There are great debates over whether or not one is born creative, inherits it from a parent, or if it is something that can be taught to everyone. No matter what side you lean towards, there is one thing they agree upon– creativity must be nurtured. You must practice self-care, so you don’t burn out. You must introduce yourself to new experiences and challenge yourself with new concepts. You must always be evolving.
Librarians love being creative, some more in data-driven and organizational ways and others in more artistic ways. Whatever brand of creativity you fall into, we want to support and nurture your passion. The Develop Creativity badge in our Reading Colors Your World Summer Learning Challenge hopes to do just that.
Logging into your Beanstack account at botetourtva.beanstack.org, gives you access to a list of activities geared to put your creative mind to use. Whether you want to invent new things, put your writing skills to work or get your hands messy with some science experiments we have something for everyone. Choose 5 activities to complete the badge and earn digital tickets towards our amazing raffle giveaway!
It might surprise some of you, but dictionaries are real and do still exist. And your librarians want to get you looking through them. Challenge yourself to our writing activity that has you delving into your dictionary (printed or digital) to create a short story. It will also come in handy if you want to try your hand in our poetry activity. We want to hear about your day in the style of your favorite poet or following the structure of a classic poem, like a sonnet or haiku. Don’t have access to a dictionary at home? Come to the library to look through ours and browse the shelves for your favorite poets.
After putting pen to paper, it’s time to put your hands to work in a different way. Engage the entire family in the kitchen with our 3-ingredient slime recipe. This safe and easy to make recipe will introduce kids to science concepts and hopes to spark their interest in other chemistry related kitchen activities.
Repurposing products is one of our librarians’ favorite things to do. We hate throwing things away and are always looking for ways to reuse items before tossing them. Our badge challenges you to look at the items in your house in a different way. How could you put them together to make new and helpful items? Login to see our list of suggested items, including instructions on how to take an old Pringles can and turn it into a solar hot dog cooker. And yes, it really will cook your hot dog.
Not only do we give you a great list of ideas to do on your own or with your friends and family, but we also connect you with some amazing websites that will introduce you to even more ideas. So, what are you waiting for? Go sign up today and get those creative juices flowing.
Jaime Duval
Eagle Rock Branch Librarian
