By Michelle Waltos
Librarian
A new program aimed at sparking the curiosity, creativity and imagination of children and teens is launching inside the Discovery Den at the North Syracuse branch of the Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL).
Fittingly called “Spark!,” the program will be held after school from 3 to 5 p.m. every Tuesday and most Thursdays.
“Our goal is to focus on STEAM exploration and education,” notes Alissa Borelli, one of the librarians who developed the program. “Ideally, these exploration sessions will provide young people with the ability to work with materials they may not have access to in school or at home, and to also provide them the freedom to truly explore materials and topics of interest to them.”
STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math. Some of the activities that have been planned so far focus more on art and involve working with materials such as modeling clay, pastel paints and calligraphy sets. In the coming weeks visitors will be able to explore technology and coding using Scratch and Makey Makey. Science-themed projects are also planned, such as exploring substance interactions to make Silly Putty.
Bill Hastings, manager of NOPL North Syracuse, was the originator of the concept and vision for the Discovery Den, and Borelli worked closely with him to design the “Spark!” activities.
“We aim to promote enquiring minds and to provide support to youths, without mandating that their exploration have a particular end result,” Borelli said. “It is our hope that by cultivating exploration, young people will develop an interest in and aptitude for STEAM subjects — and hopefully they have fun using the library too.”
Although the “Spark!” program is only scheduled for one to two sessions each week, seasonal art projects, a community conversation wall, K’nex, Legos, Magna Tiles and more, are always available inside the Discovery Den, which is open during regular library hours.
For more information about the “Spark!” program or the Discovery Den, call NOPL North Syracuse at (315) 458-6184 or visit nopl.org/discovery.
