Fun With Science and Technology (2021)

The Science of Ice Cream Making – March 6, 2021

On Saturday, March 6, 2021, Sparta Public Library was pleased to present “The Science of Ice Cream Making”. Everyone in the class wore a mask and practiced social distancing and the overall class was a hit. Place cards were made for each participant. They each had their own table and were spaced at opposite ends. Class instructors, Lynette Jalivay and Linda Daniels distributed Ice Cream making kits. After a brief introduction and welcome to the class, Lynette gave about a 5 – 8 minute talk on the science of ice cream, how ice cream is made and about the chemical reaction in making ice cream. She also gave a tidbit of information on the history of ice cream, and then we let the FUN begin. After all the shaking, they enjoyed eating the ice cream and they each gave the class a thumbs up.

Make It and Grow It Terrarium – March 20, 2021

The Sparta Public Library rolled out its second Project Next Generation class since re-opening from the COVID-19 shut down. The participants were given a terrarium kit consisting of a plastic mason type jar, stickers, raccoon and fire figurines, potting soil, Chia seeds and Wheatgrass seeds, glow in the dark sand, and white decorative rocks. Linda Daniels and Lynette Jalivay facilitated the class. Linda gave a brief talk on what a terrarium is and distributed information on the longest living Terrarium. The class will take pictures every 3 days for two weeks and report to the library to receive a prize and a grand prize. They all had fun building their Terrarium.

Terrarium Results

Seven of the eight participants from the March 20, 2021 class responded with their terrarium results.  Eight small prizes will be given for their participation and their name will be put in a drawing for a grand prize.  They worked very hard taking care of their terrariums and reporting their results to the library.

Microscope Magnification Madness – March 23, 2021

Microscope Magnification Madness, another Project Next Generation program, was a fun-filled educational program held on March 23, 2021. Participants explored the microscopic world and learned the parts of the microscope and how to utilize it. Each participant was given prepared slides, one of a goldfish scale and one of an apple.  They were also given blank slides to view an onion skin, a dollar bill, a piece of lettuce and pond water. Each participant was allowed to take the Microscope home with some blank slides. They agreed to complete a worksheet on Microscope Science that asked the questions of “what did you put on the slides?” and “what did you see?” They were to complete the worksheet at home and return it to the library along with the Microscope kit after 5 days.

Clean Water Science – March 25, 2021

On March 25th, the Clean Water Science class was introduced to our Sparta Public Library class participants. The participants were given a Clean Water Science Kit and were instructed how to build a mini water filtration system. While wearing their mask and keeping their distance, they learned how to turn dirty water into clean water. They built their water filtration system tower using a paper filter, active carbon, sand and gravel. They then mixed a combination of oil, soil and water and poured the oily-muddy mixture into the top of the filtration tower and watched clean water drip into a clean glass jar. The participants were very excited to see the muddy oily water turn into clean water. Daniel Odom, Ryan Daniels and Liam Renner were the participants.

The Science of Ice Cream Making – March 29, 2021

On Monday, March 29, 2021, the Sparta Public Library held another session of “The Science of Ice Cream Making”. Everyone in the class wore a mask and practiced social distancing and the overall class was a hit. Class instructors, Lynette Jalivay and Linda Daniels distributed Ice Cream making kits. After a brief introduction and welcome to the class, Lynette gave about a 5 – 8 minute talk on the science of ice cream, how ice cream is made and about the chemical reaction in making ice cream  She also gave a tidbit of information on the history of ice cream, and then we let the FUN begin. After all the shaking, they enjoyed eating the ice cream and overall the class had a great time. The class participants were Cordarryl Kirkpatrick, Isabelle Jalivay, Caiden Baronowski, Darren Baronowski and Zayden Lueth.

The Science of Ice Cream Making – April 5, 2021

On Monday, April 5, 2021, Sparta Public Library was pleased to present another session of “The Science of Ice Cream Making”. They each had their own table and were spaced at opposite ends and the overall class was a hit. Class instructors, Lynette Jalivay and Linda Daniels distributed Ice Cream making kits. After a brief introduction and welcome to the class, Lynette gave about a 5 – 8 minute talk on the science of ice cream, how ice cream is made and about the chemical reaction in making ice cream. She also gave a tidbit of information on the history of ice cream, and then we let the FUN begin. After all the shaking, they enjoyed eating the ice cream and overall the class had a great time. The class participants were Kortney Long, Cole Long and Ryan Daniels.

PROJECT NEXT GENERATION (PNG): Funding for this project was awarded through a grant provided by the Illinois State Library, a Department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).