WESTFIELD — The Westfield Memorial Library will once again participate in New Jersey Makers Day, a statewide event that celebrates and promotes making, tinkering, crafting, manufacturing and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)-based learning.
On Saturday, March 16, the library will feature interactive workshops, drop-in demonstrations and open exploration. This all-ages event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.
New Jersey Makers Day will be enhanced this year since the library has been awarded a grant from the New Jersey STEM Pathways Network. One of the Network’s goals is to define and guide a statewide STEM vision for formal and informal learning opportunities that strengthen academic skills and inspire students.
With the grant, the library’s Children’s Department purchased Magna-tiles — three-dimensional magnetized structures with various geometric shapes that snap together and encourage hours of open-ended play. The Magna-tiles will be part of the Creative Construction Zone (10 a.m. to noon), where children can build structures using their choice of Magna-tiles or “Straws and Connectors” building kits (2 to 4 p.m.).
Local organizations and individuals will participate in New Jersey Makers Day at the library as well. These events are open to anyone and require no pre-registration. The following three events will run from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Westfield High School Robotics Club will bring a robot, and participants will have a chance to get their hands on the controller to drive it.
Girl Scout Cadette Troop 40824 will offer a Pollinator Education Station, where participants can make an easy native bee house and learn about pollinators.
Krishav Singla, a senior at Union County Magnet High School, will stage a Google Slides presentation on the Access Wayfinder app that he created with fellow students and town representatives to chart the accessibility of local businesses.
Between 2 and 4 p.m., two more community organizations will present ongoing activities that do not require registration and are open to anyone. The New Jersey Workshop for the Arts will feature an “Instrument Petting Zoo” that allows children and teenagers to try playing different instruments. The 4-H Club will present “Ski Jumps,” an activity in which participants use marbles to simulate a ski jump, and club members also will show participants how to grow a flower in a pot. Westfield High School Robotics Club members will continue to showcase their robot as well.
In the Zentangle workshop, presented by art instructor Mimi Topping from 2 to 2:45 p.m., attendees will learn a fun, easy and relaxing method of drawing that uses structured patterns, simple tools and basic pen-strokes. Participants must register for this class.
Library staff will lead multiple workshops requiring advance registration at www.wmlnj.org. They include creating animalbots, which are small animal robots with a diorama of their corresponding habitats (10 to 10:45 a.m. and 11 to 11:45 a.m.); kite making (10 to 10:45 a.m.); building Scribble bots, which is a toy bot that scribbles on a sheet of paper (10 to 10:45 a.m. and 11 to 11:45 a.m.); crocheting a simple bunny (11 to 11:45 a.m.); Surface Tension-Suminagashi, or floating ink: a Japanese process of marbling plain paper with water and ink to transform it into colorful designs (2 to 2:45 p.m.); Amigurumi, which is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures (3 to 3:45 p.m.); Miniature Secret Garden in a Tin (3 to 3:45 p.m.); and a Spring Bouquet made from Hershey’s kisses, which is a craft just for adults (1 to 2 p.m.).
For more information and to register for programs, visit the library’s website, www.wmlnj.org.
SMALL WONDER…“Miniature Secret Garden in a Tin,” pictured, will be among the featured activities during New Jersey Makers Day at the Westfield Memorial Library. This event will take place on Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with offerings for all ages throughout the day. For full information, visit the library’s website, www.wmlnj.org.
