More Meow
Posted by meyoung on 07.31.17
We've been whipping through cat toys, so here's a cat teaser. Remember: by completing this volunteer project, it gets you one step closer to finishing the Summer Reading Program.
 
Step 1: Take two non-bendy straws or a wooden dowel
Step 2: Grab a t-shirt scrap (approximately 4” by 6”) and cut it into ¼“ wide and 4” long strips
Step 3: Lay out a piece of tape about 7 inches long
Step 4: With the sticky side up, lay out the strips on the top (leave some space at the top of the tape)
 
 
Step 5: Place the straw onto the end of the tape covered with fabric strips
Step 6: Roll the tape until the tape is wrapped around the end of the straw.
 
Follow these steps and you'll have the .... wait for it... purrrrrfect... cat toy.
 

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DIY, summer reading



You've Cat To Be Kitten Me
Posted by meyoung on 07.03.17
Volunteer up in here! Create cat toys and we’ll donate them to animal shelter. By doing this, you’ll get one step closer to finishing our Summer Reading Program. We have two different designs for you to create. Make a puff ball; make a braided toy; make both. Stop by right meow!
 
 
Materials:
- One old shirt (we have scraps at the desk)
- Scissors
 
Directions:
1. Cut the shirt into skinny strips. There will be a lot; we know
2. Separate out one strip – this will be what you use to tie it all together
3. Bundle the rest of the strips all together. (Some of the strips might have folds on one end. That’s ok.)
4. Tie them all together with the strip you separated out.
5. Cut the folded strips to make more fringe ends
6. Give your completed toy back to the HUB desk
 
 
Materials:
- Old old shirt (yep, we still have scraps at the desk)
- Scissors
 
Directions:
1. Cut the shirt into skinny strips
2. Take four of the strips (or more)
3. Gather up the ends of the strips you’re going to use and tie a knot
4. Braid, knot, wind, weave, the strips together
5. Knot the end, but make sure there’s a lot of fun fringe for the kitty to play with
6. Give your completed toys to the HUB desk
 

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DIY, summer reading



Sleeping Mats for the Homeless
Posted by meyoung on 06.19.17
Here's another opportunity for you to fulfill your volunteer step in the Summer Reading Program. We're making sleeping mats out of plastic bags, and then donating them to homeless shelters. Come on over to the HUB and we'll get you started!
 
 
 
Materials Needed: 
 - Plastic Bags (Lots and lots of plastic bags)
 - Scissors
 
How to make Plarn (Plastic Bag Yarn)
1. Lay bag flat
2. Cut off the bag
3. Cut off the handles. (Cut all the way across)
4. Squish together to make a loop

**Pro tip: You can cut more than one bag at a time**

How to Continue a Started Mat (Start at 10:27)
1.  Curve braided end so that you’ll be working side-by-side with the already completed row
2. Take your weaver (this is the plarn that was not included in the braid) and weave over the plarn that it’s closest to, under the next, and then over and around the last one.
3. Keep your weaver moving by going back toward the completed row (over the first and under the last one)
4. Find an opening in the completed row and pull your weaver through
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you reach the same length as the completed rows.
6. When you get the length you want, weave your weaver away from the completed rows (do not weave back in)
7. With the weaver separated, braid the remaining three plarn 6 times. You just finished a row!

**If your plarn is getting short, attach a new plarn by tying a knot (start at 4:07)**
 
Of course, if you need help, stop by the desk!
 

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DIY, summer reading



Toys for Doggos and Puppers
Posted by meyoung on 06.12.17
Part of our Summer Reading Program includes volunteer projects! Come to the HUB to get volunteer credit, and make a toy for a doggo or pupper at a shelter.
 
 
Materials:  One Old T-Shirt
                   Scissors
 
Directions
 
1. Cut the shirt underneath the arms (about 18 inches from the bottom hem), all the way across length-wise
2. Discard the top part of the shirt in the Discard Bin at the HUB desk
3. Cut your block of fabric into four equal strips
4. Cut your strips, so they are no longer loops. You should now have four longer strips of shirt
5. Gather your strips together and tie a knot at one end
 
That was all prep work. Now the weaving begins!

1. Hold your chew toy so the knot is at the bottom and the strips are dangling over it.
2. Take two strips that are opposite sides and make a bridge over the knot. (Pro tip: It helps if you make the bridge semi-small and hold on to these strips.) You should have two strips that are dangling on the side that you have not touched yet.
3. Take one of the dangling strips and we are going to weave through the bridge. Go over the first, and under the second. Pull through.
4. Take your last remaining strip and do the same thing. We are going to weave through the bridge. Go over the first, and under the second. Pull through.
5. Pull all strips to tighten. It should look like a box when you look at it from the top.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 until strips become short.
7. Tie a knot to finish your toy

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DIY, summer reading



Printz Award Winner and Honor Books of 2016
Posted by alice on 11.10.16

Printz Award Winner and Honor Books of 2016

 
 
Bone Gap by Ruby Laura - Printz Winner!
 
Bone Gap is the type of town where people just up and leave. When Roza goes missing, no one is surprised and no one is looking for her. Finn and Sean O’Sullivan have gone through this loss before when their mother left to start a new life in a new place with a new man. However, Finn is convinced that Roza was taken by a mysterious man in the cornfields. He cannot remember his face, and even Sean doubts this story. Follow the different perspectives of Finn, Sean, and Roza as we peek into their pasts, presents, and uncertain futures.
 
 
 
 
 
The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick - Printz Honor

Split into four "quarters" and spanning several genres, this book epically tells stories about madness, obsession, and creation across generations and moments in time. From a girl creating cave drawings, the trials of the 17th century witch hunts, and a 1920s insane asylum, Marcus Sedgwick connects them in an unexpected way that will keep you thinking.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez - Printz Honor

Growing up in New London, Texas in 1937, Naomi and Wash are well aware of the lines that you just do not cross. The color line is one of them, but their attraction is just too strong and the two of them are willing to cross it. With a backdrop of the New London school explosion—the worst school disaster in American history—this story is about love, loss, family and our past.

 
 
 

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2016, booklists, printz award, recommended



10th Annual Teen Film Fest Winners!
Posted by Trixie on 08.23.16
Last Friday, we celebrated a decade of teen films and the creative minds behind them!
 
 
This year we had 24 films submitted by 16 teen directors! Here are the winners from the 10th Annual Teen Film Fest:
 
Best Animation - Living Colors by Valerie Depa
 
Best Comedy - Pranks [A Short Documentary] by August Graham 
 
Best Drama - Inside Guy by Rhegan Graham
 
Best Music Video - Vast Transit by Garrett Strother
 
Best Overall - The Dark Theorem by Daniel Carpenter
 
Want to watch all of the films submitted? You can find them in this playlist!
 
 
 

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film fest, filmmaking, Programs



DIY Phone Stands
Posted by bbednarek on 07.07.16
Come to the Hub this month to make a crafty phone accessory. Don't forget, making one gets you one step closer to completing the Summer Reading Program!
 
 
What you need:
  • Hot Glue
  • Toy Dinosaur
  • Suction Cup

What you do:
  1. Select your favorite dinosaur
  2. Stand it up and determine a good angle to cut
  3. Carefully slice that dinosaur in half
  4. Glue a suction cup to it and let it dry
  5. Stick it on the back of your phone, a window, a mirror... really any hard, non-porous surface

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DIY, DIY, summer reading



Hello? Hello! I'm new (sort of). Let's meet.
Posted by bbednarek on 05.03.16
Greetings fellow meat machines!
 
I've been told my name is Bryan and I'm okay with that name. You may call me that. I'm one of your new Teen Services Advisors and I am pretty excited about it. After 3 years working the Tech Help desk (you may recognize me from the Studio), I'm looking forward to fostering smiles on some new faces-- your faces.
 
 
Betweens sips coffee and to the soundtrack of a podcast or an audiobook, I play in a band or two, compulsively clean, or explore some technology. I'm a grammar enthusiast who likes Photoshop, writing and recording the occasional song, and maybe even some video editing here and there. 
 
My favorite escape though, is camping. Gimme wilderness. GIMME. Hiking, campfires, kayaking, or perhaps some fishing if I'm feeling dangerous. Do you know any good locations? I'm always looking for some place where airplanes and automobiles cannot be heard.
 
I want to learn things so tell me stuff! 
 
 

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face, glasses, greetings, new, studio, welcome



Hello, It's Me-gan - New Face in the Hub!
Posted by meyoung on 04.27.16
Hi, hi! I’m Megan, one of the new Teen Services Advisors. I’ve been working at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library for about a year in Info Services, and I’m super psyched to be working in the Hub now.
 

Word vomit about me:

I read. A lot. Last year I read 63 books, for funsies, including everything from graphic novels to creative non-fiction. All book recommendations are highly appreciated, especially if we talk about it afterwards. I read ALL THE THINGS. The first series that got me into reading was, none other than, Harry Potter. When I’m not powering through books or being a lump on the couch, watching Netflix, I’m outside as much as possible. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing outside; I just love being outdoors. I enjoy being active, but hate running. I dabble in staying up as late as possible and gaming, as well as imagining my life with a French bulldog (whose name will be Watson).

Stop by and we’ll chat about 90s grunge, our shared love of accents, and spit movie quotes.

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Are you ready for AP Exams? AHHH!
Posted by alice on 04.25.16
3 Kinds of Test Takers
 
Are you getting ready for your AP Exams? Don't be like Harry on the day of your test, be like Hermione!
 
The good news is, we've got practice tests you can take from home! Of course, you can always come by the Hub and study, and we're happy to help if it's not AP Calc BC. But below are some instructions to get you access to free AP Tests with your library card (and even without)!
 
HOW TO TAKE AP PRACTICE EXAMS ONLINE
1. Go to the library’s Teen page (ahml.info/teens) and login to your library account on the top right
2. Click on the “Study” tab at the top of the page
3. Scroll all the way down to Testing & Education Reference Center (TERC) and click
4. If this is your first time using it, register or sign in to your account
5. Under “High School Tools”, click on “Advanced Placement Exams (AP)”
6. Under “Online Practice Tests”, choose a subject and get going!

You can also check out TERC by using the Access My Library APP if you don't have a library card!
 

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AP Exams, resources, tests