Summer Library Challenge – Make a Stomp Rocket!
Explore the forces of flight and be a rocket scientist — with stuff you have at home!
Oreo Moon Phases Activity
If you do this activity, it counts towards an activity badge for Summer Library Challenge. Make sure you go back to Beanstack or talk to a staff member to mark your activity! This special blog post is written…
Cat’s Picks! International Moon Day!
We hope you've enjoyed this week's line-up of STEAM posts from our bloggers- it's been a blast writing them for you! Speaking of blasts, did you know that July 20th…
Inventors and Inventions That Changed the World
Without inventors, the modern conveniences we take for granted would not be possible. Cars, airplanes, and the computers we read this blog on simply would not exist. Not just these…
STEAM Week: Unsung Innovators- The Often Forgotten Women Who Shaped Our World
If you are reading this on your laptop or cell phone, you have a woman to thank for your wi-fi. Caught in the rain while driving? You have a woman…
STEAM Up Your Kitchen!
Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math - together, they make STEAM. And they also are important skills that you use in cooking. As a kid, I found science and math…
Patron Spotlight for STEAM Week: Diana Mustafa
STEAM Week is not just about egg drops, escape rooms and Astrophotography. It is also about being inspired by people who have chosen to pursue careers in STEAM. Meet Diana Mustafa.…
STEAM Week: With Your Head in the Clouds
When I was a kid, I loved to watch the clouds. So many cool shapes! So many cool varieties! Even now, on warm summer evenings, I love to look up…
Five Happenings Not To Miss at Westlake Porter Public Library This Summer
As summer months approach, make Westlake Porter Public Library your go-to destination all season long. WPPL has many exciting programs lined up this summer as well as ongoing activities and…
STEAM WEEK: All About Astronomy
Did you attend Mr. Molecule's Outer Space Adventures for STEAM Week this year and want to learn more? Or maybe you miss all the excitement from April surrounding the great…
Cat’s Picks! Shark Week Edition
It's STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Week at Westlake Porter Public Library! Coincidentally, it's also Shark Week, a whole week dedicated to some of the most misrepresented predators…
WPPL STEAM Week 2024: Exciting Experiments for Kids
It can be a challenge to keep kids occupied during the summer. These three STEAM activities are fun, educational and will amaze the kids. Have the kids repeat the experiments…
A Bug in the Works: Insect-Themed Horror Films
Bugs are creepy. They're kinda gross. But, there's something really cool about them, too. All those legs! Those eyes! Those wings! Perhaps, that's why they make for such great movie…
The Science of Spice
Creating a flavorful dish often requires ingenuity and trial and error. The right spice or spice blend can make or break a recipe, sort of like a catalyst in a…
STEAM Week: The Classic Mad Scientists of the Silver Screen
There's nothing I love more than a good mad scientist movie (except, perhaps a good haunted house movie). So, in honor of STEAM Week, I've provided a list of some…
STEAM Week: Easy DIY Zoetrope
This DIY Zoetrope project creates movement in design and is the perfect way to celebrate STEAM Week with your children. Making a Zoetrope encourages your children to practice multiple skills…
Mammoth Math by David Macaulay, pp. 84-85
David Macaulay: When Art and Science Meet
There is no one like David Macaulay. His picture book Black and White won the Caldecott medal for it's unique split-screen storytelling (four narratives play out side-by-side, leaving the reader…
Dino-Mite Books
Freddy Fossil's Dino Show comes to the Porter Room on Monday, July 10 at 7:00pm as part of STEAM Week. To celebrate, here are some great dinosaur books in the…
STEAM Week Project: Salt Paintings
Salt paintings really pop on dark backgrounds. This multi-colored heart was painted on black construction paper. Salt is a very familiar ingredient in the kitchen. There are hardly any recipes,…
Sea Shanties
Today in STEAM Week’s “Oceans of Possibilities,” we will be looking at “A” for the “ARRRRRts!” They’re all over TikTok: sea shanties! Also spelled “chanties” or “chanteys,” they are work…
Egg Drop Challenge
The last two years saw the annual WPPL Egg Drop Challenge as a streamed event. This year, we are back in person and the splatters will be heard live in…
STEAM Week: Sand and Shells
My favorite place in the world has to be the beach. The warmth of the morning, the heat of the afternoon, and the cool of the night--it's always a lovely…
Take a Bite out of Shark Week 2022
Sharks have always fascinated me and apparently I am not alone! Shark week starts July 24, 2022 on the Discovery Channel. Shark Week 2022 on Discovery Channel SHARK FACTS All…
STEAM Week: Therapeutic Horsemanship
Certified therapeutic riding instructor Claire List, a volunteer at Achievement Centers for Children's Camp Cheerful, was kind enough to grant an interview about the science of therapeutic horseback riding to close…