Web Wednesday - Diggin' Dinosaurs

What is bigger than dinosaurs???  The Indianapolis Children’s Museum opened the Dinosphere exhibit so kids can learn about dinosaurs in a hands-on way.  In case you can’t make a trip out to Indy, you can head on-line to see some of the fun and games!

At Dinosphere’s web site, you can take a virtual tour of the facility through video clips.

You can look at different dino profiles of your favorites!  Learn facts about the dinosaur’s past and even see a fossil of the beasties!  My favorite part of the web site is by far the fossil close-ups.  By ‘scanning’ with a magnifying glass, you can learn specifics about some of the bones.

You can also find out more about the specific dinosaurs that call Dinosphere home, like Bucky the T Rex!  With a story about each dinosaur’s discovery and pictures of the fossils, it’s like the dinos never went extinct.  There is an entire page devoted to preparing fossils, so you can really understand the labor and the journey that has been put into the museum.

Different search features and options are available for kids, parents, and teachers.  Kids can play games and do web quests to find out more information.  This is just such a neat site to go along with such a cool topic that is sure to wow.  Check it out!

Web Wednesday - Amazing Space

Amazing Space is a site that uses the Hubble Space Telescope to investigate the world beyond! 

With intense images from space, you can explore pictures in an image gallery.  With the option to zoom and move the view around, it’s almost as if you are exploring space first hand!  They also have videos of the images being taken, but you will need Flash Player to view them.  The objects also have summaries about each picture.

They have another option for Online Exploration that takes you to a page of interactive learning games.  Become a member of the Hubble Deep Space Academy and explore the universe!  Learn about the telescopes that help us see the stars and planets beyond our reach!  If your friends are interested, too, you can get trading cards here!

In the Capture the Cosmos page, you can explore space by topic!  Full of online adventures, pictures, and information – you’ll become an expert in no time.  You also have the option to view tonight’s sky.  They update this portion regularly and have a video of the monthly night sky as it changes.

They also have a tab that is for Educators and Teachers,  but this information is still helpful for the average Joe.  Under the Astronomy Basics tabs, you can get fast facts about a number of different topics.  They also have questions and answers for most areas to beef up before a science test!

Blast off to this site to see more than you can with your telescope in the backyard!

Web Wednesday, Take Two

To go along with our summer reading theme, ‘Dream Big – Read!’, I thought we would highlight a site that is all about BIG stuff: skyscrapers, bridges, buildings, etc.

Building Big is a site that is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston.  The site was created after the series was aired on PBS, and if you are interested, the DVDs are available for purchase.  

The site is set up so you can explore bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams, and tunnels.  There are interactive labs you can perform to understand how the structures are made and maintained in different environments.  If you are interested in becoming a future builder, take a look at some of the highlighted professionals!  There is also a ‘databank’ of wonders of the world!  You can search by size, structure type, length, location, and more!  If you’re interested in looking for big buildings around you – there is a helpful hints page that tells you what to look for.  You may even submit your findings to the site!

I love this site because it covers so many different areas and has so many well thought out details, like the blueprint style background!   So come into the Grafton-Midview Public Library and check out some books on something big to check off a box on your activity sheet!

Happy Summer Vacation!

School is over for another year!  What better way to start summer vacation than by stopping by the Grafton-Midview Public Library for some new books?

Unleash your inner superhero with some beginner books featuring Batman, Spiderman, and Superman!!

If you're an animal lover, you may enjoy sniffing out our Puppy Place series, with tons of new releases!

For our younger friends, we have many new picture books and music CDs to lull you to sleep (bed time tunes by Van Halen, anyone??).

Thanks to the Stocker Foundation, we have many new choices in our graphic novel and audio collections.

If you want help finding something that will spark your interest, stop by the children's desk!