Terrific Tardigrades
60 Mins+, Adults, Chapter 6 Amazing Creatures, Children, Craft, Game/Activity, Multigenerational, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 3747 downloads
What are tardigrades? They are microscopic water bears! This program requires some prep but is a fun multigenerational event. Read a book about tardigrades, such as My Tiny Pet by Jessie Hartland, share photos and facts, or show brief YouTube videos. Then let participants cycle though the stations you have set up
Air-Dry Animal Magnets
60 Mins+, Chapter 6 Amazing Creatures, Children, Craft, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1942 downloads
Teens make mini animals out of clay, then turn them into magnets, pins, or earrings! This program is easily adapted to any animal theme. The clay does not take long to dry for small pieces, but make it a two-part program if you will be using paintable clay (paint animals and add backings during the second session).
Break It Remake It
60 Mins+, Chapter 6 Amazing Creatures, Children, Craft, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1833 downloads
Older children take apart their old toys and put them back together again! Asking participants to bring their old toys from home will minimize costs, but be prepared with extras on hand for those who do not bring any. Give out name tags for both participants and the monstrosities they create. For younger children or quicker programs, dissemble toys beforehand.
Animal Zines
Chapter 6 Amazing Creatures, Craft, Game/Activity, Low Cost, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 2227 downloads
Zines are back! Many teens will already be familiar with the eight-page mini zines made out of a single sheet of printer paper, but anyone from children to adults can have fun making larger zines too. Let teens peruse some age-appropriate zine samples, then give them some topic ideas. Zines can be as simple or complex as participants want to make them. If your library (or another local library) has a zine collection, be sure to tell teens about it.
Blobfish Slime
Chapter 6 Amazing Creatures, Children, 45 - 90 Mins, Craft, Outdoors
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 2298 downloads
After a blobfish storytime, give children premeasured ingredients to make their own slime! This program’s slime innovation is to add googly eyes, which turn your ho-hum mound of slime into a quivering blobfish.
DIY Plush Sloths
60 Mins+, Chapter 6 Amazing Creatures, Craft, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1740 downloads
Everybody needs a pocket sloth! Using felt sheets and a simple hand sewing technique—the whip stitch—teens make adorable plush sloths. Add snaps or Velcro to the arms to hang the sloths from any nearby “branch.” See Printables for template suggestion.
Endangered Species Bookends
45 - 90 Mins, Chapter 5 Read, Connect, Protect, Craft, Outdoors, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1851 downloads
Teens choose from endangered animal figurines to create bookends to take home (or leave for the library’s teen shelves). Include quick facts and/or videos about endangered animals, and remember the endangered species book display!
Pet BFF Necklaces
60 Mins+, Chapter 4 No Place Like Home, Children, Craft, Passive/Display, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 2277 downloads
BFF necklaces for pets and owners! Children or teens make bottle cap necklaces out of their favorite pet pictures. Alternatively, they can turn the photos in bottle caps into pins or magnets. For a passive display component, create an animal besties bulletin board where patrons post selfies with their pets.
Create A Creature
60 Mins+, Adults, Chapter 4 No Place Like Home, Children, Game/Activity, Low Cost, Craft, Multigenerational, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 3143 downloads
There is no place like home! And that home. And that home. In this program, children learn about habitats and how animals adapt to them. Read Listen to our World (2016) and/or show a brief video, such as “Animal Habitats” by Learning Junction. Show habitat cards and discuss which animals live in each habitat and why, then let participants get creative! Their task is to create a brand new animal that would thrive in a particular habitat. You can have them draw habitat cards, let them choose whichever habitat they like, or base the whole program around a specific habitat. Ask everyone to present their new animal—and describe what makes it perfectly suited to its habitat—at the end of the program.
Backyard Habitats
60 Mins+, Adults, Chapter 4 No Place Like Home, Children, Craft, Multigenerational, Outdoors, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 2820 downloads
A backyard habitat series for birds and pollinators! This program teaches participants the basics of backyard habitats: Project options include a bug hotel, a bird feeder, and a butterfly puddler. Build one habitat, or run a series to build all three. Modify habitat designs based on audience age and the supplies you have on hand; see Resources for more design ideas.
Animal Napkin Folding
60 Mins+, Adults, Chapter 4 No Place Like Home, Craft, Low Cost
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1877 downloads
Participants fold towels or napkins into animal shapes to give their house guests that five-star hotel feel! Make copies of instructions for them to follow along and/or take home. A quick, low-cost program that is easily adapted to different age groups.
Animal-Themed Room Decor
60 Mins+, Chapter 4 No Place Like Home, Craft, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1348 downloads
Teens make animal-themed décor for their rooms! Craft options include removable vinyl wall decals or animal découpage that works on almost any household item.
Winter Shelters For Stray Cats
60 Mins+, Chapter 3 Animal Caretakers and Friends, Craft, Teens, Outdoors
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1634 downloads
Teens make winter shelters for stray cats! Alternatively, for indoor cats, they build elaborate cardboard playhouses out of recycled boxes.
Marine Biologist Crafts
60 Mins+, Chapter 3 Animal Caretakers and Friends, Children, Craft
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 2051 downloads
Shark teeth, snorkel gear, and a secret message in a bottle! Start this program with any ocean-themed books
or a video, such as the five-minute “I Want to Be a Marine Biologist” on YouTube. Craft options include a snorkel mask, a shiny CD fish (or shark teeth), a simple origami turtle, a cut-and-glue shark, and a message in-a-bottle coloring sheet.
Shelter Pet Portraits
60 Mins+, Adults, Chapter 3 Animal Caretakers and Friends, Children, Craft, Multigenerational, Outreach, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 2839 downloads
Participants make portraits of adoptable pets to donate to the local animal shelter! Alternatively, each participant integrates a photo of a shelter pet into a collage. The shelter can display the pictures and give them to the pets’ forever families when they get adopted. This is a great way for children to practice art and contribute to their communities; alternatively, they could create portraits of their own pets. This program is easily adapted to any age
or artistic ability.
Hungry Hungry Hippos
60 Mins+, Chapter 2 The Wild Side, Children, Craft, Game/Activity, Outdoors
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 2263 downloads
The hippos are hungry, hungry! Read a book about hippos, such as Hilda Must be Dancing, Big Little Hippo, or The Hiccupotamus. Saving Fiona is also a great nonfiction choice because you can also show children footage of Fiona from the Cincinnati Zoo website. Augment the program with a hippo sing-along or felt board. After storytime, children make a hippo puppet craft and/or play a fun twist on the classic Hungry, Hungry Hippo board game.
Storytime Safari
60 Mins+, Chapter 2 The Wild Side, Children, Craft, Game/Activity, Low Cost
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 2212 downloads
After a wild animal storytime, children roam around a room that has been set up as a safari! Craft options include simple binoculars and paper plate masks. For the safari, you will need to print and display photos of the featured animals; puppets or stuffed animals could also be used instead of photos. Depending on time and resources, consider adding habitats for each animal.
DIY Harry Potter Monster Book Of Monsters
60 Mins+, Chapter 2 The Wild Side, Craft, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1423 downloads
Teens recreate their very own Monster Book of Monsters from the Harry Potter series. Suggested runtime
Animal Anime And Manga
60 Mins+, Chapter 1 Bookish Beasts, Craft, Game/Activity, Teens
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1861 downloads
It is no secret that teens love anime and manga. Does your library have an anime program or club? If not, consider adding one! You could focus on anime and hold regular screenings of TV series or movies, or you could add an instructional component on how to draw anime characters and manga. For the latter, allow plenty of time to draw and socialize.
Beastly Letters
60 Mins+, Chapter 1 Bookish Beasts, Children, Low Cost, Craft, Passive/Display
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 2461 downloads
Turn everyday letters into something beastly! Children turn the first initial of their names into animal drawings. Alternatively, they find an animal that begins with the same letter as their first initial, then draw and write about that animal. They might gather fun facts about that animal, or write a story about its best or worst day. Older children can create 3D letters/animals out of construction paper or cardboard. Teens and adults might be interested in creating their own fonts or learning calligraphy. A simple, inexpensive program that can be modified for any age group. Be sure to create a display for the finished letters!
Origami Animal Bookmarks
60 Mins+, Children, Chapter 1 Bookish Beasts, Craft, Low Cost
August 24, 2020 0.00 KB 1932 downloads
Origami bookmarks! This is an easy program to modify for any age group or animal theme. Try combining with Chapter 01: Folded Book Animals for a multigenerational paper-folding party.