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DECEMBER 31, 2011
Science Saturday - Soap!

This week I'm posting an interactive Science Saturday.  For fun here is something to try:  Set out two bowls and cover the bottom with about 1/4 inch of milk.  In each bowl drop 4 different colors of food coloring near the middle of the bowl but spread out from each other.  In the first bowl add one drop of water in the center and watch what the colors do.  In the second bowl add one drop of dish soap to the center and watch what happens to the colors.  You can try this experiment again with different temperature milk, different fat content in the milk (skim, whole, 2%), try using more than one drop of detergent, try different brands of detergent.  Tune in next week to see the answer behind what just happened!

 

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 30, 2011
Lakewood Library Teen Time!

The Lakewood Library Teen Times will be moving to the first Wednesday of the month.  In January we will be building with Duct Tape!  Make your new years resolutions stick at Teen Time.  Share your favorite teen book of 2011.  All supplies will be provided. 

Lakewood Library

Wednesday, January 4th

4:00 P.M.

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 29, 2011
Best Books of 2011

As we wrap up the end of the year everyone is making their lists of the best books of 2011. The teen librarians decided to make our own. Here are our favorite teen books from the past year:

Katie at Arvada: Trapped by Michael Northrop


Chandra at Belmar (who was very mad that we made her pick just one): I am J by Cris Beam

 

Jessie at Columbine: Divergent by Veronica Roth

 


Rene at Evergreen: Stolen by Lucy Christopher


Arra at Lakewood: City of Orphans by Avi

 

 
Amy at Edgewater: Withering Tights by Louise Rennison
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (Tied, I can't just pick one!)
 

 

What about you? What was your favorite book of 2011?

Want to check out some other BEST OF 2011 lists? Try these:

Amazon Editors
Goodreads
Kirkus
NPR
Library Lady Blog
School Library Journal

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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DECEMBER 28, 2011
Hunger Games Obsession Continues

I'm sure it is no surprise that we are completely obsessed with all things Hunger Games. So here's a little update on everything HG:

If you haven't seen the trailer yet, it's totally awesome! If you have seen it, watch again!

Next, in very important Hunger Games news, they will be releasing a line of Finger Nail Polish - check out the cool colors, and this wonderful ad featuring Effie Trinket--check out those eyelashes!

And... here is the latest poster for the movie which looks so cool!

And finally, if you haven't read the books, get on the hold list today. The list is long, but we have lots of copies!

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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DECEMBER 27, 2011
Can’t hear your music? Try the kitchen.

If you're trying to play music or other audio straight out of something with a built-in speaker (like an iPhone or iPod or Android phone), the sound can be a little disappointing. Try setting it in a bowl or a glass; it amplifies the volume! I just tried it and it really worked. I found the tip for this on Real Simple's website.

Did you know you can check out and listen to audiobooks without coming into the library? You can download them to your computer, iPod, mp3 player or smart phone. Take a look at JCPL's downloadables page for more details.

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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DECEMBER 23, 2011
Winter Fun

Are you looking for something fun to do this winter?sleigh

Check out this website about winter fun in Colorado

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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DECEMBER 22, 2011
A chilly Google trick

This seems fitting today: try googling "let it snow".

Once you're done writing in the frost, check out a snowy day read! Our libraries will all open at 11 am today, except for Conifer, which is closed all day.

What's your favorite book to curl up with on a day like today?

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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DECEMBER 21, 2011
Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul

I hardly ever read historical fiction, but with a little magic thrown in I loved it! Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber was such a fun read. Natalie's dad works for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1880, and when a new painting comes in (of a rather dashing gentleman!) Natalie finds herself especially drawn to it. As she spends more time looking at it she notices that the details change until she finally starts to suspect that the man in the painting is trying to communicate with her. The story of what follows is told through Natalie's diary, and has magic, ghosts, murder, and romance. What more could you ask for!

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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DECEMBER 20, 2011
Holds list alert - Why We Broke Up

coverThey met at a party. Dated. Had fun. And then broke each other's hearts. Now Min is ready to give back all the things she collected during her relationship with Ed. And she's going to explain why.

Illustrated a little bit like The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler is due to be released at the end of the month. There's already lots of people waiting to read it; place your hold today!

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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DECEMBER 19, 2011
Merry Chrismath
Chrismath

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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DECEMBER 18, 2011
Teen Canned Food Drive - Update

Only three days left for the teen food drive. Belmar Library is in the lead but it is not too late to take them down!

Here is where we stand with food collected by the libraries:

Arvada - 2
Belmar - 29
Columbine - 10
Edgewater - 5
Evergreen - 1
Lakewood - 21
Standley Lake - 2
Wheat Ridge - 20

Remember, all canned food and peanut butter donations will go to the Jeffco Action Center. Be sure to bring your can of food in before Tuesday, December 20th!

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 17, 2011
Science Saturday - Why Learn Math?

Why do they make you take all these booooring science and math classes in school? Here is one reason to study hard in the science classes: It takes a lot of math and science to put together large holiday light displays. Typically one strand of lights will use 1/3 of an amp. Most home outlets have 120 volts flowing. In order to do big displays you must calculate how many lights you can plug into one outlet: Power [Watts] = Voltage [Volts] * Current [Amps]. If you coordinate to music then you need a control board and to do some computer programming. All this science will pay off in the end if you can create displays like this:

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 16, 2011
Last-Minute Gifts at Standley Lake

ChristmasOrnamentsNeed a last-minute holiday gift? That doesn't cost money? Me too! Come and make a cool gift during next week's Standley Lake Teen Time! All teens are welcome and all supplies are provided. See you then!

Standley Lake Library.
Wednesday, December 21st - 7-8pm

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posted by Standley Lake Library

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DECEMBER 15, 2011
Video Games

game.controllerThis holiday season has been inundated with many popular video game sequels. Here is a helpful guide to the new video games this season, and the person to buy it for.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: This video game, an RPG, is for the nerd in the family whom you could imagine playing dungeons and dragons. Full of both, this will be one of the most popular video games of the year. Five stars out of five.

Zelda: For Wii players. Nuff said.

Batman: Arkham City: This game is for the comic book nerd you know. Batman kicks some tooshie and the Joker is just demented. Four stars out of five.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: For the soldier to be in the family. Already breaking records, this game is your classic gun-toting army/marine game. Multi-player is a must play! Four stars out of five.

What other video games are you excited about?

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posted by Patrick, Evergreen Library, Teen Advisory Board

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DECEMBER 14, 2011
Origami Lights

origami lightsAnd speaking of holiday lights... stop by the Columbine and Belmar teen sections to add to our origami light strings and help us decorate the library. Want to make your own handmade decorations? Just place your origami balloons on a string of lights.

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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DECEMBER 13, 2011
Holiday Lights

Does your family like to drive around and look at holiday lights?
If so, here is a handy map holiday lights guide from the Denver Post!

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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DECEMBER 12, 2011
At least it's not *this* cold
Denver Weather Examiner

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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DECEMBER 11, 2011
Garbage Can Art

Artist Timm Schneider has created what he calls an "urban intervention." As far as I can tell, that's code for "Putting cartoon googly eyes on public things like trash cans and and toilets to make awesome creatures that you can stumble upon when you're walking down the street." Check it out!

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posted by Jessie, Columbine Library

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DECEMBER 10, 2011
Science Saturday - Calories

This is the season of the Christmas cookies, eggnog and other tasty treats.  How many calories are in these delicious confections?  I don't even want to ask.  What exactly is a calorie anyways?   In its very basic definition it is a unit of energy.  Originally, the term was used to define the heat needed to increase the temperature of water by one degree.  Calories can refer to anything.  For example, a gallon of gasoline contains about 31 million calories. So, don't drink gasoline.   Food measurement calories are actually Kilocalories, which means 1,000 thermocalories, or 4,184 joules.  How are food calories calculated? Calories in food are calculated based on how much energy that food contains.

Want to learn more?  Check out our online Science Databases.

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 9, 2011
Teen Canned Food Drive - Day 2

The competition is fierce on day 4 of the food drive. 

"We are seeing over 200 households a day and giving out over 8000 pounds of food each day so it goes fast!"  - Barbara  from the Action Center

Here is where we stand with food collected by the libraries:

Arvada - 1
Belmar - 16
Conifer - 0
Columbine - 0
Edgewater - 5
Evergreen - 0
Lakewood -1
Standley Lake -
Wheat Ridge - 0

Be sure to bring your can of food in before December 20th! 

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 8, 2011
Tomorrow, When the War Began

A group of friends spend a week camping in the Australian outback and return to a world completely different than the one they left. Their families aren’t at home, pets have been left to starve, and they can’t find a single neighbor. Ellie and her friends soon discover that their country has been invaded and their town taken captive.

If you felt a little sad when you finished reading Mockingjay, (not because of how it ended, but because it meant the trilogy was over) try Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden.

Like Katniss, they have to decide whether to surrender themselves to the government, hide in the wilderness, or stay and fight. At times, it’s brutal, and once in a while a bit romantic.

What other books have you found for fans of The Hunger Games series?
 

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posted by Chandra, Belmar Library

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DECEMBER 7, 2011
Books for your Holiday Wish List

Here are some suggestions:

12 Things to do Before you Crash and Burn by James Proimos

James Hercules Martino has until the end of the summer to accomplish twelve tasks given to him by his uncle. These tasks will change the way he sees his life.

 

 City of Orphans by Avi

Maks, a newsboy, teams up with Willa, a homeless girl, to clear his sister from charges that she stole a watch from the brand new Waldorf Hotel.

Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

A mix-up involving the greatest magic in the world has tremendous consequences.

 

 

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

As Amy is being cryogenically frozen she realizes that something is horribly wrong.

Au Revoir, Crazy Eruopean Chick by Joe Schreiber

Is Perry's prom date really a frumpy exchange student or is she an international assassin?

 

 

Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

Not only is new vampire Doug doomed eternally to be fat, but now he must also save himself from the desperate host of a vampire-hunting television show.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Jacob must befriend the "peculiar children" and find out what really happened to his grandfather?

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 6, 2011
Canned Food Drive

The canned food drive starts today!!  Be sure to bring in a can of food, peanut butter preffered, to your local library.  Did you participate in the Teen Summer Reading Club?  We set a goal of 85,000 hours read by teens in Jefferson County but we didn't make it.  Originally, the teen librarians would have volunteered at the Jeffco Action Center but since we didn't make our goal now we have a new way to help.  The libraries will be competing against each other to see which location can collect the most food.  So bring your can in this week to the Lakewood Library...het hem..I mean your local library. 

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 5, 2011
All lit up
Christmas Mashup

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posted by Rene, Evergreen Library

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DECEMBER 4, 2011
Teen Canned Food Drive Starts Tuesday

Did you participate in the Teen Summer Reading Club? We didn't make our worthy cause goal of 80,000 hours read.  Help us make our new worthy cause goal of getting canned food to the Jeffco Action Center.  Compete against other library locations to see if your library can collect the most food!  Bring a can / jar of food in between Dec. 6-20th.

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 3, 2011
Science Saturday - Make Your Own Snow


 

If you boil water and throw it up into the air when the outside temperature is below -22 degrees the water will instantly turn to snow.  Don't try this at home as I don't want you to burn yourself and it isn't cold enough in Denver to make this work.  Watch this video shot at the Mount Washington Observatory.  Why does this work?  In part it works because of rapid evaporation of the hot water in very cold temperatures.  Mpemba effect also has a role in the flash freezing.  This is where hot water will cool faster than colder water.  This seems contrary to science right? It is named for a Tanzanian school student who noticed the ice cream he made would freeze faster if it started out hot.  Scientists are not exactly sure why this is true but some theories are convection, solutes in the water and evaporation.

Want to know more?  Check out our online Database Science in Context.

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 2, 2011
Lakewood Teen Time

Are you looking for a beautiful decoration for your tree / locker / house?  Do you need a last minute gift for your parental unit to cherish forever, along with the macaroni necklace you made in 2nd grade?  If so come to the Lakewood Library next Tuesday to make a paper snowflake.  All supplies will be provided.


Lakewood Library

Tuesday, December 6th

4:00 p.m.

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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DECEMBER 1, 2011
New Books for December

Happy December! Here is a compiled list of the most highly anticipated book for December 2011. Get your name on the list today!

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices Series #2)
 
Fire by James Patterson (Witch & Wizard Series #3)
 
Ruthless by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars #10)

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posted by Arra - Lakewood Library

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