Magic Show with Jeff Wawrzaszek!

Wed, 07/06/2011 - 2:00pm by kidlit

Come one! Come all! You have two opportunities to see local magician Jeff Wawrzaszek and his amazing feats of magic.
On Tuesday, July 12 he'll be at the Pittsfield Branch at 2:00 p.m. That evening he'll be at the Traverwood Branch at 7:00 p.m.

Want to to try some tricks yourself? Click here.

Beaded Macrame Bracelets

Thu, 06/30/2011 - 4:30pm by Bertha

Make a cool bracelet using simple knots and colorful beads. All supplies will be provided, just stop by the Traverwood branch on Wednesday, July 6, from 2:00 - 3:30 PM. Grade 6 - Adult
Web sites can give you ideas for crafting the perfect bracelet, or necklace, or really anything with beads.

PreK Bits - DANCING BABIES

Sat, 06/11/2011 - 11:00am by ryanikoglu

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Are you 0 to 5 years old?
Are you making plans for your parents this weekend?
Bring them to the Dance at Traverwood on Sunday.
DANCING BABIES will be led by Aron Kaufman @ Traverwood Branch, June 12, 2011 from 1-1:40 pm.
Trot-out your toes, and kick-up your knees for the occasion!

Spy School: Invisible Ink

Sat, 06/04/2011 - 9:57am by fremont

Grab your quill pen and parchment, and get ready to enroll in the Ann Arbor District Library Spy School! Learn how to craft a pot of invisible ink from household ingredients and use invisible ink antidotes to reveal secret messages as we travel back into the exciting world of spies from the American Revolution. Track down a spy gang, draw a hidden treasure map, and write mysterious letters using simple ingredients and kid-friendly recipes. It's science, it's history, and it's a lot of imagination! This program is geared toward children grades K-5. No registration required; all supplies provided.

When: Monday June 20th, 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Where: Traverwood Branch Program Room

Chesstasstic is Happening

Mon, 05/09/2011 - 4:49pm by Bertha

Chess is a game of positioning, strategy and fun. Try your hand at a couple games regardless of your ranking or your age. The downtown library currently is hosting a special exhibt, Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World which celebrates Franklin's 300th birthday. According to Ben Franklin, "The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it."

Please join us at Traverwood, May 15, Sunday, from 1-4 pm. Chess boards are supplied.

Celebrate Children's Book Week!

Tue, 04/26/2011 - 2:24pm by kidlit

Come sing, stomp and shout in celebration of Children's Book Week. Kevin Kammeraad will be here to lead us in the festivities. Kevin is a Michigan author, singer, and educator who believes that singing and motion is essential to children and adults alike. He uses puppets, silly songs and dances to get everyone moving. Visit his website to learn more.

Come to the Traverwood Branch on Thursday, May 5 at 7:00 p.m. to see Kevin. This will be a treat for the whole family!

Make Jewelry from Paper Beads

Wed, 04/06/2011 - 10:14am by Bertha

Have you ever tried making paper beads? We'll have lots of recycled magazine papers and beads for you to create a simple, ready to wear necklace. Check out these book titles to get inspired, Creating Extraordinary Beads from Ordinary Materials or Paper Creations. Paper bead creations can be found here.

Hope you can join us at Traverwood, Friday, April 8, from 2:00-3:30 PM. Grade 4-Adult.

Hands-On Manga Workshop With Visiting Manga Artists Konohana Sakuya!

Thu, 03/03/2011 - 4:34pm by erin

Thursday March 10, 2011: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm -- Traverwood Branch: Program Room

Join us for an amazing hands-on evening with two visiting Japanese Manga artists! Konohana Sakuya is the alias of the working partnership between two comic artists, Kohei Nishino and Tsugumi Nishino. Since August 2004, the duo has had its latest work, "The Lights," serialized in the monthly version of the Shonen Jump magazine.

Learn how to make your own manga comic and ask questions about the real world of manga in Japan!

Join Us for Chesstastic

Mon, 02/07/2011 - 7:46pm by Bertha

Whether your chess playing style is logical, crafty, or technical we invite you to join us at the Traverwood branch, Sunday, February 13, from 1 - 4 pm. Drop in for one game or several. Chess sets will be provided.

If Bobby Fischer intrigues you, recently added to the library's collections is Endgame: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Bobby Fischer, history's first 15-year-old grand champion. Also recently added is a title on beefing up your chess strategies with, Chess Openings for Dummies.

Chesstastic | Sunday, February 13 | 1-4pm | Traverwood Branch

It's Go Time!

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 4:13pm by MariaK

Time to play the ancient strategy game, that is! Saturday February 5, 2011 from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm at Traverwood Branch, Michael Zhang of the University of Michigan Go Club and his super-crew will offer an introduction to Go -- at the same time the simplest and the most complex game of strategy on Earth.

As Iwamoto Kaoru -- a 9-dan professional Go player -- said "Go uses the most elemental materials and concepts -- line and circle, wood and stone, black and white -- combining them with simple rules to generate subtle strategies and complex tactics that stagger the imagination." Need I say more?

If you're interested in learning more about Go before coming to play it with us, check out Go by Charles Matthews, Go Basics by Peter Shotwell, or, perhaps the most entertaining introduction, Hikaru no Go -- a manga series about a young teen haunted by the ghost of a Go master.