Summer Reading, Steam, and Fun Abound the Library

To kick off SCLSNJ’s Summer Reading Challenge on June 19, Elijah Swank, Nathan Finger, and Samantha Finger, gathered at our North Plainfield branch for Miss Jen’s Lab, a new monthly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) program. This month’s theme was Play with Your Food and featured kitchen science – projects that can completed using everyday items easily found in your pantry.
Kids and their parents explored chemistry with magic rice using baking soda, vinegar, and food dye to fizz, bubble, and change colors; got involved with environmental science by making bird feeders out of pipe cleaners and cereal; and participated in engineering challenges by constructing towers and more from spaghetti, styrofoam, and blocks. Children also used their dyed rice to make craft flowers, butterflies, and stars. Take the summer reading challenge at SCLSNJ.org/summerreading. Register for the next branch STEAM event here: http://sclsnj.libnet.info/event/134004.