Don’t be alarmed folks; there is no impending danger from Skynet or other sapient machines. But the library has received an awesome set of Cue robots by Wonder Workshop as well as several sets of the award winning electronic learning tool, Snap Circuits, and we have developed some amazing programming for kids and teens.
Through a generous grant awarded by the Community Foundation of Abilene the library has been able to purchase these tools to broaden our programs that teach coding and technology. The number of careers in the technology field is growing rapidly and having exposure to as many STEAM activities as possible will greatly increase a young person’s future career outlook. Over Spring Break the library will be offering a variety of programs for tweens and teens that highlight our awesome new robots and electronics kits.
On Monday, March 9 at the Mockingbird Branch from 2-3 p.m. and again on Friday, March 13 at the South Branch from 2-3 p.m., youth ages 11 and up will have a chance to “Meet Cue!” The library’s new Cue robots are the big brother to Dash, a feisty robot the library has held programs with in the past. Cue is a fun, versatile, award-winning robot with a big personality that is a great bridge between block based coding to text based. These programs will begin to teach coding through blockly and javascript.
On Wednesday, March 11 at 2 p.m. at the Mockingbird Branch, you can learn how the Cue bots can draw, with your help. This program helps kids express their creativity and exercise their critical thinking and spatial reasoning skills as they draw geometric shapes, patterns, words, and more.
On Tuesday, March 10 at 3 p.m. at the Main Library downtown, we’ll be introducing tweens and teens to the fun of Snap Circuits. Snap Circuits contain over 500 projects for youth to try out and build all kinds of cool devices from a simple light switch to a more complex digitally tuned FM radio. With these easy to understand circuit boards there is no soldering required!
We’ll be offering more Cue and Snap Circuit programming, so be sure to check out our website www.abilenetx.gov/apl on our Events and Programs calendar, or Facebook, Twitter or Instagram by following Abilene Public Library to find out more. You can also call us at any of our locations...you won’t want to miss these exciting new resources!
Article Contributed by Marianne Vadney, Librarian I, Mockingbird Branch Library