Author Archives: GPL

At Home with The Studio: Rock Crafts

Posted on by

Lately, I have been obsessed with the idea of rock painting. There are so many cute ideas on Pinterest!

One of my favorites is the idea to paint Waldo on a rock. You could then hide him somewhere in the yard and do a real-life Where’s Waldo? game!

 

I also love these Kindness Rocks from Crafts Unleashed. After painting them with happy messages, they hid them at a park and playground for others to find. What a nice way to spread a little anonymous kindness.

 

Lastly, I think this one is a super fun idea from Mary Brio Rose. Take a rock and paint section dividers and then hide it. As people find it, they will fill in another square and hide it themselves. I think it’s so nice to think of a rock as travelling along and making people smile. Who knows where it would end up?

All of these ideas are really great ways to take a craft and use it to have fun with people you know, or to brighten a stranger’s day, both of which are wonderful ideas in this strange time.

I’ve created a Studio rock art Pinterest board, which includes the above, as well as some other really fun rock painting ideas. Stay crafty!

Exploring Kits

Posted on by

You might have noticed a new addition to our website – Kids Kits. We’ve had requests for a list or even a menu of kits, and it seemed like the perfect time, especially now that our kits can be put on hold.

We have three main sections of kits – Early Learning, Beginning Reading, and STEAM. Here’s a few of my favorite kits from each section. If you need a kit recommendation or want to learn more, our librarians are happy to help.

 

Early Learning: Princess

Newly updated with fun bedtime books and even a Princess cookbook! The cape fits all ages – yes, even I can put it on.

 

 

 

Early Learning: Black and White

Our babies aren’t born with fully developed eyes. They slowly gain the ability to see color and focus on objects farther from their face. Providing high contrast black and white books is a great way to engage our littlest ones, especially during activities like tummy time!

 

 

Beginning Reading: Hot Dots

Hot dots are a fun way to learn words and sounds. With the smart pen enabled, kids can press the dots on each page, and the pen will tell them whether their guess is right.

 

 

Beginning Reading: Word Family Tiles

These fun tiles can be used to make different words. Best of all, they’re magnetic –– you can put a few on the fridge, dishwasher, or even a cookie sheet and let your kids sound out words to their hearts’ content.

 

 

STEAM: Capacity and Volume

Okay, serious question here: What kid doesn’t like playing with water? This fun, approachable kit lets your kiddos learn more about capacity and volume with hands-on measuring tools.

 

 

STEAM: Dinosaur Fossils

This is by far one of our favorite, best-circulating kits. Take a look at fossil replica teeth and claws, make rubbings of fossil arrangements, and learn more about dinosaurs. It’s the perfect kit for your budding paleontologist.

 

 

Review: Boyfriend Material

Posted on by

Boyfriend Material
by Alexis Hall
4 stars

There are some tropes I just love, and a “fake relationship” rates pretty high. Our main character, Luc, works in PR for a non-profit (Save the Dung Beetles!…no seriously, that’s the cause). Because his estranged father was a famous rock star, poor Luc occasionally finds himself in the tabloids. When an exaggerated story gets him labeled as a drunken party boy, he needs to clean up his image. Dating upstanding lawyer Oliver is the perfect way to clean up his image for his boos before their big fundraising dinner. This is a romcom, so it is no surprise that Luc and Oliver will find that their fake relationship is feeling all too real.

Nearly all of Luc’s problems come from his extreme lack of self esteem and he compensates with a spectacular amount of dry, snarky British humor. I saw a lot of reviews comparing this to Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. They do share some basic elements, but I didn’t find the similarities distracting. The main characters’ relationship was fantastically supportive and sweet. #goals

 

Read alikes:

Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert

Well Met by Jen Deluca

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

 

Perfect Pairings

Posted on by

Have you ever been reading a book (for example: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), and you get really into the topic and want to learn more about it? Well, look no further than our Teen book display in the lobby full of teen fiction and nonfiction books paired together just for you!

Here are a few you’ll see on the display, but make sure to come check it out for more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t Forget to Vote

Posted on by

One hundred years ago this year the 19th amendment was passed and women throughout the entire country could vote for the first time. My mind boggles to think not that long ago, less than half the age of our country, I couldn’t have voted in Indiana due to no fault of my own.

I don’t want to take this right for granted and plan to vote in the upcoming general election on November 3rd. Indiana has a wonderful voter portal at https://indianavoters.in.gov/ for anyone who needs to check voting status, register to vote, find out who’s on your ballot, or apply to vote by mail (absentee).  Keep these deadlines in mind:

Voter Registration – October 5th

Absentee Ballot Application – October 22nd by 11:59pm

If you’re unsure who your current elected officials are, you can type in your address on http://wayeo.egis.39dn.com/ and find every level of government.

Don’t forget to vote on November 3rd!