Are your kids suffering from the dreaded “summer slide”? Get them ready for back-to-school at the library! We have STEM discovery kits, pre-loaded educational tablets, language learning tools and more.
STEM Discovery Kits:
A sample of our STEM-based Discovery Kits is listed below. For the complete list, click here.
Astronomy: Learn how to identify planets and constellations of stars with this discovery kit, which contains a planet/star chart, identification guides for all levels and two DVDs for elementary and middle-high school levels. (CLICK here to reserve)
Bird Identification: Discover the world of birds at any age with this discovery kit, which includes 2 pairs of binoculars for direct observation, a K-4 level video, a grade 6-adult level video, children’s and adult bird identification guide and two elementary level books about bird biology and habitat. (CLICK here to reserve)
Electromagnets: Explore the wonders of magnets. Discover the gravity defying effects of magnetism while building your own electromagnet, an electrical catapult, a doorbell chime, a telegraph and an electromagnetic relay. (CLICK here to reserve)
Magnets: Explore the wonders of magnets through hands-on experiments for grades K-8. Kit contains DVD “Physical science in action: Magnetism” for grades 5-8; DVD “Physical science for children: All about magnets” for grades K-4; book “Introducing physics: magnetism” for grades 5-8; book “The magnet book” for grades 4-8; book Magnetism: Pulling together pushing apart” for grades K-3, 1 container of 12 oz. metal filings; 1 magnifying glass; 1 magnetic field viewer; 1 set horseshoe and polar magnets with 2 sizes of iron filings. (CLICK here to reserve)
Science or Magic?: Science is often said to be magic, and magical phenomena are often explained with science. This kit gives kids a fun way to explore scientific occurrences and principles by doing exciting tricks and performances for an audience. The 20 easy tricks in this kit always have scientific explanations behind them, even if they appear to defy the laws of physics and nature. (CLICK here to reserve)
Stepping Into Science: Contains hands-on activities of 25 experiments in five key areas: nature, physics, chemistry, air, and water. Children will learn what plants need to grow, build a barometer, see how water climbs, watch plants sweat, and investigate plant propagation. (CLICK here to reserve)
Playaway Launchpads:
Launchpads are kid-friendly tablets preloaded with age/grade-specific educational games and apps. Listed below is a sample of topics covered by our launchpads. Click here for full list.
In the Think Tank: Critical Thinking. Ages 8-10, Grades 3-5: Children will solve difficult puzzles, test their hand-eye coordination and boost their concentration with favorite Nickelodeon characters! (CLICK here to reserve)
Talk of the World: Languages. Ages 5-7, Grades K-2. Kids will travel around the world picking up the basics of language, culture, and tradition while using sight and sound to learn numbers, colors, shapes and more. Explore multiple languages ; Listen to stories in in languages from around the world ; Learn facts and history different countries ; Improve retention by engaging sight and sound. (CLICK here to reserve)
I Think I Can: STEAM. Ages 5-7, Grades K-2. Challenge the youngest students to bring their imaginations to life with these interactive art, science, technology, engineering, and math based games. Build clever inventions ; Explore modeling and animation ; Develop fine motor skills ; Strengthen problem-solving and critical thinking skills. (CLICK here to reserve)
Super Math: Math. Ages 5-7, Grades K-2. Kids explore, defend, and battle their way through early math lessons to learn concepts from arithmetic and geometry to estimation, measurement, and more. Learn addition and subtraction ;Discover basic geometry ; Practice time and money math ; Develop estimation skills. (CLICK here to reserve)
Access our online educational materials from anywhere! We have lots to choose from (click here to view full list by topic) but below we have listed some of our featured educational databases:
Tutor.com provides live help for elementary through junior college students and adults from certified tutors in major subjects like math, science, social studies, English, or even assistance with your job search. Available from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. There is one-to-one help writing resumes and finding a job, and high-quality after-school help from expert tutors in more than 20 subjects to prepare students for college or just get through the evening’s assignment. The Skills Center Resource Library with thousands of vetted resource material for all content areas 24/7. Create an account to save your documents and refer to previous tutoring sessions.
Mango Languages Learn a new language in a fun, immersive way! Choose from Spanish, French, Italian, German, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, English for Spanish Speakers and Pirate (we arrrren’t kidding). Mango Languages is completely self-paced because the time it takes to build fluency is different from person to person. Mango courses provide an introduction to language and culture through the acquisition of simple conversational skills. They focus on practical conversations while increasing vocabulary and grammar skills. Mango is intended to deliver conversational proficiency. Learn a new language and have fun doing it today!
Lynda.com is a leading online learning platform that helps anyone learn business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. Through our library subscription members have access to the lynda.com video library of engaging, top-quality courses taught by recognized industry experts. Subjects include Microsoft Office, Photoshop, accounting, management, marketing, design, photography, and more.