollock; so, whatever they have planned for this Monday, it's going to be fun and creative. (And maybe a little messy.)

Each month, Studio MPL experiments with a different form of art.

Our new Teen Writing Club is also meeting at 4:30 p.m. at our Main Branch. Each month, our young writers get together to hone their craft by trying a different story prompt. This month's theme is creating complex characters.

If any of these programs interest you, we'd recommend registering for them soon—either by calling Mentor Library or by using our event calendar online. Each of these programs only have so many available slots—our Frozen program on Monday is already completely booked—and we don't want anyone to get left out because they waited too long to register.

If you have any questions, you can call our Lake Branch at 440-257-2512 or our Main Branch at 440-255-8811. See you at the library!

Our teen writing club tackles different story prompts and shares their stories each month.

The Battle of the Books Begins

Who are you voting for in the Battle of the Books?

Is a young demigod any match for the boy who lived? Will Judy Moody overwhelm the Wimpy Kid? If the Wild Things win, will they celebrate with a wild rumpus?

These are just some of the questions leading into the first round of Mentor Public Library's Battle of the Books.

Eight children classics will duke it out tournament-style, and it's up to you (and your kids) to vote for your favorites.

The first round match-ups are:

1. Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief vs. Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone

2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid vs. Judy Moody

3. Madeline vs. Where the Wild Things Are

4. I Want My Hat Back vs. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive

You can cast your votes for your favorite books with ballots located at the Children's Desk at our Main Branch. The first round will take place now through September 28.

On September 29, the winners will move forward; and a new round of voting will begin and run until Oct. 6.

The championship round will run from Oct. 6 through 12, after which the winner will be crowned.

So who are you voting? And what children's classic do you wish was in the brackets?