Pythons eat up to a quarter of their body weight at one meal. Most eat small prey like rats but some eat larger like the African Rock Python that has been observed eating an antelope. The python ambushes it's prey and then constricts until the prey asphyxiates. The Reticulated Python is one of the largest types with the largest recorded length of 33 feet. That's a snake I sure would NOT want to meet in the dark.
Teen participants in the second part of the "Create a Cartoon" program facilitated by Artist, Dave Sullivan, will learn how to create and ink their own cartoons. Plan to come early as participation is limited to 25.
Speakby Laurie Halse Anderson The summer before her freshman year in high school, Melinda goes through a traumatic event that overshadows her first year in high school.
Ender's Gameby Orson Scott Card A classic in the science fiction genre, Ender's Game is the story of an intense military training school for children.
Flowers for Algernonby Daniel Keys Mentally challenged Charlie Gordon participates in an experiment which turns him into a genius. The procedure was previously successful when tested on a lab rat named Algernon, but when the rat suddenly deteriorates, Gordon wonders if he faces the same fate.
If you didn't make it to our fun and creative program called Picture It! in celebration of Teen Read Week, today is your last chance at Edgewater Library from 4:00-5:30pm!
Teens will place photos of themselves in fantasy backgrounds, either drawn or created and place themselves in a new fantastical space. Teens can bring photos of themselves or take photos on site. The presenter is an artist himself and he provides some insight to the art of collage that will spark your imagination! This program is an hour and a half and all materials are provided.
Also going on Today at Your Library! ACT/SAT Test Prep at Arvada Library - 6:00 to 7:00pm This is a follow up session for the students who took the Kaplan ACT/SAT Practice Combo Test on October 15th.
Edward Scissorhands, rated PG-13 is playing at Evergreen Library starting at 6:30pm! Come and join us!
There are two great events going on today that you may need to know about!
First, Picture It! will be at Conifer Library today! Picture It! - Teen Read Week Craft - 4:00-5:30pm - Conifer Library At Conifer, teens will place photos of themselves in fantasy backgrounds, either drawn or created and place themselves in a new fantastical space. Teens can bring photos of themselves or take photos on site. The presenter is an artist himself and he provides some insight to the art of collage that will spark your imagination! This program is an hour and a half and all materials are provided.
If you missed this program at the other libraries, it is also taking place at Edgewater Library on Wednesday, October 26th from 4:00-5:30pm.
Second, the Kaplan Combo Test Follow Up will be at Standley Lake today!
This event, the Kaplan Combo Test Follow Up is only for those teens who took the original ACT/SAT Combo Practice Test offered by Kaplan at Standley Lake on Sunday, October 16th. The follow up session today is scheduled for 6:00 to 7:00 pm at Standley Lake Library.
If you didn't get to go to the Who Done It? program at Wheat Ridge last week don't despair--you can still do a little forensic research on your own. Read about a crime scene and the interviews that followed and see if you can solve this murder case. (I'll give you a hint: it was not Professor Plum with the candlestick.) This is from our Science Online database, and if you're interested in more info about forensics check out the experiments link on the main page.
There are a couple of cool programs going on at a couple of locations today, Saturday, October 22nd!
Create a Cartoon Part 1 - 1:00-2:30pm - Wheat Ridge Library At Wheat Ridge Library you may participate in the "Create a Cartoon Program" facilitated by artist David Sullivan. Teens will learn how to create and ink their own cartoons. This program takes place the last two Saturdays of October. Come early as this program is limited to 25.
Picture It! - Teen Read Week Craft - 2:00-3:30pm - Standley Lake Library At Standley Lake, teens will place photos of themselves in fantasy backgrounds, either drawn or created and place themselves in a new fantastical space. Teens can bring photos of themselves or take photos on site. The presenter is an artist himself and he provides some insight to the art of collage that will spark your imagination! This program is an hour and a half and all materials are provided.
If you miss this program at Standley Lake it is also taking place at Conifer Library on Tuesday, October 25th from 4:00-5:30pm and Edgewater Library on Wednesday, October 26th from 4:00-5:30pm.
Do you need more books and want to buy them at a reasonable price?
Check out the Fall Whale of a Used Book Sale this weekend at Jefferson County Fairgrounds!
Friday and Saturday, October 21 & 22 9 a.m - 5 p.m. Jeffco Fairgrounds
Over 95,000 books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, videos, maps and records. Most books from $.50-$2.25, CDs $1, DVDs 2.50, audiobooks $1-$5. Collectible and better books in the Curiosity Corner are individually priced. Free admission. Held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 15200 W. Sixth Avenue. To reach the Fairgrounds, take the Indiana Exit south from Sixth Avenue. Turn west onto the Sixth Avenue Frontage Road. Follow signs to the Fairgrounds.
Sunday, October 23rd 11 a.m - 3 p.m. Jeffco Fairgrounds
Fall Whale of Used Book Sale Continues Sunday is "Bag Day." For only $5, you can stuff as many items into a bag.
"This image was created from 3,000 individual photos stitched together into a single image that is 280,000 x 140,000 pixels. That's around 40 gigapixels, or 40,000 megapixels. If you printed this photo it would be 23 meters (or 78 feet) long!"
Do you: 1. read a book for enjoyment during class? 2. Have a parent who continually says, "get your nose out of that book and go outside!"? 3. Have a parent you continuually says, "you'll ruin your eyes because you read so much!"? 4. Read in the bathtub? 5. Read a book a day? 6. Read 2-3 books on the weekend? 7. Read in bed at night until a book is finished? 8. Wish some books would never end? 9. Reread favorite books? 10. Read while walking home from school? 11. Forget to eat while reading? 12. Eat while reading? 13. Get lost in a book? 14. Get out too many books at one time from the library because you want to make sure to have a book you will like? 15. Read while watching television, especially during the commercials? 16. Spend your entire allowance on books? 17. Prefer reading to rollerblading, swimming, or shopping? 18. Turn down the corners of pages to mark your place? 19. Read on planes, trains, and automobiles? 20. Read the first thing in the morning? 21. Read the last thing at night? 22. Read magazines and newspapers, as well as books? 23. Read the backs of cereal boxes? 24. Visit the school and publis library regularly? 25. Read while the computer boots up? 26. Visit Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com regularly? 27. Have a favorite reading spot?
I am a remarkable reader. I qualify for all of these except 2 (my parents never said that), 16 (I use the library instead), and 20 (mornings are for sleeping because I stayed up late reading). How did you do?
Librarians already have competition from Google and all the e-book readers and now there are robots in action in some libraries. The University of Missouri - Kansas City has robots who shelve and retrieve books in their library. Check out the fascinating video to see these robots in action! You may have noticed most of our library locations now have book sorters installed. Check out video of Library Sorters as well!
If you’re not sure which college admissions test you’d like to focus on, the Kaplan ACT/SAT Combo Test will give you the experience of what it’s like to take both. Make sure to bring a pencil and calculator, and plan to stay for four hours! The first session is for students only, but parents are encouraged to attend the Oct. 25 results session with their teens.
Registration for the Oct. 16 session is required and can be completed at the Standley Lake Library Information Desk.
Standley Lake Library 12:30 – 4:30 Sunday, October 16 6:00 – 7:00 Tuesday, October 25
Did you know that there are almost 2 trillion ways to lace an average pair of shoes? Check out Ian’s Shoelace Site, where you can learn how to lace a train track, a double cross, a zipper, a hexagram, a starburst… and on and on and on. Check it out!
Come and check out science in action at Forensics: Who Done It?, presented by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Participants will use forensic science to solve a crime by analyzing realistic crime evidence, and learn how CSI agents use the scientific process to solve crimes. This is a program for pre-teens and teens (grades 4 and above). Participation is limited to 30 students so arrive early.
Wheat Ridge Library: Wednesday, October 12th 4:00-5:00 pm.
Steampunk. It's the "next big thing for teens." Seriously, people tell us that all the time. Do you know what Steampunk is? Uh huh, I'm not surprised. Let me educate you.
Steampunk is a sort of science fiction type of writing. It's set in a historical time period (usually Victorian England) but has science and tech from a different period. If you've seen the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you know what I mean. (If you haven't, you should, it's a good movie.)
Here's a list of Steampunk books to try. It's perfect if you like sci fi, history, or just good adventures.
No two snowflakes are alike but they are all six sided or hexagonal in shape. This is due to the structure of the water molecules that make up snow. For snow to fall the temperature between the base of the cloud and the ground must be 39 degrees or lower. The temperature inside the cloud is what determines the shape of the snowflake. Did you know over the winter of 1998-99 Mount Baker Washington got 1,140 inches of snow? That's a lot of shoveling!
Want to make snow at home? Follow the instructions in our Science Online Database on the library's website. Do a search for "How are Snowflakes Formed." in the database.
This is an author visit you are going to want to know about! Laini Taylor, author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, will be at The Tattered Cover (Highlands Ranch) and Boulder Bookstore next week. The official announcement is below. I read this book and really enjoyed it! For more about the book see the video post on our Teen Blog from September 12th!
Laini Taylor is on a 9-city tour this fall, and will be in Boulder and Denver next week at the below public events!Laini will talk about her inspiration for the book, discuss her writing process, do a short reading, and sign copies:
The Teen Picture It! Program is here! We did it at Columbine last night and it's really cool. Take a picture of yourself (that's me swimming!) and create a wacky photo collage. You can even scan your photo collage so you can upload it to your Facebook page or email it to your friends. Check it out!
Possibly the most banned science book is Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species. In 1925 the theories in this groundbreaking work were challenged in what is informally known as the "Scopes Monkey Trial." At that time evolution could not be taught in the schools. Scopes, the teacher, was originally found guilty but was later let go due to a technicality.
Another banned science title is "The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments." This book was pulled from the shelves due to the dangerous content in the experiments. David Hahn earned the name "Radioactive Boy Scout" after he attempted to build a nuclear reactor in his back yard with the information contained in this book.