Camp Wonderopolis in libraries: Lincoln Heritage Public Library part 2
Lincoln Heritage Public Libraries, located in Indiana, was one of three libraries across the country to be awarded a grant to be a Camp Wonderopolis site. Abby Galyan, Youth Librarian shared the following about their program.
Camp Wonderopolis has been amazing for our small public library this summer. So many parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and children have all come together for fun and learning! The experiments have been advanced enough for parents to learn and easy enough for children to understand. This experience was amazing to watch and be a part of because I was able to watch two-generation learning at its finest.
Our third Camp Wonderopolis project was slime! This was a huge hit with our community. The children were very excited to get started but the parents seemed to be a little nervous about making a mess. After I explained that the mess was part of the fun, the parents relaxed and joined in. I even had a few parents who went back to make their own slime. Most of the kids absolutely loved getting sticky and messy but there were a few that didn’t like it at all. Overall, the program was a huge success and not too big of a mess to clean up afterward!
Our last Camp Wonderopolis project was making the rubber band guitars. The parents and children were a little apprehensive at first, but once they settled down and thought about it for a few minutes, they ran with it. The kids were interested in decorating their guitars the most, which was a blast. I could then see the parents start to question the different sounds that were being made. They sat and explored the different types of rubber bands, moving the rubber bands, and how tight the rubber bands were on the guitar. Some parents and kids figured out how to play “Mary had a Little Lamb” on their rubber band guitars! This was so much fun to see the kids getting quiet enough to hear their guitars and really listening to the difference in notes when they moved the rubber bands. Overall, this was also a huge hit. The kids were excited to take their musical instruments home with them and show their families what they had made at the library!
Camp Wonderopolis has been absolutely amazing for Lincoln Heritage Public Libraries this summer. The program added so many STEM/STEAM activities that would have been hard to come up with on my own. With the guidance I was given, I was able to successfully lead Camp Wonderopolis workshops to our amazing patrons. Thank you for this amazing opportunity!
Interested in bringing Camp Wonderopolis to your program? Camp Wonderopolis online learning content is free year-round for individuals, families, classrooms, and programs. Visit camp.wonderopolis.org to explore five unique editions of Camp Wonderopolis, each loaded with 42 lessons, six Maker activities, book lists, and more. To enhance your program, NCFL offers Campsite Kits available for purchase. Receive support and guidance to integrate Camp Wonderopolis into your programming when you purchase the Program Kit at store.wonderopolis.org.