Space and Science Festival – see you there!

Celebrate New Zealand TechWeek 19 – 27th May!

Wellington City Libraries will be at the Space and Science Festival at Onslow College on 19th May. We will have all our robots and programmable toys there for you to have a go with, and lots of Lego! There will be mBots, Spheros, Dash, Ozobot and more. You can even say hello to one of our Nao Robots (and they will say hello back)!

There will be heaps of cool companies, scientists, and tech experts at the Space and Science festival, including a scientist and astronaut from NASA. Take a look at the full list and programme to find out more.

See you there!

 

Star Wars Day at the Library… and May the forth be with you.

Attention all Jedis, Bounty Hunters and Rebels! Star Wars Day is happening again on May the Forth which is observed and celebrated by fans of the Star Wars franchise. While you’re at it, why not relive and check out the latest non fiction, (as well as Fiction, Audio CDs and movies,) all related to anything and everything from the Star Wars universe!

Enjoy!… and may the forth be with you!

image courtesy of syndeticsThe last Jedi : the visual dictionary.

This book presents a guide to the characters, droids, aliens, and creatures of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” with details on costumes, weapons, and accessories.

 

 

 

Image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars: Chronicles of the force.

This up-to-date companion to LEGO “Star Wars,” contains detailed information about the latest sets and minifigures and is illustrated with extensive photography. Ideal for Star Wars and Lego fans!

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars: Graphics.

Unravel the secrets of the Star Wars universe with this illustrated infographic book. Explore the final battles and explore the new planets. Read about the characters’ journeys and learn the hierarchy of the First Order.

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars, the last Jedi : incredible cross-sections.

Illustrations peel back high-tech layers to reveal the cockpits, engines, hyperdrives, and construction secrets of twelve vehicles from the Star Wars feature film, “Star Wars, Episode VIII, The Last Jedi.”

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars: Character Encyclopedia.

Go on a journey through the Star Wars galaxy, and learn all about its brave heroes and deadly villains. Meet a host of loathsome creatures, weird aliens, and loyal droids from the Star Wars saga.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars: the Visual Dictionary.

Presents the Star Wars line of LEGO action figures and playsets, detailing a history of the toy line and how each playset connects to the events in the Star Wars films.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars: Complete Vehicles.

For any fan who wants to explore the inner workings of the spaceships and vehicles of all six Star Wars movies, comes this fascinating expanded edition of a fan favourite, now with new cross-section artworks and a wealth of new photos.

 

 

5 New Non Fiction for your reading pleasure!

Hey Kids! More new non fiction in the Wellington City Libraries collection for your reading pleasure! Featured in this post are books about lego (and space!), awesome science projects good for your brain, where the world of mathematics and computers collides and much, much more!

Enjoy!

image courtesy of syndeticsBrick by Brick: Space.

What’s better than space or building with LEGO bricks? Building amazing space projects out of your LEGO bricks, of course! Brick by Brick Space provides more than twenty-five amazing projects to build with your LEGO bricks. Follow the easy step-by-step instructions to create space stations, satellites, planets, rocket ships, and more.

Also check out Brick by brick dinosaurs.

 

image courtesy of syndeticsCan I touch your hair? : poems of race, mistakes, and friendship?

Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is black, present paired poems about topics including family dinners, sports, recess, and much more. This relatable collection explores different experiences of race in America. Great for ages 8 and up. Just in time for Race Relations Day.

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsAttack on Circuit City.

Hot from the Maths Quest series, check out Attack on Circuit City, where you must thwart the attacks using your statistical knowledge. Finding the answers enables readers to advance through the story, learning more about maths – focusing on statistics – with every step they take. Clues are dotted along the way, and wrong turns will direct readers towards the right answer! Action, adventure and mathematics all rolled into one amazing book!

 

image courtesy of syndeticsBrain Lab for kids.

“Brain Lab for Kids is an interactive and hands-on book that takes readers on an exciting journey into the functions of the brain through enlightening experiments and creative activities.”– Provided by publisher.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsMy first ballet class : a book with foldout pages!

A cute little interactive book for young children that features foldout pages and use photographic images to detail the basic dance instructions involved in ballet.

 

 

 

 

4 Science Non Fiction: The Magic School Bus Collection

Check out The Magic School Bus collection, written by Joanne Cole and published by Scholastic.  This series is rated “the bestselling science series ever”, and “the freshest, most approach to science for children”, by the New York Times.  Join Ms Fizzle and her students on gripping and unorthodox adventures where kids will be introduced through storytelling to the basic concepts of science in all areas such as biology, astronomy, and  paleontology.

Enjoy!

image courtesy of syndeticsIn the time of the dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs, adventure, science  and time travel all rolled into one in this book. The magic school bus turns into a time machine and transports Ms Fizzle and her class back into the prehistoric times, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Highly recommended!

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsLost in the Solar System.

Take a special field trip in the magic school bus with Ms. Frizzle and her class, where they go into outer space and visits each planet in the solar system. Includes narrated version on audio disc.

 

Also check out the nonfiction companion to the original Magic School Bus series.

 

The Magic School Bus presents…

images courtesy of syndeticsThe Human Body.

This is a book about the human body (combined with facts and a story) that makes learning and science more fun, interactive and innovative.This book is packed with incredible photographs, amazing facts and everything you have ever wanted to know about your brain, bones, lungs, muscles and much, much more!

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsSea Creatures.

Join Ms Fizzle and her class on another special field trip on the magic school bus where they take a journey to the ocean where they learn about the different creatures that live there. This week is Sea Week – Dive into some fishy books! Glub glub!

 

 

 

Latest Top 10 Childrens Non-Fiction

Now that the Guinness World Records 2018 is all official and on the shelves you can see which record you want to go for! There are some impressive Christmas world records.  If you were going for a record breaking number of lights for a home Christmas display you would have to top 601,736!

If your family force you to go to the beach you can take a world of interest with you! (The Star Wars books are still some of the most popular.) We’re waiting to see what will go on to the library shelves with the release of the new movie!

  1. Minecraft : Guide to exploration, by Stephanie Milton
  2. The LEGO books, by Daniel Lipkowitz
  3. First readers in Māori. various authors, published by Huia
  4. Minecraft : redstone Handbook, by Nick Farwell
  5. Harry Potter and the cursed child, by Jack Thorne, John Tiffany and J. K.  Rowling
  6. Guinness world records 2018.
  7. Star Wars: The visual encyclopedia, by Patricia Barr
  8. Star Wars character encyclopedia, by Simon Beecroft
  9. Terraria, by Daniel Roy
  10. Pokemon : Classic collectors handbook, from Scholastic

Space and Science Festival: Saturday the 9th of May

Every wondered what’s out there when you look at the stars? Want to meet an astronaut? What was New Zealand like before humans arrived? What goes on in the mind of a robot?

You might just find an answer to these and many other fascinating questions if you come along to the Space and Science Festival at Onslow College, Johnsonville on Saturday the 13th of August from 12 noon to 4pm.

The Space and Science Festival is an event run by volunteers made up of scientists, astronomers, astrophotographers, engineers, mathematicians, technologists and many more people who all give up their time to help you gain greater understanding of the World and space around us both near and far.

This year Wellington City Libraries and Hutt City Libraries have got together and will have a room at the Space and Science Festival packed full of exciting things including robotics, stop/go animation, coding and lego construction. There will be lots of hands on stuff to get involved with including Red, our Nao Robot who can do all sorts of amazing things, even understand what you are saying!

The website for the festival is www.spacesciencefestival.org – you’ll need to get a ticket to get in (best to buy before you go) – Child: $10 or a Family Pass: $50.

Dear Alien, let me tell you about Earth!

A UFO has just landed outside your bedroom window.  Out steps an Alien.  He’s green with a bright red ball glowing on the top of his cone shaped head.

He walks towards your window.!

He can see you.!

You’re scared!

You can’t move!

What does he want?

He speaks and blue bubbles come out of his mouth – but you can hear his question inside your head.

“Tell me about Earth?”

WOW, what are you going to do? Jump out of your bedroom window and talk to it or turn tail and run away as fast as you can.

What do you think about Aliens. Do you think there are other beings living out in space? It’s a really interesting question and lots of people have different thoughts about it.

If you would like to learn more about Aliens you might like to check out some of these non-fiction books at the library.


 

 

 

 

 

Or maybe you like reading fiction stories about Aliens so why not take a look at these really spacey reads.


 

 

 

 

 

Is something out there!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The School Holidays are here!

Looking for something to do for the holidays? Here’s what’s happening in the library.

During the school holidays we will be celebrating World Space Week by creating Space Movies!

J001033-LIBRARY-july-school-holidays-850x638

Calling all Space, Film and Technology buffs! Bring your own device, or use one of our tablets to showcase Earth from space by creating a stop-motion animated film.

 

Here’s when the events are on at a library near you:

Week 1:

Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library: Wednesday 28 Sept, 11am

Miramar Library: Wednesday 28 Sept, 2pm

Khandallah Library: Thursday 29 Sept, 2pm

Johnsonville Library: Friday 30 Sept, 11am

 

Week 2:

Karori Library: Tuesday 4 Oct, 2pm

Wellington Central Library: Wednesday 5 Oct, 11am

Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library: Thursday 6 Oct, 2pm

Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library: Friday 7 Oct, 2pm

 

Some important notes:

  • Please bring your own device if possible. The library will have a limited number of tablets that can be used on the day.
  • If you bring your own device, it needs to be an Android or iOS tablet or smart phone with a camera
  • Before the event, please download a free app called Stop Motion Studio on to your device.
  • The event is free, and no bookings are required. However due to limited resources and library spaces, librarians may limit numbers on the day depending on how many people turn up.
  • Suitable for ages 7+

Top 10 Children’s Non-Fiction September 2016

Harry Potter in the Non-Fiction section? What’s going on?

As the new Harry Potter book came out in the format of a play, or script, it can be found with other theatrical greats in the literature section where the other plays hang out.  The play version of The Witches by Roald Dahl hangs out there along with Shakespeare!

 

1. Minecraft, by Stephanie Milton

2. LEGO, by Daniel Lipkowitz

3. Minecraft, by Megan Miller

4. Star Wars, by David West Reynolds

5. Minecraft, by Nick Farwell

6. Harry Potter and the cursed child, by Jack Thorne, J. K. Rowling and John Tiffany

7. Star Wars character encyclopedia, by Simon Beecroft

8. Minecraft, by Matthew Needler and Phil Southam

9. Small scenes from a big galaxy, by Vesa Lehtimaki

10. How Maui found his father and the magic jawbone, by Peter Gossage

School Holidays coming soon…

You’ll be pleased to know that Term 3 is almost finished, which means that your two weeks of freedom (otherwise known as The School Holidays) are nearly here.

We have some great events happening across our libraries that are free to go to, and will be lots of fun too!

During the school holidays we will be celebrating World Space Week by creating Space Movies!

J001033-LIBRARY-july-school-holidays-850x638

Calling all Space, Film and Technology buffs! Bring your own device, or use one of our tablets to showcase Earth from space by creating a stop-motion animated film.

 

Here’s when the events are on at a library near you:

Week 1:

Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library: Wednesday 28 Sept, 11am

Miramar Library: Wednesday 28 Sept, 2pm

Khandallah Library: Thursday 29 Sept, 2pm

Johnsonville Library: Friday 30 Sept, 11am

 

Week 2:

Karori Library: Tuesday 4 Oct, 2pm

Wellington Central Library: Wednesday 5 Oct, 11am

Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library: Thursday 6 Oct, 2pm

Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library: Friday 7 Oct, 2pm

 

Some important notes:

  • Please bring your own device if possible. The library will have a limited number of tablets that can be used on the day.
  • If you bring your own device, it needs to be an Android or iOS tablet or smart phone with a camera
  • Before the event, please download a free app called Stop Motion Studio on to your device.
  • The event is free, and no bookings are required. However due to limited resources and library spaces, librarians may limit numbers on the day depending on how many people turn up.
  • Suitable for ages 7+