If there is a restless fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-grader trapped in your house, please show this article to them. Read it together, or check in when they are finished.
Okay, tweens, let’s all admit it: this summer’s gonna be weird. Lots of hangout spots are closed. Each week brings new unknowns. There are lots of activities we can’t do while still staying safe and healthy. I want to share some special activities you can do, for free, through the library.
Join a Bean Team. This summer, the library will host an eight-week collaborative gardening project, and it’s not too late to join. Tween Beans 2020 is a chance for you to answer questions like: Which beanstalk will grow the tallest? Purple Podded Pole Bean? Scarlet Runners? French Climbers? Join this collaborative gardening effort and find out.
Sign up for the Tween Beans challenge on our website and choose your “bean team,” then use our curbside pickup to bring home a bean kit. Grow your bean, and report your progress using our website. Each bean team’s growing height will be measured collectively. The tallest bean at the end of July will be crowned the ColumBean of 2020.
Finish The Fairy Tale. Each Monday, we will share the beginning of a fairy tale on the Tween page of our website. Complete the story, using whatever creative way you want. Write it, draw it, make a comic, animate it, code something, make a short video…the only limit is what you can imagine. You can submit your creations by the following Saturday for inclusion in a weekly showcase.
Become a Detective. the Black Quail Detective Agency is a brand-new club for mystery-solvers and code-breakers. Sign up with your email (tween’s email or a caregiver’s email). Every Monday, an unsolved mystery will arrive in your inbox. Submit the correct answer by Saturday to receive a badge, and a part of the solution to the biggest, final mystery of all.
Don’t forget, you can also share a passion with me via our website, or by emailing me at [email protected]. I am always excited to hear about the things you are interested in. This summer will be different, but I know that together, we can still have fun.
Bex McNair is a certified library assistant at the Bartholomew County Public Library.
Bex McNair is a a certified library assistant at the Bartholomew County Public Library.
