WESTFIELD — New Jersey Makers Day is a statewide event that celebrates and promotes making, tinkering, crafting, manufacturing and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematicsbased) learning. For the Westfield Memorial Library, Makers Day is an event that also showcases the endeavors of community and schoolbased organizations.
“In the constantly changing world we live in, problem-solving has become one of the best predictors of success for almost any field of study,” said Library Director Allen McGinley. “And I think that challenging yourself with a variety of hands-on learning activities, from science and engineering to technology and the arts, increases our ability to develop effective solutions.”
On Saturday, March 22, the library will celebrate Makers Day with interactive workshops, drop-in demonstrations and open exploration. This allages event will feature a morning session from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and an afternoon session from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., there will be a workshop and multiple activities and demonstrations. Children can attend the Stained-Glass Workshop in the Meeting Room, offered by Beam Camp of New Hampshire. In this hands-on workshop, youngsters age 7 and over, with the help of an adult, will explore the art of making stained glass. Participants must pre-register for this event.
By wrapping pieces of colored glass in copper tape and soldering them together, they can create beautiful, colorful stained-glass designs to be hung in a window or worn as pendants. This workshop involves high-temperature soldering irons which children will learn how to use under close supervision.
Other events offered by local organizations are open to anyone and require no pre-registration.
The Westfield High School Robotics Club will bring a pushbot — a simple but powerful robot built to push objects or complete tasks that require strength. According to the club, it is a great example of how engineering and programming come together to create something that gets the job done. The club will be in the Teen Zone at the library for both morning and afternoon sessions.
Westfield250, a planning committee of the town gearing up to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, will have a table at the entrance of the library, highlighting the History of Science in Westfield: Virginia Apgar and the Apgar Scale measurement. The committee will have trading cards and stickers, plus information about this trailblazing physician.
The Miller-Cory House Museum will feature Erika Belfiore working at an authentic spinning wheel by the windows. Children will be able to “card” some wool and see the implements of spinning and yarn making.
LEGO Bricks, Straws and Connectors, and Magna-Tiles will be part of the Construct and Play Zone in the children’s area of the library. Children can play in the zone during both the morning and afternoon sessions.
The Westfield Green Team will be in the library’s café area offering participants the chance to make “Buckets of Doom.” A Bucket of Doom is a safe and easy way to kill mosquito larvae without harming fireflies, bees, birds, butterflies, frogs, fish, mammals, pets or people. Participants will assemble the bucket at the library and finish it at home by filling it with water, according to the instructions the Green Team will provide.
Between 2 and 4 p.m., two other 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” in the Meeting Room that allows children and teenagers to try playing different instruments.
The 4-H Club will show children how to make a glider plane and will be situated by the windows.
The Weights and Scales: Make a Balsa Wood Scale workshop will run from 2 to 2:30 p.m. and will be presented by a library staff member in the Children’s Story Room. Children will be able to assemble their own balance scale and see how moving the weights affects balance. This workshop is for ages 4 and up with an adult and requires pre-registration.
For adults, the library is offering the workshop Make a Mini Scrapbook/ Journal with expert crafter/librarian Marge Barkan. Participants will make a 4-inch-by-6-inch scrapbook/journal using a no-sew technique for the binding. The journal will have many pages, some with pockets. The workshop, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Local History Room, requires pre-registration.
For more information and to register for the three programs requiring pre-registration, visit the library’s website, www.wmlnj.org.
Library hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street and can be reached at (908) 789-4090.
