Fairbanks library hosts educational and fun activities for kids of all ages

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - The Noel Wien Public Library hosts many fun and educational events for kids and teens of all ages.

According to Katelyn Rose, Young Adult Librarian for the Noel Wien Public Library, the most recent event taught teens how to build bottle rockets, and explained how they work. “Today, it’s super cool, we are making bottle rockets which are just a regular two-liter soda bottle. Add some cardboard, newspaper and duct tape, and you have a rocket that can launch two or three stories into the air using just water and air. We’re going to be using a cork with a bicycle pump, and just a needle that you would use to pump up a regular basketball. You fill it up about a third of the way with water and then pressurize the air inside the rest of the bottle.”

Rose explained that creating and launching bottle rockets is only one of the several activities the Noel Wien Public Library has hosted this summer. “This is our final event for the teen young adult summer reading program. We’ve been doing events all summer. We had some book clubs, we had a trivia night... we have been doing different virtual programs, grab bag programs... and now we finally get to start in with our in-person outdoor programs. So next week we will have a summer reading program finale and hand out books to everybody who completed the program - and it’s been exciting.”

The event which was held on Thursday, July 15, will be the last one for the summer. But Rose said the library has plans in place for events for the rest of the year. “We have events for all ages throughout the year. For teens we’re sort of just getting rolling again with programming after COVID, and I’m hoping to get some book clubs going. I’m getting a teen volunteer program off the ground, and then I’ve been working with various organizations in town to do specific connections between materials and resources that teens need.”

More information on activities offered by the Noel Wien Public Library and when they will be offered can be found on the library’s website.

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