View Finders Photo Competition

This April School Holidays, tell us a story by taking a photo!

From the 16th of April to the 1st of May, we’re running View Findersa photo competition for tamariki and rangatahi across Wellington City. There are heaps of cool prizes to be won — and a special exhibition to take part in at the end!

We’re taking submissions in three categories: Nature, Whānau, and Objects/Books, and in two age groups, 5-12 and 13-18.

Don’t forget to check out our special View Finders Beanstack Challenge to earn spot prizes, log your reading, and do some simple activities to get your photography skills into top gear for the competition!

Submissions for View Finders are now closed! We will be announcing the winners on the 13th of May — keep an eye on this blog for updates!

Nature:

Take a picture of something that blows your mind in a local park, down at the beach, or high in the hills! See what flora and fauna you can discover in the great outdoors of Aotearoa.

While you’re out and about, you might want to check out iNaturalist NZ – Mātaki Taiao, which is an app that you can use to record what you see in the natural world! There is also an annual City Nature Challenge for Pōneke/Wellington where us locals can make a big effort to see what we can find!

Whānau:

In a literal sense, whānau means family in Te Reo Māori, and is based on shared whakapapa and descent from a common ancestor.

Whānau is also used by non-Māori to talk about their family. Sometimes, Whānau is used to describe groups of people who come together bound by a common purpose, this could also be called whānau ā kaupapa.

So, for our photo competition, you can take a picture that tells a story about your family, or you can take a broader view of whānau to tell a story about a team or group you are involved in, or even a group of friends.

Objects or Books:

Tell us a story about a physical object that is important to you. It could be a cherished toy, or your comfiest couch! Maybe the object would even be a book (we do love books at the library!) With ComicFest coming up on May 7th, you could find a creative way to photograph your favourite comic book, maybe by putting it in a funny or unexpected location!


View Finders

Get your phone, tablet, or camera at the ready!


You can enter once per category. If anyone else appears in your photo, make sure you have permission to share it with us.

We look forward to seeing your photos and hearing the story behind them! You may want to display your photo at your local branch library at the end of the competition.

Special thanks to our friends at Splendid Photo, who are helping us to judge the competition, and Ben & Jerry’s Wellington, Light House Cinema, and Unity Books, who are kindly providing us with spot prizes to give away. Ka rawe!

April School Holidays: General Nerdery!

The April school holidays are only two weeks away! This year, Wellington City Libraries is inviting you to join us for General Nerdery all through the holiday period, from the 17th of April to the 2nd of May.

Everyone has something they’re nerdy about, our librarians included. For some, it’s tech-y stuff like robots and VR that get them going; for others, it might be comic books or movies; some of the more adventurous among us don armour, shield and sword for fantasy adventures in games like Dungeons and Dragons. Whatever you get nerdy about, there’s something for you at your local library during the April school holidays! If you’re a bit older, don’t worry — there’s plenty on for teens too. Click here for the lowdown on what’s on for teens! If you want to see the entire event calendar, click here. If you’re a kid — read on!

Child wearing denim dungarees and a makeshift visor with a cardboard jetpack standing next to a cardboard robot, surrounded by images of planets, aliens, and stars. Text: "Join us this school holidays for General Nerdery, 17 April to 2 May"

Join us for nerdy events you can really sink your teeth into!

Board Game Builders

Whether you’ve been dreaming up your own version of Snakes and Ladders, or have a whole new tabletop game world in mind, this event is for you! Join us at Te Awe Library to learn about how your can use our special templates to build your own custom board game that you can then take home and play with your friends and family! All materials will be supplied.

Board Games Builders is suitable for children aged 5+ with their caregivers.

  • Te Awe Library, Friday 23 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm

City Nature Challenge: Wellington Bioblitz!

Throughout the holidays, people from all over the world are participating in the City Nature Challenge! Wellington is teeming with wildlife, from the mountains to the sea. You can get involved in the City Nature Challenge Wellington Bioblitz using the iNaturalist app — just take a picture of a plant or animal you find and upload it to the app! Click here to join in on the fun, and don’t forget to pick up a special City Nature Challenge activity sheet from your local library during the holidays.

Crazy Collages

Have you ever looked at an old book or magazine and thought, “This would really look a lot better if I tore it apart and made it into art?” We have, too! Come along to Te Awe Library and join our librarians in repurposing some old magazines into beautiful works of art that you can be proud of.

Crazy Collages is suitable for children aged 5+ with their caregivers.

  • Te Awe Library, Wednesday 28 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm

El’s Party!

To celebrate the end of the school holidays, you are invited to a special party right here in the library! Do you want to play party games? Do you enjoy dance and song? Then grab your brown-up, bring them to Te Awe Library, and be prepared to have entirely too much fun with El, our very own party librarian!

El’s Party is perfect for children aged 5+ with their caregivers.

  • Te Awe Library, Thursday 29 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm

Embroider Your Own Patch

Join us at Johnsonville Library during the school holidays to learn how to embroider your own patch that you can sew onto your clothes, schoolbag, or jacket! Wear your nerdy finery with pride and chill with like-minded folks in the library while picking up a new skill. Materials will be provided, and registrations are not required.

Embroider Your Own Patch is suitable for children aged 9+ with their caregivers.

  • Johnsonville Library, Tuesday 20 April, 2.00 – 5.00pm
  • Johnsonville Library, Tuesday 27 April, 2.00 – 5.00pm

Experience VR

Virtual reality (VR) offers us a new and exciting way to learn about and experience the world around us. From 3D painting and virtual sculpting to exploring some of the world’s most extreme locations, this is your opportunity to experience VR from the safety and comfort of your local library.

Experience VR! is suitable for children aged 9+ accompanied by their caregivers, and teens of all ages.

  • Karori Library, Tuesday 20 April, 3.30 – 4.30pm
  • Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library, Thursday 29 April, 3.30 – 4.30pm

Family Movie Afternoon

Bring a cushion and a bottle of water and relax at our FREE, fun family movie afternoons — popcorn will be supplied! All movies chosen will have a G rating, and are suitable for families with young children. Contact the host library to find out which movies are screening!

Family Movie Afternoons are suitable for children of all ages with their caregivers.

  • Te Awe Library, Monday 19 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm
  • Karori Library, Wednesday 28 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm
  • Te Awe Library, Friday 30 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm

Fort Night

Fancy yourself a builder, engineer, architect, or artist? Join us at Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library to put your skills to the test by helping us turn the library’s children’s and teens sections into a magnificent, interconnected box fort! Drop in and have a go, or stay for the whole time and watch your masterpiece take shape, from foundation to parapet.

Fort Night is suitable for children aged 5+ with their caregivers, and teens of all ages.

  • Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library, Thursday 22 April, 4.00 – 6.00pm
  • Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library, Thursday 29 April, 4.00 – 6.00pm

LEGO® Time

Come down to the library and get creative in these free-build sessions with our extensive LEGO® collections. Builders of all ages and experience levels are welcome to get stuck in.

LEGO® Time is suitable for children aged 5+ and their caregivers, and everyone is welcome.

  • Te Awe Library, Sunday 18 April, 11.00am – 12.00pm
  • Te Awe Library, Thursday 22 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm
  • Te Awe Library, Tuesday 27 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm
  • Te Awe Library, Sunday 2 May, 11.00am – 12.00pm

Let’s Go LEGO®

Let’s build — let’s explore — let’s create! Come along to your local library to create your LEGO® masterpiece. At Let’s Go LEGO® your brickish nerdery will be put to the test as you work your way through our special themed challenges.

Let’s Go LEGO® is suitable for children aged 5+ with their caregivers.

  • Karori Library, Saturday 17 April, 2.00 – 3.00pm
  • Newtown Library, Monday 19 April, 3.30 – 4.30pm
  • Brooklyn Library, Tuesday 20 April, 2 – 3:30pm
  • Miramar Library, Thursday 22 April, 3.30 – 4.30pm

Plus, come along for a special ‘under the sea’ themed LEGO® building session at Wadestown Library:

  • Wadestown Library, Wednesday 21 April, 3.00 – 5.00pm

Meet the Robots

Ever wondered what goes on inside the mind of a robot? Join us at Te Awe Library to meet some of our resident library robots, find out how they work, and then try your hand at programming them! No prior coding knowledge is required.

Meet the Robots is suitable for children aged 5+ with their caregivers.

  • Te Awe Library, Wednesday 21 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm

Myths and Music

The magic of storytelling takes many forms, and myths and legends in many parts of the world have often been told through music. Join our librarians for a musical journey through Celtic and Maori mythology — and be prepared to make some noise of your own!

Myths and Music is suitable for children of all ages with their caregivers.

  • Johnsonville Library, Friday 23 April, 3.00 – 4.00pm
  • Johnsonville Library, Friday 30 April, 3.00 – 4.00pm

Nature Heroes: Board Game Creation Workshop

Johnsonville Library is excited to work with VIVITA Aotearoa to bring this VIVISTOP Mini pop-up programme to the library. During this 5-day workshop, you will learn about the concepts of design thinking, engage in creative problem solving, learn to use software and hardware and other tools in the library’s Tūhura HIVE Makerspace, and then apply these lessons to the creation of a board game centred around the theme of conservation.

This workshop is FREE. Space is limited to 15 participants. Click here to register. Nature Heroes: Board Game Creation Workshop is suitable for young creators aged 9-15.

  • Johnsonville Library, Tuesday 27 April to Saturday 1 May inclusive, 10.00am – 12.00pm

Paper Plane Cloudracers

Join us at Te Awe Library to bring your aeronautic dreams to life as paper planes! Learn new designs, construct your plane, then see how your design fares against our librarians in the paper plane aviation race of the century. All materials will be supplied.

Paper Plane Cloudracers is suitable for children aged 5+ with their caregivers.

  • Te Awe Library, Tuesday 20 April, 2.00 – 3.30pm

Making Musical Mayhem these School Holidays!

The school holidays are almost upon us — just 5 sleeps to go! With the Prime Minister’s announcement that we will be moving to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 from midnight tonight, we thought this calls for some kind of celebration. And what better way to celebrate than with music?

These school holidays, from September 26 — October 11, Wellington City Libraries are inviting you to Make Musical Mayhem with us at your local library or community centre! There’s heaps to do, from awe-inspiring interactive performances with our friends at Orchestra Wellington and musical craft extravaganzas with LEGO and recycled materials, to workshops on making music for robots, speed-dating musical instruments, and even a big dance party at our new Central branch, Te Awe Library on Brandon Street. There’s fun for the whole family, so check out the schedule below, or go to our event calendar for the full details of what’s on offer at your library!

Image of digital equaliser software displaying rainbow-coloured volume bars at different heights.

Get ready to make beautiful musical mayhem at your library during the school holidays!

Building Sound: Creating Music with Apps

Want to make music at home? Come along and learn how to make your own tunes at home using apps. We will explore different music-making apps, and how to layer different sounds and instruments to create our own pieces of music. Tablets will be provided, however we encourage you to bring your own.

Suitable for ages 8+ with their caregivers.

  • Te Awe Library, Tuesday 29 September, 11.00am

Introduction to the Orchestra

Want to learn about the inner workings of an orchestra? In preparation for “Where’s My Triangle?” with Orchestra Wellington on the 4th of October, Te Awe Library will be screening an entertaining guide to the orchestra, suitable for the whole family!

Bring your parents and grandparents — everyone is sure to learn something new.

  • Te Awe Library, Sunday 27 September, 1.30pm

Let’s Go LEGO®: Musical Edition

Are you a master builder in disguise? Join us for this special music-themed edition of Let’s Go LEGO® for our musical school holidays. Let’s build – let’s explore – let’s create your LEGO® magnum opus!

Suitable for ages 5+ with their caregivers.

  • Khandallah Library, Friday 2 October, 3.30pm
  • Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library, Wednesday 7 October, 11.00am
  • Johnsonville Library, Friday 9 October, 11.00am
  • Brooklyn Library, Friday 9 October, 2.00pm
  • Te Awe Library, Sunday 11 October, 11.00am

Makey Makey: Music for Robots!

What if we told you you could make a musical instrument out of everyday materials you find lying around? A banana piano? No problem. A drum kit made of keys and coins? Why not! Join us for a special music-making session with our Makey Makeys — who knows what you’ll create!

Suitable for children of all ages with their caregivers.

  • Khandallah Library, Tuesday 29 September, 2.00pm
  • Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library, Tuesday 6 October, 2.00pm
  • Johnsonville Library, Wednesday 7 October, 11.00am

Musical Movie Screenings

Join us for these special music-themed movie screenings for the whole family! Find out which movies we are screening by calling the library, or come along in your PJs for a musical surprise! All movies chosen will have a G or PG rating. Popcorn supplied!

  • Te Awe Library, Thursday 1 October, 1.30pm
  • Karori Library, Thursday 8 October, 5.30pm

Musical Storytimes

Join us for these special musical storytimes, featuring songs and musical stories for the whole family! Come along prepared to make some noise — bring your own instruments if you’re feeling extra brave!

Suitable for children aged 2-6 with their caregivers.

  • Karori Library, Wednesday 30 September, 10.30am
  • Khandallah Library, Tuesday 6 October, 10.30am
  • Cummings Park (Ngaio) LibraryWednesday 7 October, 10.30am

Party Time at Te Awe Library!

To celebrate the end of the school holidays, you are invited to a special party right here in the library! Do you want to play party games? Do you enjoy dance and song? Then grab your grown-up and bring them along to Te Awe Library prepared to have LOTS OF FUN!

Suitable for ages 6-9 with their caregivers.

  • Te Awe Library, Friday 9 October, 11.00am

Recycled Musical Crafts

Did you know that you can make a harmonica out of popsicle sticks? Or a guitar from a tissue box? Get your craft on these school holidays and turn your trash into treasure as we make our very own musical instruments from everyday items! Materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own recycled item if there’s something special you wish to transform.

Suitable for ages 5+ with their caregivers.

  • Te Awe Library, Friday 2 October, 11.00am

Speed-Date a Musical Instrument!

Ever wanted to know what it’s like to play a musical instrument you’ve never tried before? Come along for this special opportunity to get up close, have a go, and learn about various musical instruments at stations placed throughout the library. Friendly library staff will guide you through your introduction to these instruments and the musical world.

Suitable for ages 4+ with their caregivers.

  • Brooklyn Library, Thursday 1 October, 2.00pm
  • Wadestown Library, Thursday 8 October, 2.00pm

‘Where’s My Triangle?’ with Orchestra Wellington

Orchestra Wellington is proud to present their 2020 Music to Schools programme, “Where’s My Triangle?” by the POW! Trio. Join us for this unique opportunity to get up-close to the family of instruments played by the percussionists of Orchestra Wellington. The show features music for a variety of instruments and musical styles from classical to pop, and the POW! Trio takes us on an adventure of EPIC proportions as they introduce instruments you never even knew existed!

This event is suitable for children of all ages accompanied by their caregivers. Special thanks to our friends at Orchestra Wellington!

  • Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library, Thursday 1 October, 10.30am
  • Newtown Library, Thursday 1 October, 1.30pm
  • Newlands Community Centre, Friday 2 October, 10.30am
  • Karori Library, Friday 2 October, 1.30pm
  • Johnsonville Library, Sunday 4 October, 10.30am
  • Te Awe Library, Sunday 4 October, 1.30pm
Three musicians, smiling, playing a marimba with 6 wooden mallets

Join the POW! Trio from Orchestra Wellington for this hands-on performance!

Free Movie Night at Johnsonville Library!

It’s the school holidays so come along to our free movie night on Friday 4th October at Johnsonville Library. 

This month we have a double feature.

First up at 4pm.  A little girl living with an awful family who just don’t appreciate books decides that sometimes her parents need to be taught a lesson. When she starts school her teacher is wonderful, but the headmistress is even more awful than her parents. But then this little girl discovers that she has magical mind powers! How can she use these powers to teach the headmistress to be nicer to everyone?

This movie is rated PG and runs for 95 minutes.

At 6pm. A family of foxes are living happily in their new home, but when father fox starts filching fowl from the nearby farms they get in trouble! The three farmers vow revenge and try to dig the foxes out of their burrow. How will the foxes and their friends outsmart these horrible humans?

This movie is rated PG and runs for 87 minutes.

Can’t guess what films we’re talking about? You can call the library or talk to a librarian to find out what is playing each month.

Bring your own cushion for a comfy night in. Movies will play in the Children’s section of the library.

Beyond the Page

The wait is over! Beyond the Page is here for the July School Holidays.

There are over 100 events happening across the Wellington region between 7-22 July – all are free and all are loads of fun.

Drag Queen storytimes, writing workshops, movies, lego challenges, robotics, comics and drawing, and even a special storytime on the cable car – so much to choose from.

Visit the Beyond the Page website or Facebook page to find out about the range of events.

Author Visit: Des Hunt at Central Library.

Attention all literary fans! Come on down to the Central Library and learn how to create amazing stories with a master storyteller! Join 2017 Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award winner Des Hunt for a writing workshop like no other. This event is part of Beyond the Page, a literary festival for children and youth on from 8-23 July, for more information, check out the website.

Where: Wellington Central Library, Young Adults area.

When: Tuesday 11th July, 1pm to 2pm.

Age Group: This workshop is aimed at ages 9-12 and spaces are limited. Make sure you register to secure a spot.

About Des Hunt: Des Hunt was a science and technology teacher for many years, interspersed with periods of curriculum development both in New Zealand and overseas. During this time he had several textbooks published to support the New Zealand curriculum. Over the last twenty years he has experimented with other ways of interesting youngsters in science, creating computer games and writing non-fiction and fiction with scientific themes.

After living in Auckland for much of his life he moved with his wife, Lynne, to Matarangi on New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula. He retired from the classroom in 2007 to concentrate on writing fiction for children. He continues his aims of fostering young peoples’ natural interest in the science of their surroundings by visiting schools and libraries where he runs workshops and presentations.

Five Des Hunt books have been finalists at the Children’s Book Awards. Cry of the Taniwha was awarded the 2016 Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book. Then, in 2017, Des was the recipient of the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award for lifetime achievement and a distinguished contribution to New Zealand children’s literature and literacy.

Find out more about Des and his books: www.deshunt.com

While You’re at it, check out some of Des Hunt’s books that you can find at your local library.

Enjoy!

image courtesy of syndeticsPhantom of Terawhiti.

“It’s the school holidays and Zac thinks he might go crazy with boredom. He’s living in exile with his disgraced father on the remote Terawhiti Station on Wellington’s wild south-west coast. Zac and his father witness a shipwreck off the coast. Investigating further, he finds a set of unusual paw prints on the beach. Whose yacht it is? And what animal could have made the paw prints? Soon Zac is drawn into a mystery which threatens his life and those around him. He must protect the secret of the Phantom of Terawhiti from those intent on hunting it – and him – down”–Publisher information.

image courtesy of syndeticsFrog Whistle Mine.

Twelve-year-old Tony has travelled all around New Zealand with his nomadic mother, and desperately wants somewhere to belong. When they arrive in Charleston, a gold-mining ghost town, he is almost afraid to hope this might finally be the place. But things aren’t as they seem, and he finds himself caught up in mysterious events.

 

image courtesy of syndeticsWhere cuckoos call.

Twelve-year-old Ben is a keen ornithologist who looks after endangered birds on his family farm in the Coromandel Peninsula. But Ben must grow up fast in the face of threats to his home, his family and his beloved birds.

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsWhale Pot Bay.

Jake lives with his father in a remote part of the Wairarapa, where he can surf and watch the whales. But then Jake’s dad begins a relationship with a new partner, who moves in with her daughter Stephanie, and at the same time a local photographer starts stalking their next door neighbour Milton Summer, an international rock celebrity, and Jake’s peaceful life erupts into violence and deceit. An when a whale and her calf get into trouble on the treacherous coast, the history of Whale Pot Bay seems doomed to repeat itself unless Jake, Milton and Stephanie can survive the deadly tide.

image couresty of syndeticsCry of the taniwha.

Matt Logan isn’t looking forward to spending the school holidays in Rotorua with his grandmother and her new husband. Matt has taken his metal detector along, and when he and Juzza – the boy next door – unearth a handcuffed skeleton, a dangerous chain of events begins to coil around them.

 

100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking

Titanic at the docks of Southampton April 1912If you had been alive in 1912, and scored yourself a ticket on the RMS Titanic, you would have been jumping up and down with excitement. It was the biggest most fancy passenger steamship ever built at the time. It was like a really posh floating palace. Some of the richest and most famous people in the world bought tickets on that first and only voyage.

You would also have felt very safe, because the Titanic was built with 16 double strength watertight compartments, so she could survive a head-on crash that would only flood the first four compartments. Or if another ship rammed her in the middle only two compartments would flood.

And then the unimaginable happened. On her first voyage, less than three hours after hitting an iceberg on April 14, 1912 she sank. Over 1,500 people lost their lives.

Find out more about the Titanic by taking part in fun stories and activities to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, at your local library during the April holidays.

The Library has lots of books and resources in the collection too. Search for Titanic in the easyfind catalogue You can also find loads of Titanic websites here.

Tawa October Holiday Activity

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Tawa’s October Holiday Programme went very well, with over 50 adults and children attending. They came to experience the Pastimes of Past Times. Special guests Rachel and Joe, from The Museum of City and Sea, brought exhibits from days gone by to show the children. There were games, toys, clothing, photographs, and even a taxidermied goose!

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To relive a little of what children in past times did, the children firstly practised handwriting on slates, before each took a turn at churning butter! Some also tried making beads out of paper, playing games from yesteryear, and looking at 3D images in a viewfinder.

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The holiday programme concluded with the children having a taste of the butter they had made, before posing for some photographs dressed as children from times gone by.

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World Wide Weird school holiday activities at Tawa Library

About 30 children and adults braved Wellington’s coldest day of the year, to come along to the World Wide Weird School Holiday Programme at Tawa Library, on Monday 25th July.

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Shelley and Brigid shared some disgusting and weird facts from The Guinness World Records, before taking the children through some weird challenges: balancing on one leg for as long as you could; doing as many star jumps as possible in 60 seconds; balloon lacrosse and balloon racing relays, as well as trying to cross your eyes and wriggle your ears.

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Their final challenge was the Weird Wardrobe Challenge. The children had to form teams and make one costume out of pieces of newspaper using only sellotape! Some teams came up with great costumes.Tawa Library’s next holiday programme will be in October, and should be just as much fun!

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