Lost at Sea
02 Teens and Tweens, 45 mins, Chapter 6 Uncharted, Game/Activity, Low Cost, Outside Presenter, Passive/Display
August 10, 2021 0.00 KB 5752 downloads
Partner with an engaging guest speaker from your community to talk about wilderness/ocean survival! The activity portion of this program is based on a popular team building exercise in which participants imagine that they have been stranded on an unpopulated island. When their ship sinks, they’ve had to disperse in three rafts. Luckily, they each have a box of emergency supplies that will help keep them alive. Teens work together to decide which items are most valuable. The team with the best score at the end will survive. Easily adapted to a virtual program.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Exploring Earth - Rising Sea Topography
01 Children, 45 mins, Chapter 6 Uncharted, Game/Activity
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 2209 downloads
This is a hands-on activity demonstrating ways to use topographical mapping techniques to track changes in sea level. The activity is connected to current NASA research. Together, participants and facilitators can discuss the effects of rising sea levels on coastal communities and the natural environment. Learners explore how to use topographical mapping techniques to track changes in sea level and have discussions about the effects of rising sea levels on the environment and coastal communities. See Resources for videos, Printables, and conversational prompts for this program.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Luau - Make a Hawaiian Lei
01 Children, 45 mins, Chapter 6 Uncharted, Craft, Low Cost, Outreach
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 5038 downloads
Children make Hawaiian leis, then take an imaginary boat ride to the island to be garlanded upon their arrival. See if you can partner with a local dance agency to give a brief hula lesson, or ask a local musician to play simple songs on the ukulele.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Mariana Trench - The Deepest Spot on Earth
01 Children, 45 mins, Game/Activity
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 2388 downloads
Dig deep into the Mariana Trench! As a group, children try to place locations according to depth on a Mariana Trench wall display. Watch YouTube videos, and use Milky Way candy bars, or a non-food option, to demonstrate the plate tectonics that created the Mariana Trench.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Lighthouse STEAM Challenge
01 Children, 45 mins, Chapter 6 Uncharted, Craft, Low Cost, Steam
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 5622 downloads
Read a story about a lighthouse, or share fun facts about lighthouses (the National Park Service is a great resource). Then, participants compete to see who can build the tallest lighthouse using paper straws, craft sticks, or index cards. Those who finish early can work on a lighthouse coloring sheet or experiment with Morse Code to send messages to each other (see Printables). This program is easily adapted to Zoom.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Jellyfish Lanterns
02 Teens and Tweens, 45 mins, Chapter 5 An Ocean of Wonders, Craft
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 3123 downloads
Show teens how to bring the wonder of the ocean into their décor by making jellyfish lanterns! Create large lanterns for a library reading space and/or small ones for cool night lights that teens can take home. Blowfish lanterns are another fun variation of this craft.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Ocean Animals Early Lit Crossover
01 Children, 45 mins, Chapter 5 An Ocean of Wonders, Craft, Game/Activity
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 2212 downloads
An ocean animal storytime with ocean stations that can be combined with storytime for an early lit/children’s crossover program that works for slightly older children as well. Each station has adaptations to make it into
a virtual program. If there are children in attendance who are too young for the stations, put out an ocean themed felt board and a box of ocean animal toys.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
DIY Cleaner and Greener Living
03 Adults, 45 mins, Chapter 4 Our Blue Planet, Craft, Passive/Display, Steam
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 8016 downloads
Learn to make cleaning and household products from everyday items that do less harm to our planet! To inspire patrons to make a change to eco-friendly alternatives during an in-person program, present some facts about the toxicity of regular cleaning products. You could also make this into a passive program by printing recipes for patrons to take home (see Printables). The DIY recipes could also be recorded or run as an interactive Zoom presentation.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Recycled T-shirt Book Bag
01 Children, 02 Teens and Tweens, 45 mins, Chapter 4 Our Blue Planet, Craft, Low Cost
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 2959 downloads
that is too small or worn? Repurpose it into a bookbag for all your library materials! Ask participants to bring their own t-shirts, but be sure to have some extras on hand. In the spirit of reuse, solicit donations from staff, patrons, or local businesses rather than buying new t-shirts.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Watersheds and Aquifers
01 Children, 45 mins, Chapter 4 Our Blue Planet, Craft, Game/Activity, Outreach
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 3531 downloads
Introduce children to watersheds or aquifers—or both!—with these activity ideas.
For the watershed, children build a model landscape using recycled materials, then add water to watch how the shape of the land helps collect water. Older children can use modeling clay, salt dough, or landscaping materials to form the watershed. For the aquifer, children layer landscaping materials (or edible food items) in a translucent container to watch how water (or soda) seeps through the layers. For an outreach component, invite local soil and water conservationists to talk about the watershed in your area. See Resources for a groundwater worksheet and video clip suggestions that can be used to introduce either topic.
Suggested runtime for each activity: 30–45 min.
Mermaid Sugar Scrub
02 Teens and Tweens, 45 mins, Chapter 3 Seven Seas Infinite Stories, Craft, Passive/Display
August 9, 2021 0.00 KB 3354 downloads
Make your own natural body scrub with a mermaid twist! Perfect for dry skin from all that time in the summer sun. This easy recipe would make a great in-person program or take-and-make bag for teens.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Give Me a Sign! Fun with Diving Sign Language
01 Children, 02 Teens and Tweens, 03 Adults, 04 Multigenerational, 45 mins, Game/Activity, Low Cost
August 6, 2021 0.00 KB 3219 downloads
Learn about diving hand signals, then use them in an “underwater” obstacle course! Easily adaptable for children of all ages by controlling the number of hand signals you learn, or by adjusting the difficulty of the obstacle course. Good for families as well! See Resources for videos created by Allyson Brickner of Southwest Public Libraries in Grove City, OH.
Suggested runtime: 45 min
Shark Lady Suncatcher
01 Children, 45 mins, Chapter 2 Explore New Depths, Craft, Low Cost
August 6, 2021 0.00 KB 4494 downloads
An elementary school-age program that introduces Eugenie Clark, a woman who made a career out of studying sharks. Run a short shark quiz game, then show short YouTube videos or read a picture book. The suncatcher craft is simple and made more so by precutting the tissue paper squares and silhouettes for younger children.
Suggested runtime: 45 minutes.
Marbled Mugs
02 Teens and Tweens, 45 mins, Chapter 1 Discover Treasures, Craft
August 6, 2021 0.00 KB 1535 downloads
Personalize a mug with a marbled ocean or coastline scene! Participants dip their mugs into a mixture of water and nail polish to get the marbled effect. Provide a variety of nail polish colors to allow for more variation. Each mug is unique, and they are quick and easy to make. You can also create take-and-make bags that each include a mug and
marbling instructions for doing it at home.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Seashell Activities
01 Children, 45 mins, Chapter 1 Discover Treasures, Craft, Game/Activity
August 6, 2021 0.00 KB 2798 downloads
Three different seashell crafts and activities. Great for sensory input.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Pirate Scavenger Hunt
01 Children, 02 Teens and Tweens, 03 Adults, 45 mins, Chapter 1 Discover Treasures, Game/Activity, Low Cost, Passive/Display
August 5, 2021 0.00 KB 8217 downloads
Participants explore the library or community looking for treasures! Modify the scavenger hunt list to suit any theme or audience. Participants could also be given a treasure map to follow until they reach the X. Excellent for family nights.
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Into the Abyss - Ocean Zones
01 Children, 45 mins, Chapter 2 Explore New Depths, Craft, Game/Activity, Outdoors, Passive/Display
August 5, 2021 0.00 KB 5221 downloads
Several options for learning about ocean zones! The first is an interactive display where patrons add sea creatures to the correct depths. The display can also be left up as a passive activity. For an in-person program, play the active Ocean Zones Game, then make a craft. To modify the craft for different age groups, have younger children distinguish between the three ocean zones (Sunlight, Twilight, and Midnight), and have older children use all five scientific zones (which further divide the Midnight Zone into the Abyss and the Deep Trenches).
Suggested runtime: 45 min.
Friendship is a Treasure
01 Children, 02 Teens and Tweens, 03 Adults, 04 Multigenerational, 45 mins, Chapter 1 Discover Treasures, Craft, Game/Activity, Low Cost
August 4, 2021 0.00 KB 3883 downloads
After reading The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, discuss friendship and brainstorm ways in which to be a good friend. Work together as a group to write an acrostic poem about friendship on a whiteboard. Alternatively, older children can write their own poems. Children then work on their “friendship fish” art by coloring or decorating a fish to make it sparkle like treasure.
Suggested runtime: 45 minutes.