Spring Break programs for teens at the Fox River Valley Libraries!

We have fun activities going on during the week for anyone staying in the area over Spring Break:

Teen Gaming Club
Dundee Library
Sat., March 26, 2 to 4 p.m.
Hang out and play Wii U, PS3, and Xbox 360 games. Bring your DS/3DS and battle each other, or bring your Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic cards. For ages 12-18. Drop in.

Craft Lab: Duct Tape Projects
Dundee Library
Mon, March 28, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Make pencil pouches and beads out of colorful duct tape. For ages 12-18. Please register.

Anime Club
Dundee Library
Tues., March 29, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Weigh in on your favorite manga, make buttons and crafts, play games. Share ideas for future events and meet other anime fans. For ages 12-18. Drop in.

Craft Lab: Duct Tape Projects
Randall Oaks Library
Thurs., March 31, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Make pencil pouches and beads out of colorful duct tape. For ages 12-18. Please register.

Teen Tech Week: Create Pocket Green Screens

This week is Teen Tech Week, and the theme is Create it @ Your Library. This week we will create pocket green screens with mint tins, bright green cardstock, and magnets. We will insert small figures into the pocket green screen and take a picture after they are arranged. Using GIMP, we will remove the green background and insert a fun background. As you see above, I edited the background to make it look like the two boys above are on the moon! The two kids below are on the beach, on a shelf of books!

This program is for teens ages 12-18. Please register:
Monday, March 7, 6:30 p.m. (Dundee Library)
Thursday, March 10, 6 p.m. (Randall Oaks Library)

Make string art in Craft Lab!

All you need is cardstock, needle and embroidery thread, tape, paperclips, and a silhouette design to make your own frame-worthy string art.

We will be doing this project in Craft Lab at Dundee Library and the Randall Oaks Library on these dates (be sure to register!):

For ages 11-18.
Saturday, February 6, 3 p.m. (Dundee Library)
Monday, February 15, 3 p.m. (Randall Oaks Library)

Interested in learning how you can make these cool designs? Here are the steps:

1. Find and print a silhouette design. I chose Darth Vader, and this design turned out to be a little more complicated than the squirrel, fox, and Batman logo above. Working around the holes in his mouthpiece and eyes took a lot of time (between 3 and 4 hours). I'd recommend starting with a simple, solid design for your first string art project.

 2. Choose your color of cardstock and embroidery thread. I went with red cardstock and black thread.

3. Use paperclips to secure your design to the top of your cardstock.

4. Take your needle and poke holes to outline the entire design, plus any "interior" portions of the design, like eyes, nose, etc.

5. When you have outlined all parts of your design, remove the paperclips and top piece of paper.

6. You can choose how many strands of thread to use. For this project I used two strands. Thread your needle and then tape the thread to the back of your project.

7. Now you can get creative and make whatever patterns you wish for your design.

8. The back of the project should look like a bunch of dashes.

9. I recommend working section by section. Later you can go back and fill in sections as you like.

10. When you finish each strand, tape the end to the back of the cardstock. You may also have to do this if you run into a bad knot situation (you don't see it in this picture, but it happened several times as I worked on this project).

11. Notice how for this design I had to go around certain areas so that Darth Vader's mouthpiece, eyes, and helmet would stand out. This required a lot of patience!

12. Here's the finished project. I might still go back and fill in more string where there are some larger gaps.

Make your own scratch art in Craft Lab

In this month's Craft Lab, we'll use cray-pas oil pastels to make unique scratch art. Sign up for the session on Monday, January 18, 3 p.m. at Randall Oaks or on Saturday, January 30, 3 p.m. at Dundee. With a simple technique, we'll create fun designs and mini pieces of art. Read below to see a couple examples!

Steps to make scratch art:

Fill the piece of cardstock with lots of color:

Next, use a black cray pas to completely cover your design:

It should be completely black!

Now, it's time to get creative. Use toothpicks, paperclips, or coins to make your scratch art:

Here's another one I tried with a bull's eye design:

Covered in black:

Scratched up!:

Hope to see you at Craft Lab!

Hack Your Notebook at the library!

Our first Craft Lab project this fall is Hack Your Notebook (September 23 at the Dundee Library, and September 30 at the Randall Oaks Library). Draw, sketch, or doodle something and then light up your creation with copper tape, LED stickers, batteries, and binder clips. We will start by making a simple circuit and move on to assembling parallel circuits and simple switches. I made some quick drawings in my notebook to use as examples.

This is a simple circuit:

I know what you're wondering-- It's a funfetti cake with vanilla buttercream frosting... covered in sprinkles.

The copper tape runs from the positive side of the battery to the positive side of the LED sticker, and then another piece of copper tape runs from the negative side of the LED sticker to the negative side of the battery. When the corner of the page is pressed down on the battery with a binder clip, the circuit is closed and the candle in the birthday scene drawing lights up!

Here are two examples of parallel circuits:

Winter is coming, and Squirrel and Chipmunk have a bright idea of what to do with the acorns.

I knew I wanted the light from the LEDs to be lightbulbs over the heads of the squirrel and chipmunk, so I planned the circuit accordingly. I drew straight lines connecting the positive side of the battery to touch the tops of LEDs, and the other line connects the negative side of the battery to the points of the LED stickers. It's important to press down on the copper tape and stickers to ensure the connection is closed.

In the next drawing I used the LED stickers as the eyes of a fox enchanted by the promise of free, delicious pizza! Because the LEDs are closer together in this drawing, it was a little easier when planning this circuit.

Mr. Fox can't believe his luck.

The last example is of adding a simple switch to a drawing:

Lonely Bench

In the above drawing I wanted to put the switch under the hand of the person on the ladder. In this way, when I press down on that part of the drawing, the street light turns on.

The possibilities are endless for how you can hack your notebooks! 

Don't forget to register:
Wednesday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. - Dundee Library
Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m. - Randall Oaks Library

Make something in Craft Lab this fall

We have some cool projects planned for our Craft Labs over the next couple months. If you are 11-18 years old and enjoy being creative and making things, check out the programs we will have at the Dundee Library and Randall Oaks Library. Please register by clicking on the links below, calling the library at 847-428-3661, or in person!

Hack Your Notebook
Create simple or parallel circuits to light up drawings, sketches, or words in your notebook pages. Notebooks and materials will be provided.
Wednesday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. @ Dundee Library
Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m. @ Randall Oaks Library

LED Cuff Bracelets
Use conductive thread, LEDs, and felt to make light up cuff bracelets.
Saturday, October 3, 3 p.m. @ Dundee Library
Thursday, October 15, 6 p.m. @ Randall Oaks Library

Make a Zombie
Use paint and other recycled materials to transform old toys into creepy zombies.
Thursday, October 22, 6:30 p.m. @ Dundee Library

Duct Tape
Make flower pens, bracelets, phone cases, wallets and more out of colorful duct tape.
Saturday, November 14, 3 p.m. @ Dundee Library
Thursday, November 19, 6 p.m. @ Randall Oaks Library

Make cassette tape wallets and more in our Read to the Rhythm Craft Lab series this summer!

This summer our Read to the Rhythm Craft Lab series includes four projects that reuse, or remix, discarded CDs and audiocassette tapes.

Cassette Tape Wallets Convert cassette tapes into handy, vintage-looking wallets. Thursday, June 11 @ 2 p.m. (Dundee Library) Friday, June 12 @ 2 p.m. (Randall Oaks)

CD Art Paint and use etching techniques on CDs to create small works of art. Friday, June 19 @ 2 p.m. (Randall Oaks)

CD Weaving Modify old CDs into your own handheld looms. Reuse yarn scraps to produce beautiful designs! Thursday, June 25 @ 2 p.m. (Dundee Library) Thursday, July 9 @ 2 p.m. (Randall Oaks)

Mosaic CD Picture Frames  Transform plain picture frames by using cut up CD pieces. Thursday, July 16 @ 2 p.m. (Dundee Library) Thursday, July 23 @ 2 p.m. (Randall Oaks)

Add to our sticky note lyrics wall

Add some lyrics, your favorite band name, or a musical doodle to our sticky note lyrics wall in the teen area! It will be up all summer long.

Add a sticky note to our National Library Week collage in the teen area!

To celebrate National Library Week, we are creating a sticky note collage on the wall in the teen area. Just like this year's theme, Unlimited Possibilities @ Your Library, the possibilities for what you can post on the wall are endless!

Draw a sketch! Share a quote! Doodle a drawing! Get creative!

Members of TAG, Anime Club, and Maker Club got the collage started by working on sticky notes at various club meetings the last couple months. We still have lots of blank space to cover with colorful notes, so stop by the teen area, grab some sticky notes and markers, and stick up your creations!

Spring Break programs at the library

A full week of no school starts Friday afternoon! We have several programs going on at Dundee and Randall Oaks for grades 6 and up.

Teen Gaming Club
Saturday, March 21 @ 2 p.m. - Dundee Library Meeting Room

Come hang out with your friends and have fun playing Wii U, PS3, and Xbox 360 games! Bring along your DS and battle each other! Play Yu-Gi-Oh! Feel free to bring in your own games and controllers. Snacks and refreshments provided.

Insurgent Movie Release Party
Monday, March 23 @ 2 p.m. - Dundee Library Craft Room

Come discuss the book and movie with other fans, answer trivia questions, and create Divergent-inspired duct tape cuff bracelets. Please register.

Anime Club
Tuesday, March 24 @ 7 p.m. - Dundee Library Meeting Room
 
Discuss your favorite manga, make buttons and other fun crafts, play Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh, and more! Share your ideas of the activities you'd like to have at upcoming events and meet other anime fans. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.

Craft Lab: Duct Tape
Thursday, March 26 @ 2 p.m. - Randall Oaks Branch Library

Make flower pens, bracelets, phone cases, wallets, and more out of colorful duct tape. Please register.

TAG Meeting
Saturday, March 28 @ 2 p.m. - Dundee Library Craft Room

Plan future library events, review and discuss current teen literature, and make crafts and decorations. A great way for middle school and high school students to earn volunteer hours!

Make a simple circuit light box during Teen Tech Week

We have a drop-in Teen Tech Week activity today at 4 p.m. at the Dundee Library and on Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Randall Oaks Branch Library. Create little light boxes using a simple circuit (copper tape, LED, and a battery), cardstock, tissue/tracing paper, and markers.

Once you have a functioning circuit, use markers to create your decoration in the light box window.  Tracing paper or even tissue paper you put in gift bags or presents work really well. All I did to make the pictured designs was cut out a rectangular piece of tissue paper to fit the window and added the design with a black marker.

Perhaps you recognize this moment from the movie The Little Mermaid....

Go on and kiss the girl...

If you are interested in more activities like this one, mark your calendar for upcoming meetings of Maker Club:

Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, May 2 at 2 p.m.

Scan your way around the library in our QR Code Scavenger Hunt during Teen Tech Week

Teen Tech Week is March 8-14! Come to the Dundee Library or Randall Oaks Branch Library to participate in a QR Code Scavenger Hunt. This drop-in activity is open to grades 6-12 that will test your knowledge about the library. Work individually or as a team.

What is a QR code, anyway? Quick Response (QR) codes are 2D barcodes that can contain information in the form of images, website links, book lists, and more! For example, the QR code below should reveal the same meme that is posted above:

And this QR code will take you to a list of teen books set in the Chicagoland area:

To participate in this scavenger hunt, you (or one person on your team) will need a smart phone, tablet, or iPod touch with a code reader app. i-Nigma is a recommended free code reader app that is easy to use.

Start at either the Dundee Library Information Desk or Randall Oaks Branch Library to pick up your answer sheets. You will scan codes to reveal clues that will send you around the library. Complete  the scavenger hunt and receive a small prize!

Get creative with duct tape in Monday's Craft Lab

Cut, fold, and stick duct tape at Monday's Craft Lab, Duct Tape Projects. We have a rainbow of colors and patters for you to experiment with at the program! Here are some examples of projects you may want to tackle:

Clockwise from top left: spike bracelet, flower pens, phone case, carnation pen

The program will be held Monday, January 19 at 2 p.m. in the Craft Room on the lower level. Please register online, by calling 847-428-3661 (press 3), or in person.

International Games Day is Saturday!

This Saturday is International Games Day, a day when libraries around the world celebrate the educational, recreational, and social value of games. Seriously, click this link to see a map of all the libraries participating this year!

At the Dundee Library we will have games in the Meeting Room and Craft Room from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come participate or hang out with your friends. Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3 games will be set up in the Meeting Room, and board games will be set up in the Craft Room. Feel free to bring your own videogames, DS/3DS consoles, controllers, Magic and/or Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.

Sign up now for the Lock In of Terror!

How would you like to have the entire library to yourself for one evening? Friday, October 24, 6-9 p.m., is the library's Lock In of Terror, open to grades 6-12.

Come in costume and take over the library after hours and have a frightful time enjoying pizza, games, and more!

You can register online, by phone: 847-428-3661 (press 3), or in person at the library.

College prep programs at the library

We have several programs coming up at the Dundee Library for students preparing for college. Register for any of the following programs by clicking on the links to the online calendar, calling 847-428-3661 (press three), or visiting the library in person.

Practice ACT
Saturday, October 11 (9:30 a.m.)
Kaplan is offering a free ACT and follow-up results workshop (Wednesday, October 22 at 7 p.m.). The test does not include the essay portion. Registration for the test is required.

Don't Pay the College Sticker Price!
Monday, October 20 (7 p.m.)
For parents and students. Presented by Joe Orsolini, a Certified Financial Planner and expert in college planning, this program focuses on strategies to maximize need-based financial aid eligibility, target the right colleges for merit-based financial aid, and exploit tax-saving opportunities. Registration is required.

Practice SAT
Saturday, November 1 (9:30 a.m.)
Kaplan is offering a free SAT test and follow-up results workshop (Monday, November 17 at 7 p.m.) for high school students. Registration for the test is required. 

Okay? Okay: Discuss TFiOS on Tuesday, June 10

Nerdfighters, John Green fans, and anyone who will be first in line to see The Fault in Our Stars movie...

...come to our Fault in Our Stars Book and Movie Discussion next Tuesday, June 10 at 3 p.m. Answer trivia questions, discuss TFiOS and other John Green books with fellow fans, and win prizes. Click on the link to register, or call the Information Desk (847-428-3661, press 3). Hope to see you there!

"Divergent Fans" program on Monday, March 24!

Divergent is now in movie theaters! Are you excited to see Tris and Four on the big screen? Come to our Divergent Fans program at the library on Monday, March 24 at 3 p.m. Discuss the book and movie with other fans, choose a faction, and win prizes by answering trivia questions.

Meanwhile, the teen area is Divergent Central! There is a display with Dauntless character posters and quotes from the book:

Also, if you've read the Divergent series (or are currently on hold for one or more of the books in the series) and are looking for other books you may like, check out the teen display:

If you enjoy dystopian reads, sci-fi, action/adventure, or books with a strong protagonist, try out one of the books here.