Wildcard Wednesday!

Wednesday, October 1 @ 5pm

Teens and Tweens (grades 4 and up) are invited to join us for crafts, snacks and activities. Since it's a Wildcard, you never know exactly what we may do. But I can tell you that there will be Franken-toys and other activities perfect for this time of year!

May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor...

The Hunger Games are coming this Saturday and all Teens are invited.  It is Noon to 4pm.  Watch the movie, make bows and arrows, and chow down on hunger related food.  Not only that whoever attends will get to go home with the below key chain.

Camping PJ Party

We had a lot of fun programs this summer but I would have to say that this one was one of my favorites.  We set the tone with putting up a tent, having a fake camp fire, camping gear, fall leaves, and making smore's.  We also made miniature bows and arrows.

The night started off with hearing stories around the campfire.  That led into getting camping survival tips.  Then we had a sing-a-long with instruments.  After some stargazing we got crafty and made our mini bows and arrows.  After all that we were hungry and needed a yummy camping treat.  Smore's!

Books Used: Arthur Goes to Camp by Marc Brown
                     Toasting Marshmallows:  Camping Poems by Kristine George
                     The Outdoor Adventure Handbook by Hugh McManners

Craft: Mini Bows and Arrows-Instructions Here

Smore's: Take a Regular Size Marshmallow, Put it on a Stick, Dip in Melted Chocolate, and Roll in Crushed Graham Crackers.  Super simple and you don't need a fire!  Great for worried folks like myself that don't want to burn the library down.

Fear Factor

Fear Factor was for those who could stomach what I cooked up for them. Truthfully it wasn't that bad. Once they got past their gag reflex it was a lot of fun. The first stunt was to sniff baby diapers. Yes, baby diapers. I melted down six different chocolate bars and numbered each diaper. Each contestant had to sniff or taste each diaper and take a guess at what type of candy bar it was. Some called it disgusting, some called it delicious ;).

The next stunt was tasting baby food. Once again groans were heard throughout the room. Not all were brave enough to eat it but most were. Bananas were everyone's favorite.

The third stunt was pulling out bugs from stinky gooey food. My own creation. The ones that initially balked at this stunt in the beginning went into round two with a gusto. All in all fear factor was taken on by some brave contestants.




















Baby food anyone!

































Baby Diaper Challenge!














Find all the critters!






























Ewwwwww!!!! Yuckkkkkyyyy!!!! I can't believe I ate that!

Monster Pops

Today the tweens made ghoulish creatures out of cake balls and chocolate. They had a blast making them and an even better time eating them. This is a fun activity for really any age group, even the really big kids. You know who you are!

To make cake balls all you do is bake a cake according to the package directions. Let it cool and then in a bowl mix it up with 3/4 can of frosting. Using a small cookie scoop or your hands shape into balls. You can usually get about 50 balls per package of cake mix. Let the balls firm up in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. Chocolate melts work the best for dipping but regular chocolate chips with a little oil works really well too. Melt the chocolate. Dip the stick in the chocolate and then stick it into the ball. Dip the ball into the chocolate letting the excess chocolate drip down. Have fun decorating them. Stick them in the fridge or freezer to harden the chocolate if necessary. It's better to keep the cake balls in the fridge after they are made.

Photo Magnets

On March 17 tweens made photo magnets. I think they turned out really cool.

What you need: Clear, rounded with a smooth back, pebbles (we got them from Michael's, I'm not sure what they are called), hot glue, hot glue gun, decorative paper, pictures and round magnets.

Cut out the paper or picture to fit on the back of the pebble. Hot glue the picture to the pebble and then hot glue the magnet to the picture.

These would make fun homemade gifts.

Tween Time: Hot Chocolate Treats

On February 24, 2010 our tween group made a hot chocolate treat to give away to someone.

What you need:
Small jars (various shapes and sizes) we used small ball jars
glitter paint (to decorate the jar)
a can of hot chocolate
string
labels

Scoop hot chocolate mix into the jars. Seal the jar tight. Decorate the outside with paint and various other cute items. Tie a label to the jar with the string. Give away as a gift or keep for yourself.

Sorry the camera was not working and we didn't get any pictures.

Tweens Make Origami

On January 20th tweens made origami lead by the talented Kaylee.