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.

Get ‘Carried Away’ with our new book club for kids at our Lake Branch

Our new Carried Away Book Club is great for all kids, because it lets them read and create at their own pace.

The new Carried Away Book Club at our Lake Branch is different from most book clubs.

First of all, it’s for kids. (After all, we already have plenty of book clubs for adults, as well as one for teens.)

Second, there are no meetings. Instead, kids are encouraged to read and participate at their own pace.

Finally, the kids get to pick their own books!

Each month, the Lake Branch will display books based on a theme for a range of reading levels. January’s theme is Winter.

Inside these books, kids (and their parents) will find a sheet of paper with suggested activities, discussion questions, and an art opportunity. Younger children are invited to complete their activity sheets with an adult.

Bring your art project back to Lake Branch, and it will be displayed in our children’s area for everyone to see!

We hope that our new book club will encourage children to read, as well as give kids a fun chance to talk about what they read with friends, family and other kids.

For more information on our Carried Away Book Club, call our Lake Branch at 440 257-2512.

Halloween Fun at Mentor Library

The kids race to see who can turn themselves into a mummy quickest during the Goosebumps Party at MPL's Lake Branch.

We threw a Goosebumps-themed party Monday at our Lake Branch.

Kids transformed themselves into mummies, played a spooky guessing game, and created glow-in-the-dark slime that they could take home.

Owen tries to guess what's waiting for him in the bowl.

The Halloween fun isn't over at Mentor Library either.

Kids can make monster boxes tonight at our Main Branch.

Then, Mr. Dennis will host his annual spooktacular 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 our 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.

Olivia gets all wrapped up during the mummy race.

For some more photos from the Goosebumps party, visit Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Travelin’ Man Band performing free concert at MPL’s Lake Branch

Travelin' Man Band will perform a free concert at our Lake Branch Wednesday evening.

Are you ready for a good time?

Travelin’ Man Band will perform a free and family-friendly concert at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, at Mentor Library’s Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

They perform hits from the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s—from Buddy Holly to Bob Dylan, CCR to CSNY. So if you’re eager for some Eagles and ready for some Redding, they’ve got the tunes for you.

Bring lawn chairs or a blanket for the outdoors concert. We’ll bring the band. (By the way, we owe a special thank you to the Friends of the Mentor Public Library who are generously sponsoring the concert.)

By the way, families can also join us for our End of Summer Reading party from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6, at Mentor Public Library’s Read House.

Kids can meet animal superhero Keith Gisser and the rescued reptiles of Herps Alive. There will also be games, crafts and kids can see if they won one of the prizes from Mentor Library’s summer reading program.

See you at the party!

Story Times, Book Clubs, Concerts & More at MPL's Lake Branch

Kids use plastic bottles to blow bubbles during story time at MPL's Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

Summer Reading may have concluded but that doesn't mean the fun is finished.

In fact, just this week at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch, we're hosting story times, book clubs for teens and adults, crafts and a concert!

Kids—from six months to five years old, along with their families—can join us for a Fairy Tales Rhyme Time at 10:30 a.m. this Tuesday. We'll have stories, songs and crafts—all with a Fairy Tale theme.

Travelin' Man Band will perform a free concert at our Lake Branch Wednesday evening.

On Wednesday, Lake Branch will host both its monthly book club and a free concert from the Travelin' Man Band.

The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. and is open to everyone

Travelin' Man Band perform hits from the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s—from Buddy Holly to Bob Dylan, the Beatles to Chuck Berry. So if you’re eager for some Eagles and ready for some Redding, they’ve got the tunes for you.

Then, on Friday, kids can craft some cool kites with us. We'll even fly them in our yard when we're finished.

Finally, on Saturday, our Teen Book Club will meet to talk about "Every Day" by David Levithan.

Teens can pick up a copy from our Lake Branch and join the conversation Saturday.

To see more programs and events at Mentor Library, visit our online calendar.

Get in the game with Clashing Controllers

Teens face off in the finals of our Mario Kart 8 tournament during our last Clashing Controllers session.

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to actually share the room with people I'm gaming with (or against.)

Don't get me wrong. Online gaming is incredible, but I like to see the look on someone's face when my Charizard burns their, well, face off.

If you're game, our next Clashing Controllers tournament is 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday, July 15, at Mentor Library's Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

We’ll be playing Super Smash Bros Wii U and you’re invited.

There's no buy-in or anything like that. We bring the console, game and snacks. You just need to show up and play.

If you win, you get bragging rights and a Certificate of Awesomeness.

While you’re here, you can sign up for summer reading too.

For every book you read or library program you attend between now and Aug. 1, you get a raffle ticket and a chance to win cool prizes like Captains Tickets or gift cards to Panera, Target, Amazon and more. You can even register online.

So if you’re going to play video games, you might as well play with friends and possibly win something for playing.

See you at the library.

Ahh, to live in a world where Mega Man, Sonic and Mario can just fight it out over who's the best, as opposed to just arguing about it over the lunch table.

Patriotic Party at our Lake Branch

Kids celebrated the Fourth of July with patriotic crafts, including red, white and blue pencil wands.

We threw a birthday party for the United States on Thursday (admittedly a day early) at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

Kids made patriotic crafts including birthday-candle bookmarks and red, white and blue pencil wands.

Then they decorated cupcakes with—what else?—red, white and blue frosting.

Avery, Eli and Cheyenne put the finishing touches on their bookmarks.

For more programs and events at our Lake Branch (or any of our branches,) check out Mentor Library's event calendar.

And while you're at the library, you can sign up for our summer reading program.

For every hour a child reads or is read to, they receive a raffle ticket that can help them win one of dozens of cool prizes—from telescopes and microscopes to Lego sets and Superhero Barbie. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

If a child reads 20 hours by Aug. 1, they will be entered into a special raffle to win one of two $50 gift certificates from Toys ‘R Us.

Mentor Library also has a summer reading program (and prizes) for teens and adults, as well. For more information about summer reading, call 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library’s website.

Birthday cupcakes!

Are you game for Clashing Controllers?

Teens face off in the finals of our Mario Kart 8 tournament.

On the third Wednesday of every month, teens gather at our Lake Branch to face off in Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros and other games.

We call it Clashing Controllers, and we want to know if you're game enough to join in.

You don't have to be a hardcore gamer to have fun (though we get a few of those too.) All you need is to want to have a good time.

It's all in good fun until someone uses a blue shell.

The next Clashing Controllers session starts at 6:30 p.m. on, Wednesday, July 15. We'll be playing Super Smash Bros and you're invited.

While you're here, you can sign up for summer reading too.

For every book you read or library program you attend between now and Aug. 1, you get a raffle ticket and a chance to win cool prizes like Captains Tickets or gift cards to Panera, Target, Amazon and more.

You can even register online.

So if you're going to play video games, you might as well play with friends and possibly win something for playing.

See you at the library. We'll save a spot for you.

Earn your own Certificate of Awesomeness at Clashing Controllers.

St. Patrick's Party at Mentor Library!

Maddie makes a colorful Fruit loops rainbow during our St. Patrick's Day party.

We threw a St. Patrick's Day party for kids at our Lake Branch on Tuesday. We made pinwheels, shamrock wands and cereal rainbows.

But, instead of just talking about it, how about we get straight to the cute photos...

Evy and the other kids also made shamrock wands and pinwheels.

Avery places the Fruit Loops along his glue lines.

Rheay carefully places the Fruit Loops in her rainbow. (It probably would have been more seasonally appropriate to use Lucky Charms.)

For more photos, check out Mentor Library's Facebook page. For more programs for kids and adults, check out our event calendar.

Painting masterpieces without brushes

On Saturday at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch, we gave children paint of every shade of the rainbow. Then we gave them plastics forks, bubble wrap, Q-tips, balloons, sponges, combs, cardboard tubes and plastics bottles.

The only thing we didn't give them was a paint brush.

But that's OK. Who needs a brush when you have the muse?

And, as you can see, the kids didn't need brushes to create something memorable.

It wasn't just the kids who got creative. When we ran out of table cloths, we used plastic bags to cover our tables.

The idea for No Brushes Allowed came from Lake Branch Manager Ariel Johnson. She said she thought of it while looking at the textures in some of her favorite works of art.

"Sometimes I look at a painting and think, 'There’s no way they did that with a paintbrush.' That’s when I started looking at everyday things in a different way!" she said.

Ariel told the kids that Saturday's program was all about creativity—using items in a way they aren't always used. Of course, you don't have to explain creativity to a kid. By the end of the program, they had used typical household items to paint things we couldn't have imagined.

And when they were finished, the kids got another set of plastic utensils, sponges, combs, cardboard tubes and bottles to take home with them, in case they wanted to paint some more later!

Adlyn finds some paint in her big sister's hair. (We assured Sidni that her hair wouldn't be orange forever.)

For more programs and events at our Lake Branch, check out or our event calendar. If your kids enjoy painting and art, they make also like Studio MPL—our art club for kids.

The joy of Seuss and of reading to children

When I talked with Amy Popik from The News-Herald about Read Across America, we mentioned who read Dr. Seuss to us when we were kids. For me, it was my grandma; for her, her mom.

Now, the actual who doesn't matter so much. It can be an older sibling, parent, cousin, teacher, neighbor, whomever. What matters is that somebody read to us.

And that sort of connection is generational. I share the joy of reading with my child in part because someone shared it with me. And if you hang around long enough at the library, you'll see parents that used to be story-time children reading to their own kids.

And while we love to celebrate Seuss, we don't just celebrate his birthday because of his characters, illustrations, rhymes or even the morals that stay true no matter how old you get. (A person is still a person, no matter how small.) We celebrate Seuss because he shared the joy of reading with so many, and he'll continue to do so for generations to come.

Terri, one of our MPL Board members, reads to the children during a special Seuss story time at our Headlands Branch.

So we hope you joined us for Dr. Seuss's birthday on Monday. We hope you made a candy Cat-in-the-Hat at our Lake Branch, played Seuss-pendous birthday games at our Headlands Branch, or learned the "Green Eggs & Ham" song from Seussical at our Main Branch.

But if you couldn't join us Monday, there's an easy way to make up for it.

Read. Read to someone you love.

If you're looking for suggestions, I like The Lorax and Yertle the Turtle, but it doesn't need to be my favorites. It doesn't even have to be Dr. Seuss.

Just read. It's a beautiful gift to give to anyone. And when the opportunity comes, I know whomever you read to will pass that gift along.

Linsay makes her own Cat-in-the-Hat hat at Mentor Library.

For more photos from our Dr. Seuss birthday party, check out Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Who needs a brush to paint?

Who needs a brush? Ava uses a toy car to paint a rainbow.

You don't need a brush to paint. Almost anything can be your brush if you're feeling creative—marbles, toy cars, yarn, anything.

So we're breaking out the forks, bubble wrap, Q-tips, balloons, sponges, combs, cardboard tubes and plastics bottles—but no brushes—this Saturday to see what you can make.

Any kids who are five years or older are welcome to join us from 3 to 4 p.m. , Feb. 28, at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch. You can paint whatever you imagine. The only rule: No brushes allowed!

Kids can register for our program by calling 440-257-2512 or on our online event calendar.

Lily uses a straw to move the paint around her page.

Celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday at Mentor Library

Someone is celebrating a Seuss-pendous birthday soon, and Mentor Public Library is ready to party.

On Monday, March 2, all three branches of Mentor Library will commemorate Dr. Seuss’s birthday with story times, crafts, special programs and, of course, cake.

The party will go all day at the library’s Main Branch. Kids can play a Fox in Socks-themed matching game, make a photographic birthday card for Seuss, and make a hot air balloon (just like in Oh, the Places You’ll Go.)

And there will be cake while it lasts.

Meanwhile, at the Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch, the library will host a special story time for children four years and older at 4 p.m. Kids will listen to classic Seuss stories and make a Fox in Socks bag puppet.

Then, the Mentor Headlands Library Branch will have a birthday party for the good doctor at 6:30 p.m. There will be games, cake and Seuss books.

Later in the day, kids can stage their own version of the Seuss classic Green Eggs & Ham. David Malinowski of the Fine Arts Association will teach kids—ages three to seven—basic theater techniques with the Page to Stage program at 6:30 p.m. at Mentor Library’s Main Branch.

Mentor Library isn’t alone in celebrating Seuss. Schools and libraries across the country remember the man and his stories as part of the annual event, Read Across America. The National Education Association started it in 1998 to honor Seuss and revel in the joy of reading.

Each year, Read Across America is scheduled to coincide with Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2.

For more information on Mentor Public Library’s many Seuss-themed events, you can visit our event calendar.

Join the fun this Valentine's Day at Mentor Library

Brianna makes valentines Monday at Mentor Library's Main Branch.

We started celebrating Valentine's Day early at Mentor Library and the fun has just begun.

On Monday, kids used melted crayon shavings, heart-shaped stencils and wax paper to make their own translucent valentines Monday at our Main Branch. We also played Valentine's Day-themed games and read poetry!

Akshat and our volunteer, Sam, check out how the light transforms his translucent heart.

And the party's not over! There are still more Valentine's Day crafts to makes and candy hearts to distribute. All three of our branches have programs scheduled this Saturday, and your kids can join the fun.

Children can come to our Headlands Branch from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or until supplies run out) and make a pretty Valentine tea-light craft. You can also grab a cookie while you're there as part of Patron Appreciation Day.

Meanwhile, at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch, kids in kindergarten through fifth grade can play a special game of Valentine's Day Bingo and make valentines for their loved ones at 2:30 p.m.

Finally, we're having an American Girl party at our Main Branch that starts at 2 p.m.

Girls ages 6 to 12 can bring their American Girl dolls (or any other 18-inch doll) to the library for an afternoon of mini-crafts, mini-snacks and American Girl games. The only thing that won’t be “mini” is the fun!

You can register for any of these programs on our website or by calling the respective branch of Mentor Library.

Kadence makes her own valentines with melted crayon shavings and wax paper.

For more photos from our early Valentine's Day craft and other programs, visit Mentor Library’s Facebook page.

Teen Project gives teens a place to be themselves at our Lake Branch

Roast your friends during the first meeting of The Teen Project on Feb. 9 at Mentor Library's Lake Branch.

Ready to get messy? Get busy? Get wired? Then you’re ready for The Teen Project at our Lake Branch.

The Teen Project has one mission: to give teens a fun place where they can be themselves at the library.

It starts at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 9 with a Super Smash Bros tournament. (Register for it here.) Any teen who wants to play is invited. There will also be pizza and pop.

After that, The Teen Project will meet the second Monday of every month at our Lake Branch.

Video game tournaments are just the beginning. Teens will paint, compete in trivia contests, customize coffee mugs and more. The teens will be able to suggest their own ideas for The Teen Project, as well.

"In the digital age, ‘hanging out’ can mean four teens talking over Twitter or Snapchat—each from their own homes," said Ariel Johnson, the manager at our Lake Branch. "We want to bring the hangout back with video games and pizza and people actually in the same room."

For more information on The Teen Project or to register for the Super Smash Bros tournament call the Lake Branch at 440-257-2512.

Mentor Library also has book and writing clubs specifically for teens. The Teen Book Club meets at 2 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month at the Lake Branch. Their discussion book on Feb. 7 is Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher. Any teen who wants to join the club can pick up a copy of Ketchup Clouds at the Lake Branch.

Meanwhile, the Teen Writing Club meets 4:30 p.m. on the third Monday of the month at our Main Branch. During each meeting, they hone their writing by using a different story prompt. On Feb. 16, the story prompt will be "from a rock's perspective..."

Teens can register for either or both clubs by calling Mentor Library or signing up on our online event calendar.

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.

Holidays at the Branches

Kids show off the holiday gifts they made during our annual Christmas program at our Headlands Branch.

A lot of our posts lately have been about holiday programs at our Main Branch on Mentor Avenue, but we've been getting into the spirit at our Headlands and Mentor-on-the-Lake Branches too.

On Thursday, we had our annual Christmas program at our Headlands Branch.

We sang songs and read stories—including a personal favorite, "Oh, What a Christmas" by Michael Garland—while the kids made Santa stars, candy cane holders and other ornaments.

Ms. Terris helps one of the kids decorate his Christmas tree.

Meanwhile, we had a Countdown to Christmas at our Lake Branch on Saturday.

Kids made Christmas countdown calendars, sang carols and played a holiday version of Bingo.

Children work on their Christmas calendars (that count to 25.)

We still have more holiday programs coming at all three of our branches. You can come to our special Christmas Rhyme Time on Dec. 23 at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

On Monday, Dec. 29, we'll be using recycled greeting cards to make holiday villages at our Main Branch.

The party continues in 2015 with our Year in Review program on Jan. 2 and the New Year's party for our Teen Book Club on Jan. 3 at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

You can check out more of our programs and register for them on our event calendar. If you have any questions, you can always call Mentor Library at 440-255-8811.

It's a Santa star!

Get your Halloween costumes ready

Olivia just needs a cauldron to win Halloween bingo.

The countdown to Halloween continues!

On Saturday, kids had a scavenger hunt and played Halloween Bingo at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch during our Halloween Spooktacular.

But the most fun part was the costumes some of the kids wore.

Darin--pardon me, the Flash--reads a clue during the Halloween scavenger hunt.

What does the Fox say?

And remember, on Halloween, kids can wear their costumes and go trick-or-treating at the library!

For more photos from our Halloween Spooktacular, visit our Facebook page.

Luke searches the bookshelves of our Lake Branch for the next clue in our Halloween scavenger hunt.