Its full steam ahead for the Iowa City Public Library’s first-ever
STEAMfestival!
Come to the Library on Saturday, May 20, anytime between 10 a.m.
and 4 p.m. for fun, adventures and activities that encompass all things STEAM:
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.
Start your adventure at ICPL’s STEAM Engine. Our main floor
meeting rooms will be transformed into a train transporting all curious passengers
on an expedition of knowledge. Continue your journey outside to the Ped Mall
and MERGE, where the National Center for Science Education Science Booster
Club, the University of Iowa College of Engineering, Iowa City Parks and
Recreation, Alliant Energy, MERGE, and the Grout Museum of History and Science
will provide a variety of hands-on activities. Climate change, genetics, wind
energy, pressurized rockets and coding are just a few of the topics you’ll
explore.
Don’t forget to trek back to ICPL’s Storytime Room for Absolute
Science with Rick Eugene Brammer at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. This fun and educational program encourages children of all ages
to be engaged in the world of science through demonstrations and experiments,
including Dry Ice Exploration and Fantastic Foam.
The
STEAMfestival @ Iowa City Public Library is made possible with the generous support of the
Community Foundation of Johnson County and the Bywater Family Endowment Fund, the
Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Iowa City Public
Library Friends Foundation, and the Rev. Dr. Barbara Schlachter Memorial Fund.
ICPL, Summer of the Arts ABC Saturday on June 3
Mark your calendar for ABC Saturday, formerly known as Children's Day, on Saturday, June 3.
This annual event, produced by
the Iowa City Public Library with Summer of the Arts during the Iowa Arts
Festival, encourages kids’ creativity with an extensive lineup of hands-on
activities to promote Build a Better World – the 2017 Summer Reading Program.
More than a dozen booths will be
set up on the City Plaza, with activities ranging from mask-making and chess,
to rocking out with the Yahoo Drummers and making a new friend from the Iowa
City Care and Adoption Center. ABC Saturday also is the official planting day for the Library’s Children’s Garden on
the City Plaza.
ABC Saturday begins at 10 a.m.
with activities concluding at 3 p.m.
Is your child registered for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten?
Sharing books and stories is important to a child's brain
development, which is why the Library added the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
to its lineup of children’s literacy programs.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten encourages parents and
caregivers to do just that: read 1,000 books before the child starts
kindergarten. In doing so, they strengthen a child’s language skills and build
their vocabulary — two important tools for beginning readers.
Program registration is ongoing and can be completed at the
Children’s Desk during regular Library hours or online. Each 1,000 Books participant
receives a bookmark to track their first 250 books. Once it’s complete,
children can bring it to the Children’s Room for their next bookmark, each one
in 250 increments, until they’ve read 1,000 books. Children also will receive a
prize after completing each level of the program.
The 2017 Summer Reading Program will be held June 1 through August 11, with registration beginning June 1.
Registration can be completed
in-person at the Library, online at srp.icpl.org or during ABC Saturday on Saturday,
June 3.
Participation is free and available for all ages, babies
through adults. All registrants will receive a game card to track their
progress in meeting summer reading goals. The game cards also include the
information for all Summer Reading Program activities and events.
The game card for babies and toddlers promotes early childhood
literacy skills, with prizes awarded at two levels: a bath toy at the
first level, and a free book and entry into the grand prize drawing – either a
$50 gift card to Prairie Lights -- at the second level.
The pre-school through sixth-grade game card has three
levels of prizes. The first is a collection of food and activity
coupons from McDonald’s, Aspen Leaf Free Frozen Yogurt, the Iowa Children’s
Museum, Blank Park Zoo, an Iowa City Parks and Recreation one-day pool pass, Bruegger's Bagels, Pizza Ranch, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Westdale Bowling Center. The second is a T-shirt. The third is a free book
and an entry into the grand prize drawing.
