The Science of Fun!

funology

Mix it up this summer with Funology, a website for parents and educators who are looking for fun activities they can do with kids in the “real” world, away from the computer and television screens. On this website, you can find:

science experiments

 

  • Arts & Crafts
  • Science Experiments
  • Magic Tricks
  • Games
  • Jokes & Riddles
  • Kids’ Recipes
  • Trivia & Strange Facts

 

Refer this site to patrons or use it to design fun and unique programs at your library. The site is designed for children ages 9 and up, but many of the activities can be easily adapted for younger children.

Reading about dinosaurs at your library? Try making a Jurassic Park Terrarium!jp

You will need:

  • Clear plastic container with a lid
  • Sand
  • Soil and rocks
  • Plants
  • Water
  • Plastic dinosaur

Instructions:

  1. Fill the bottom of the container with sand. This should be about an inch deep.
  2. Pour in some soil to the half way mark of your container.
  3. Plant your plants and decorate with rocks and pebbles.
  4. Place the dinosaur in its new home.
  5. Pour in a little bit of water to get the soil and sand wet.
  6. Screw on the lid and keep the container indoors.

Find more creative ideas at funology.com or follow the link through our eKids page!

Leslie Paulovich – Robinson Library

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What Is My Movie?

We’ve all been there: I saw a movie on television five years ago and can’t remember the title or much about it save for a few stray details. Whether this is a personal problem or a patron standing before us, it is not always easy to suss out a good enough search term to find the movie in question.

Luckily, there is a website that can help in these thorny situations. You can enter a simple search term and results will be populated, with basic information (year, summary, and poster image). There is also an option for “More like this” for suggestions of similar-themed movies.

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You don’t need to use this tool only for a specific movie, either. This is a good resource to get titles that meet a desired criteria, much in the same way Novelist can be used to find books based on mood.

“romantic comedies involving mistaken identity”

“nonviolent princess movies”

And on and on. Results are not always perfect, but with a simple to use interface and features like “More like this,” What Is My Movie? is a good resource in the repertoire for both specific inquiries and recommendation situations.

 

Jeff, South Park

 

 

 

 

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