by Sira Williams
One of the things I enjoy most about my job is planning programs that are entertaining and fun for kids ranging in age from 0-13. The catch is that they must also be some combination of educational, interesting, hands-on or crafty. With the library closed, we have tried to make some programs like Story Time & Power Play available online, but we’ve been forced to cancel or postpone many others.
In March, we missed one of our favorite annual events — Maker Day! NJ Makers Day is a statewide celebration of maker culture, and this would have been our 4th year of participation. At our program, kids and adults get hands-on experience doing things they may not do at home ranging from STEM projects to cooking to arts and crafts. In the past, our patrons have tried their hand at coding and circuits and experimented with technologies like our silhouette machine, podcasting equipment, and giant green-screen. Operating low-tech machines like electric typewriters, sewing machines, and our button-maker has been both eye-opening and fun for many.
Believe me, we had some great activities planned for this year, too, but instead of pouting about it, I figured I’d share some with you so you can have your own (insert last name here) FAMILY MAKER DAY at home! Remember, it’s not just for kids, so if you’re quarantining alone, go crazy and do something creative and fun just for yourself — no one’s watching! And if you have little ones running around and/or big kids lying around, I encourage you to gather everyone at the kitchen table and get ready for some good, old-fashioned fun! Post pics of your creations and tag the Red Bank Public Library.
Pancake Art
If you have pancake mix in your stockpile, try this deliciously fun way to start the day before online school and work. Prepare the mix, separate into 3 or 4 bowls and add food coloring 1 drop at a time until you’re satisfied with the intensity. Then get creative! If you happen to have a couple of squeeze bottles and an electric griddle, all the better, but you can make do with a spoon and frying pan, for sure. Keep in mind that pancakes cook quickly so plan out your creations before you start.
If you remember Shrinky Dinks®, then you must remember how super cool and awesome they are. In anticipation of Maker Day, we bought legit Shrinky Dinks® plastic sheets, markers, markers, and more markers, plus 2 heat guns. We were prepared to make Shrinky Dinks® galore and craft them into earrings, pendants, keychains, etc. The kids were going to love it! Now, you can make them at home, instead, with #6 recycled plastic! This such a fun and amazing activity for the whole fam -- listen to music, play 20 questions or have an actual conversation while you color your designs. Then pop them in the oven @ 350° and watch in wonder as they shrink to a fraction of their former size! It only takes 2-3 minutes, and they really do shrink a lot, so start big. Turn them into magnets, pendants, good luck charms, quarantine souvenirs? Maybe we won’t call them that…
You likely have all the materials at home:
An old cotton T-shirt (shirts with printing and logos on them are fair game), and if your house is like mine, you have plenty of old T-shirts to choose from! If somehow this is not the case, take one old shirt and cut it into squares (@ 8”x8”) so everyone can have a piece.
Colorful Sharpies® or permanent markers
Rubbing alcohol
Now get ready for more quality time as you sit together and decorate your shirts. It’s best if you put a piece of cardboard inside to prevent bleedthrough or try securing sections of the shirt to the top of a bowl or can with a rubberband to make beautiful circular designs. When you dribble alcohol onto the marker, watch the colors bleed and spread – so cool!
God’s Eye Crafts
This last project is more of a solitary, meditative activity that may take you back to your summer camp days -- God’s Eyes. If you have any yarn in your stash that wasn’t purged during your quarantine spring cleaning, now you’ve got something to do with it! Supplies needed = yarn + two sticks (ie: popsicle, chop, pencils or actual sticks). It’s so simple that with a little help to start, even a young child can get the hang of it and create a lovely work of art by themselves.
The exhausting fun of Maker Day is that we get to do all of these projects in one day as well as the other activities I referenced earlier. I hope you’ll try at least one. We could all benefit from doing something creative to lighten the mood, enjoy each other’s company, create a keepsake and get through another day in this adventure we’re all going through together — yet apart. Be well and enjoy!
Sira Williams, a.k.a. Miss Sira, is the head of the Red Bank Public Library’s Children’s Room.
This article was originally published on April 6, 2020.