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.

Saturday August 11 | 3:00 - 4:00pm | Malletts Creek Branch

Interested in what happens to our trash? Have you ever wondered what types of items decompose? Visit us at the Malletts Creek Branch on Saturday August 11 to build your very own trash tank. We will use common household items, soil, and water to start your experiment. You will also receive the tools you need to continue the experiment over the summer. After all, trash doesn't decompose over night!

More resources for those interested in this program can be found here. You can also see all the other featured events and science programs in the summer JUMP brochure.

Steve Marsh, our very favorite wildlife expert, is returning this Thursday, August 9th, to the Pittsfield Branch Library for a 1 pm and a 3 pm program all about crawling, climbing, slithering creatures. Steve has rescued animals from all over the world and given them safe, healthy homes at the Creature Conservancy. This program is for K and up.

Wednesday, August 8 | 2:00-4:00 PM | Pittsfield Branch | Program Room

Make a small notebook and record your observations of the natural world with scientific illustrator Bruce Worden and various natural specimens.

Check out these books:

J 507.8 Po Nature in a nutshell for kids: over 100 activities you can do in ten minutes or less by Jean Potter
J 508 Ar Field trips: bug hunting, animal tracking, bird-watching, and shore walking with Jim Arnosky
J 508 Mo Nature in the neighborhood by Gordon Morrison
J 582.13 Bu Wildflowers, blooms and blossoms by Diane L. Burns
J 582.16 Bu Trees, leaves, and bark by Diane L. Burns
Y 508 Le The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families, and Classrooms by Clare Walker Leslie

Check out the list below for more nature related material!

Nature Notebook Inspired List

This event is for grades K - 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.

Monday August 6 | 1:00 - 2:00pm | Traverwood Branch

Do you like bubbles? Have you ever used your own home-made bubble solution? Blowing bubbles is a fun activity and through this science program, you will be able to experiment with various home-made bubble solutions.

You can also check out our summer JUMP brochure for lots of other fun science programs.

Along with putting your observation skills to work, you will also be able to make your own bubble wands and take a sample of a bubble-solution home with you. Look here for more resources on bubbles at AADL.

Imagine a big, interactive and colorful space for pure play at the Play Connection on Sunday, August 5th from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at the Pittsfield Branch. All parents with children on the autism spectrum are invited to join the kids as they bounce bumpy balls, crawl through tunnels, create towers with construction toys, put on a puppet show, dig in buckets of buttons or feathers and more! Onna Solomon and Dr. Rick Solomon, from the Play Project, will be there to chat and share their wisdom with parents and children.
Play Project

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!

One of the most hotly anticipated events of the year is almost upon us! The 7th annual LEGO contest is on Thursday, August 2 at the Kensington 610 Hilton Blvd. at Briarwood Mall behind Sears. The contest is open to all ages from Preschool to Adults! If you plan to enter the contest be sure to read the complete rules and guidelines. Attendees please note that this year there will be a "People's Choice" award in each age group! Drop-off is from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm; Doors close for judging from 3:00-6:00 pm and doors open for public viewing from 6:00-8:00 PM. The award ceremony is at 8:00 pm.

Dr. Sally Ride, a physicist who made history when she answered a 1982 NASA newspaper ad for astronauts, died yesterday in San Diego.

Dr. Ride broke two records with her first of two spaceflights in 1983. Not only was she the first American woman to reach the stars, she was also the youngest astronaut in America's space program to do so.

A brilliant scholar with degrees in physics, astrophysics, and English, Dr. Ride spent her first year at NASA before her 1983 flight aboard the Challenger learning how to fly a jet plane and assisting in the development of a robotic arm. It was inevitable that her historic trip was immortalized by the endless playing of Wilson Pickett's song Mustang Sally, whose chorus consists of the lyrics, "All you want to do is ride around Sally, ride, Sally, ride."

Dr. Ride spent another eight days in space in 1984. After her retirement in 1987, she returned to academics and wrote several books for children about science and space, including To Space & Back (1986) and Exploring Our Solar System (2003). She also started a company in 2001, Sally Ride Science, which funneled her deep love and passion for science into programs and training for schools and teachers.

Dr. Ride, who lost her battle with pancreatic cancer, was 61.