Come make your own balloon-powered cars at the Racing Machines program! We’ll build the cars and see how fast they go.

Want to learn about the science behind cars and speed?

Toy and Game Science, by Peter Pentland and Pennie Stoyles
Inside and Out Guide To Speed Machines, by Steve Parker
How Does a High-Speed Train Work?, by Sarah Eason

Or learn about how to build other kinds of cars and machines!
Pinewood Derby Designs and Patterns by Troy Thorne
Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets, by David Meade
Build Your Own Car, Rocket, and Other Things That Go, by Tammy Enz

This program is for grades K-5 and will be held at the Pittsfield Branch at 2pm on Tuesday, August 28.

Haven't had a chance to camp yet this summer? Join us at the Pittsfield Branch
on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 from 7 - 8 p.m. as we have our annual camping night.
This year we'll feature moose. They can be very funny, those mooses.
We'll have a campfire that we'll gather around. We'll have Sara Keller lead us in
some camp songs, hear a couple of moose stories, eat s'mores and make
moose antlers to wear. What a fun night for the whole family!

Come listen to local artist and author Robb Johnston talk about the process behind his wonderful book The Woodcutter and the Most Beautiful Tree. Robb will demonstrate how he draws and answer questions. He will also be available for a book signing after the event.

The Woodcutter and the Most Beautiful Tree gained a star review from Kirkus Reviews, who also named it one of the best books of 2011. Don’t miss this chance to see Robb work!

This event will be on Monday, August 13th at 1pm in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Downtown Library.

This event is for grades K to 5.

Calling all kids in grades K - 5 to come use your imaginations to make your own board game.
On Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 2:00 p.m at the Pittsfield Branch we'll have all the boards and supplies
that you need to map out an adventure. Build your own game board, write your own rules, invent
your own characters.

For other game ideas, look here.

Did you grow up in the early 90's? Chances are, if when you grew up you owned an array of scrunchies and jelly shoes or owned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles memorabilia, you remember the PBS broadcast series Ghostwriter. Back then, my mom was trying to find more appropriate mysteries for me and my sister to watch (we had already watched all of The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley), since we caught on to her love of Murder, She Wrote. Ghostwriter fit the criteria. Set in Brooklyn, New York, this three season series (AADL owns the first season) follows five friends on their quest to solve mysteries with the aid of a ghost, named Ghostwriter. This series is most appropriate for the fourth and fifth grade crowd. (Warning: may be disagreeable with adults.)

Unscramble the bold letters for a Summer Game Code!

With a focus on the kindergarten to sixth grade age set, InfoTrac Kid’s Edition is an easy to use homework helper for youngsters. Students looking for information to include in an essay, presentation, or report have access to a variety of sources through this database. The main draw to InfoTrac Kid’s Edition is the constant access to online help in case users need assistance locating articles of interest. This is a must-see for kids new to database usage.

Access to this and any of our other reference databases and resources is available at every branch of the AADL, as well as from outside the library with a valid AADL library card. For access from an outside location, please sign in to your library account, visit our reference database page, and navigate to the desired resource. To access InfoTrac Kid’s Edition, go to the research page, and select InfoTrac Kid’s Edition from the Kids category.

Sunday July 1, 2012: 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm -- Top of the Park

The Anna Banana Band, from Brooklyn, NY, is the BEST new punky rock band for kids! Sing and dance away the evening at this Kids Rock @ TOP concert, presented by AADL and the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. This event is for all ages.

Would you like to make and own your very own tutu? Join us for a Tutu Making Workshop at 2pm on June 28th, in the Multipurpose Room at the Downtown Library! We’ll have all the materials you need to make your very own no-sew tutu out of tulle and ribbon of various colors.

Here are some books to get you started:
T is for Tutu: A Ballet Alphabet
Just Grace and her Terrible Tutu
Tallulah’s Tutu
Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet

And some DVDs of my favorite ballets!
Coppélia
Swan Lake, with an all male cast
Swan Lake, by the American Ballet Theater
Ballet for Boys

This event is for kids grades K through 12.

Reading Rainbow began its 26-year run on PBS as a way to combat summer mind decay. Now it's taking the same goal to a different medium.

LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow host, says: "What were kids doing in the 80's? Sitting in front of the television. So we went where they were to steer them back in the direction of where we wanted them to go." While television still accounts for the largest amount of children's screen time, it's not the only screen in town anymore. About half of children under 8 have access to some sort of mobile device.

So Burton and former film and television producer Mark Wolfe have co-founded the company RR Kidz. Their new iPad app incorporates classic Reading Rainbow segments, 16 new video "field trips" starring Burton, and 150 narrated interactive books. Each story comes with games and puzzles. Kids can design their own virtual backpacks, track the minutes they've read, and receive digital stickers as rewards for finishing new titles.

The Library has a large collection of DVDs of the original Reading Rainbow shows. For a trip down memory lane, take one home today!

Thursday, June 14 | 6:00-7:30 PM | Traverwood Branch | Program Room

Kick off the summer with our first science program! Make a simple periscope and learn how it works.

Check out this list of Periscope related materials:

Fun with Periscopes

This event is for grades K - 5.