Category: Kids

Are you looking for reading recommendations for kids? We can help! Visit us in person or online to get ideas for great reads for kids. For one-on-one help call or ask a Library staff member at any of our locations. You can also call, text, or email ask-a- librarian!

This collection of book lists created by our staff can assist students with homework, help them find more books by their favorite authors, and aid parents in finding books for the youngest readers, among other things! We add new lists each month so returning readers can continue to find their next read! Find more reading recommendations for kids in our blog or enjoy storytime online.

You can also get reading recommendations online from NoveList K-8 Plus or Book Connections. Read book reviews, see “read alike” lists, browse starred reviews, and more.

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Unearth Imagination
May 31 – August 2

Prizes for all ages! Summer is the perfect time to explore new worlds, discover exciting stories, and build a love for reading! These fun, engaging activities, events, and book recommendations are tailored just for you! Join us for an adventure in learning to become a lifelong reader!

Looking for a summer read? Browse our staff created book lists:

Picture Book Stars to Celebrate Independence & Freedom

Learn about the 4th of July, Juneteenth, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment, and more! Read stories about family and neighborhood traditions all over the country from parades to fireworks to noodles to pie.

Title - The Night Before FreedomTitle - Revolutionary Prudence WrightTitle - Her Name Was Mary KatharineTitle - Fireworks

Picture Books Which Celebrate America’s Rich Cultural Diversity

Here are some books that touch on America as a Nation of Immigrants. These are picture books, but many are inspired by real people and true stories.

Title - Five StoriesTitle - The Welcome ChairTitle - The Day You BeginTitle - Islandborn

Set sail, tiny sailors!

For children looking for nautical reads this summer, add these picture books featuring boats or lighthouses to your holds list.

Title - Boats on the BayTitle - Boats Will FloatTitle - Alphabet BoatsTitle - The Goat and the Stoat and the Boat

Let Me Share My Culture With You

Dive into these wonderful picture books that feature children sharing their culture with classmates, friends, and neighbors.

Title - Our Favorite Day of the YearTitle - The Day You BeginTitle - Everyone Loves Lunchtime but ZiaTitle - Home in A Lunchbox

Beach Time, Excellent!

In this list you’ll find picture books that feature the many wonders to be found where sand and rocky shores meet ocean waves. Humor and history, family fun and sensory delights, gorgeous artwork and evocative descriptions spill from these pages. Enjoy a little respite from our mostly beach-less state, until one day your feet just might carry you to the edge of the world.

Title - Jules Vs. the OceanTitle - Hum and SwishTitle - There Might Be LobstersTitle - Bluey

I’m Hungry!

Lets run a restaurant! These books are all about hamburgers and hotdogs and running a restaurant!

Title - The Burger and the Hot DogTitle - Blow up A BurgerTitle - Burger BoyTitle - Hamburgers

Summertime Books for Kids

The sweet summer season captured in picture books!

Title - And Then Comes SummerTitle - Jabari JumpsTitle - Our PoolTitle - Bubbles...up!

Giddy Up, Partner

Explore the old west with these fun picture books. Giddy up!

Title - Bad Day at RiverbendTitle - I Wanna Be A CowgirlTitle - Armadillo RodeoTitle - Let

Staff Picks 2024 – Best of Picture Books

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Our staff share some of their favorite picture books from 2024 that they have seen – from beautiful to funny, we hope there is something for you and your littlest readers to enjoy.

Title - The Yellow BusTitle - Treehouse TownTitle - It Bears RepeatingTitle - The Bakery Dragon

Staff Picks 2024 – Best of Fiction for Kids

Some of our favorite new fiction titles published for kids. At the very bottom of the list, enjoy older bonus material: staff were also asked if they read an older title/not published in 2024 that they might also recommend.

Title - FerrisTitle - The Bletchley RiddleTitle - Amari And The Despicable WondersTitle - The Color of Sound

Staff Picks 2024 – Best of Beginning and Early Readers for Kids

Staff sent in some of their favorite 2024 books that fall into our JZ and JE category. JZ are the books for young readers that are beginning to read on their own and typically these books have very controlled vocabulary and still a lot of pictures. (Think Piggie and Elephant; Bob books; Yasmin). JEs are books that introduce a longer narrative and sometimes chapters or vignettes; contain more content; characters that have depth and experiences. (Think Magic Treehouse or Bad Guy series)

Title - Bunny and ClydeTitle - Fox Plays BallTitle - The Adventure and Other StoriesTitle - The Cozy Home

Join Us for Storytime!

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  • Event: Preschool Tales ‘n Play Storytime
  • Date & Time: Saturday, July 05, 11:15am
  • Location: Central Library
  • Description: Stop in for some stories, music, and fun! Preschool-aged children and their families are invited to visit the Learning Curve for a Saturday storytime. Afterward, all are welcome to stay for open playtime.
  • No Registration Required.
  • Event: Paws to Read at Michigan Road
  • Date & Time: Saturday, July 05, 2:00pm
  • Rescheduled Date & Time: Saturday, July 12, 2:00pm
  • Location: Michigan Road Branch
  • Description: Beginning or reluctant readers are invited to read to a registered therapy dog who loves to listen to stories. Its a great way to improve a child’s reading skills and self-confidence. Participants may sign up for a 15 minute reading session by registering online or calling 317-275-4370 ext. 4.
  • Register Here
  • Event: Storytime with Professor Watermelon
  • Date & Time: Monday, July 07, 10:30am
  • Location: Warren Branch
  • Description: Chomp, stomp, and roar through stories, songs, and activities with Professor Watermelon! This dinosaur storytime is perfect for children ages 3-6 and their caregivers.
  • No Registration Required.
  • Event: Storytime at Lawrence – Pajama Storytime!
  • Date & Time: Monday, July 07, 6:30pm
  • Location: Lawrence Branch
  • Description: Young children and their caregivers are invited to join us for stories, songs, and fun. Stay after stories are finished for some literacy activities and play time.
  • No Registration Required.
  • Event: Storytime at Michigan Road
  • Date & Time: Tuesday, July 08, 10:30am
  • Location: Michigan Road Branch
  • Description: Preschoolers, toddlers, and their caregivers are invited for stories, fingerplays, crafts and activities.
  • No Registration Required.

In How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag follow step-by-step directions at home for making your own ice cream. Find out the science behind how this works. Smart as well as delicious! Watch a demonstration of how this works in the video below. With a few simple ingredients you can be eating a DIY slushie cold treat in no time! Even on a very hot day!

A little bit simpler science recipe you can try is making a DIY slushie from your favorite drink. The same science principles apply! Your favorite drink is pretty good with ice floating in it. When your drink has ice cubes in it, the ice cubes make the drink colder, but the ice cubes don’t make the drink itself freeze. The ice cubes IN the drink melt because they are colder then the drink itself. The drink melts the ice cubes by lowering their temperature. If you want a slushie you need to put ice AROUND your drink instead of IN it.

Melting point is the temperature at which a solid will melt. For ice this temperature is 32 degrees. If you put a drink in the freezer, where the temperature is 32 degrees or colder, the drink itself will freeze. Solid. You won’t be able to drink it!

To make your DIY slushie you want the temperature around your favorite drink to be lower than 32 degrees so the drink itself will get really cold. Keep an eye on it and stir it a lot so it doesn’t freeze solid. Make an easy slushie using ice cubes and salt. Note: the salt does NOT go IN your drink!

Salt lowers the melting point of water. Adding salt to ice cubes makes them stay frozen longer. If ice with salt added to it is packed around a liquid, like your drink, the salted ice will make your drink so cold that it will turn into a slushie!\

What You Need:

  • Your Favorite Drink (Soda, orange juice, lemonade, etc.)
  • Quart-size zip-lock bag
  • Gallon-size zip-lock bag
  • 2 cups ice
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • Bowl

Fill the quart size bag with your favorite drink and zip it closed. HINT: Make sure the bag is zipped really good or your slushie will taste bad when some of the salt leaks into your bag. Put the quart size bag inside the gallon bag. Add the ice and salt to the gallon bag. Next, zip the gallon size bag closed. Finally, shake the bag a lot – even play catch with it…gently. In about 15 minutes you will feel the ingredients in the quart size bag starting to firm up. What started out as a liquid is changing to a solid. When it feels done take the quart size bag out of the gallon size bag. Rinse it off good in clean water. Then open the bag, squeeze the slushie into a glass and enjoy!

When you add salt to the ice cubes you lower the melting point of the ice cubes by several degrees. The ice cubes stay colder, longer – long enough to turn your drink slushie. The secret is the catalyst – the salt. A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a reaction.

Science Experiment Idea

Make 3 different quart size bags each filled with the exact same amount of your favorite drink. Fill each of three gallon size bag with the exact same number of ice cubes. Add 1/8 cup of salt to the first gallon size bag and label it with a sharpie, “1/8”. Then add 1/4 cup of salt to the second gallon size bag and label it “1/4”. Finally, add 1/3 cup of salt to the third gallon size bag and label it “1/3”. Have a couple friends help you shake and smoosh the bags to make the slushies. Time how long it takes each of the bags to turn into a slushie. Which amount of salt makes a DIY slushie the fastest?

Websites, Activities & Printables:

You can also ask a math and science expert for homework help by calling the Ask Rose Homework Hotline. They provide FREE math and science homework help to Indiana students in grades 6-12.

e-Books & Audiobooks

Use your Library Card to check out kitchen science books at any of our locations, or check out kitchen science e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use e-books and alearn how to use audiobooks.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Ice Cream and Other Edible Science for Kids

Let your kitchen become a science lab and bake, melt, freeze, or boil an experiment you can eat!

Title - The Ultimate Science Cookbook for KidsTitle - The Story of Ice CreamTitle - Super Fun Kitchen Science Experiments for KidsTitle - Kitchen ScienceTitle - 10-minute Kitchen Science ProjectsTitle - Sheet Pan ScienceTitle - The Chemistry of FoodTitle - The Complete Cookbook for Young ScientistsTitle - Kitchen ChemistryTitle - Hack Your Kitchen : Discover A World of Food Fun With Science BuddiesTitle - Kitchen Explorers!Title - Experiment With Kitchen Science

Two children looking at a tablet while hiding in a tent fort.

Picture book read along stories play like a movie and are great for listening practice as well as really fun! You can stream picture book videos free with your IndyPL library card. Illustrations move as you watch the narrated stories. Video picture books are especially convenient for car trips. You can check out several at a time and play them multiple times while you have them checked out. They are perfect for “read it again!”

To stream these videos for kids you will need a Hoopla account. Hoopla is the service the Library uses to deliver these videos to you.

Get Started Streaming Picture Book Videos on Hoopla

  • You can access Hoopla to stream picture book videos from any device, including iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast.
  • Visit Hoopla to sign up with your Library card.
  • Once you borrow a movie, you have 3 days to view it as many times as you like.
  • Your total borrows reset on the 1st of the month.
  • Once you have reached your 10 items a month borrowing limit, you will not be able to borrow any Hoopla content until the new month starts and your 10 borrows reset.
  • Need help? Watch a video tutorial.

Here are a few favorites to get you started, or see Hoopla’s complete list of picture book videos for kids.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text, or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

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Child dressed like little red riding hood reading to her stuffed animals while sitting on a blanket with a picnic basket in the woods.

There are lots of stories kids can rattle off without even thinking very much. The Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, and Cinderella are examples of some commonly told stories children all over the world often know. Told in different places, the stories take on interesting differences that reflect a country’s environment or culture. Fairy tale variants like these can be great introductions to new places and new people!

Sometimes storytellers like to have fun with a traditional story too. Cinderella plays in a hockey game instead of going to a ball. The Big Bad Wolf tells HIS side of the story. The story happens in a new or unique place. Try one of these for a unique twist on classic tales!

title - The Twelve Dancing Princessestitle - Jacqueline and the Beanstalktitle - The Ninjabread Mantitle - The Egyptian Cinderella

Have fun with fairy tale variants – unique spins on these classics!

Hispanic Retellings of Classic Tales

Here are some favorite classic tales and traditional stories told with details and cultural traditions of the American Southwest, Mexico, Central or South America.

Title - AdelitaTitle - Paco and the giant chile plantTitle - The Runaway TortillaTitle - La Princesa and the PeaTitle - The Pot That Juan BuiltTitle - The Three CabritosTitle - Rubia and the Three OsosTitle - The Three Little JavelinasTitle - Señorita GorditaTitle - The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden StirredTitle - Chachalaca ChiquitaTitle - The Party for Papá Luis

Need help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text, or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

In the month of May in Indianapolis attention is focused at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, or less formally, “The Brickyard,” or as we simply call it here at home, “the track.” It is time for the Indy 500!

If you sit outside in Indianapolis on a spring day in May and the wind is just right in relation to where you are, you can hear the distant high-pitched hum of cars practicing, careening around the track. On race day you can see other signs that something big is happening. If you look up you can see the Goodyear blimp floating above the city giving the world a birds-eye view, or at start time, watch the fighter jets fly in formation over the city, both traditions leading up to “Drivers, start your engines!”

While you wait for this year’s race, have fun learning about the history, physics and amazing records of the greatest spectacle in racing – the Indianapolis 500! The Spectacle is a complete history of the Indianapolis 500. It includes a hundred year’s worth of memories from legendary drivers and details about memorable races. It’s like you were in the pits yourself watching the drama unfold. Listed below are online activities and books about the Indy 500 you can check out with your IndyPL library card. You can even learn how to draw or build a race car of your own!

Websites, Printables & Activities

e-Books & Audiobooks

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about car racing at any of our locations, or check out car racing e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use it for both e-books and audiobooks.

Need help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text, or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Books for Kids Crazy about Indy Cars

Title - The Indianapolis 500Title - Josef, the Indy Car DriverTitle - Race CarsTitle - The Racecar BookTitle - Draw 50 Cars, Trucks, and MotorcyclesTitle - Indy CarsTitle - Indy CarsTitle - The Curse of the Indy 500Title - Race CarsTitle - Dino RacingTitle - R Is for RaceTitle - Cars

Have you seen one of the Library’s Bookmobiles driving around Indianapolis? We have two that visit neighborhoods and schools all over the city delivering books to people who don’t have a Library branch nearby. Kids love trucks, books, and cozy little spaces – our Bookmobiles are all three! Watch this video to meet one of our book cruising teams, ride on the bookmobile with Emilie and Bruce! Our Bookmobiles are filled with both great books and great people!

Bookmobile History

A librarian in Maryland in the early 1900s is credited with coming up with the idea of the first bookmobile. That first one was a horse-drawn wagon. No one had ever seen one of those before! Soon book wagons were appearing in other parts of the country, and by 1922, the book wagon idea was very popular. The bookmobile was born!

  • Bookmobiles: Then and Now – A Fascinating timeline of the evolution of bookmobiles, including the features, technology, and vehicles responsible for bringing library services to the public. Note: green entries on the timeline are bookmobile history in general. Purple entries in the timeline are Indianapolis Bookmobile history.
  • 50 Vintage Photos of Libraries on Wheels
  • Indianapolis Public Library Digital Collections: Bookmobiles

We’ve picked our favorite photos from our Digital Collection for this bookmobile photo gallery. It’s fun to see how our bookmobiles have changed over the years!

To learn even more about bookmobiles check out one of the books below. Each one tells the story of a bookmobile. Ride on the bookmobile with Emily and Bruce, or see some places where it makes sense to deliver books by boat, burro, or camel!

Bookmobiles: On the Road for Reading All Over the World

Book lovers and librarians have loaded up books and taken them on the road for decades. What people use to transport the books depends on where the books need delivered. Bookmobiles can be trucks, boats, bikes, or pack animals! Which animal is chosen depends on where in the world the books are being delivered. Horses, burros and camels are all excellent at book transportation. Here are some of our favorite stories about how mobile libraries get books to people who don’t have a library building nearby.

Title - The Library BusTitle - My Librarian Is A CamelTitle - That Book WomanTitle - The Book BoatTitle - Waiting for the BiblioBurroTitle - Library on WheelsTitle - Miss Dorothy and Her BookmobileTitle - My Librarian Is A CamelTitle - BiblioburroTitle - That Book WomanTitle - The Library BookTitle - Librarian

Kids of all ages can learn about more than a dozen trailblazing women in science, art, law, politics, and sports by listening to these video storytimes. Our featured story is called Equality’s Call, by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Magdalena Mora. It is the story of the history of voting rights in the United States from our nation’s founding until today. The story is read by National Women’s History Museum Ambassador, actress Logan Browning.

To hear even more stories about amazing women, just click on a book cover to listen to another one!

title - Althea Gibsontitle - Drum Dream Girltitle - The House That Jane Builttitle - Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitostitle - Game Changerstitle - Hidden Figurestitle - Joan Procter, Dragon Doctortitle - Kamala and Maya's Big Ideatitle - Separate Is Never Equaltitle - Shaking Things uptitle - Turning Pagestitle - When Harriet Met Sojournertitle - The Youngest Marcher

e-Books & Audiobooks

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about trailblazing women at any of our locations, or check out books about trailblazing women e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, learn how to use OverDrive for e-books and learn how to use OverDrive for audiobooks.

Find more FREE online reading at Free Video Read Alouds or try storytime at home!

Need help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text, or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Websites, Activities & Printables

Women’s History for Kids

Fun books to help kids learn about women’s history and get inspired to make a difference!

Title - NinaTitle - Red Bird SingsTitle - BaseballTitle - 2017 Women

Women and Girls Make Amazing Music!

These compelling documentaries shed light on the lives and careers of women and girls working in a range of genres and musical settings.

Title - Sisters With TransistorsTitle - Tokyo idolsTitle - FannyTitle - Joan Baez

Game Changers: 25 Books About Female Athletes Who Took the Lead

Listed here are more stories about trailblazing female athletes. “Stories, both real and imagined, show what girls can do. The stories of women’s lives, and the choices they made, encourage girls to think larger and bolder, and give boys and men a fuller understanding of the female experience.” ~National Women’s History Project

Title - Breaking ThroughTitle - I Am A PromiseTitle - Girl RunningTitle - Anybody

Women Make Amazing Art!

Invite the budding young artists in your life to explore art by women from around the planet!

Title - The Life and Art of Ningiukulu TeeveeTitle - We Are ArtistsTitle - Through GeorgiaTitle - Faith Ringgold

Sheroes and Girl Power: Books for Kids

Newer biographies that celebrate the efforts and genius of women. Success in different fields and talents and the long reach and effort to continually push towards “justice” for all are just the tip of the list here.

Title - Born ReadingTitle - Go Forth and TellTitle - The Oldest StudentTitle - Coretta


Listed below is a Black history timeline of important events of the civil rights movement. These events led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The fiction and non-fiction books listed bring the events and people to life. Take a book walk through history to learn about these determined, brave people who stood together so no one stood alone.

Ruby Bridges

At the age of six Ruby Bridges became the first Black child to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. This Is Your Time is a new book for kids written by Ruby herself and is a great introduction to one of the key moments in the Black history timeline. It is a letter she has written to children today, more than 60 years after her historic first, to share her story and share her thoughts on what children can do to effect change. As Ruby says, “what can inspire tomorrow often lies in our past.”

This Is Your Time includes many historical photos, some from Ruby’s private collection. I especially enjoyed learning about Ruby’s first grade teacher that year and the photo of Ruby and her teacher at school, as well as the recent picture of the two of them together.

The image on the book’s cover is “The Problem We All Live With,” a 1964 painting by Norman Rockwell that shows Ruby being escorted to school by four US Marshals. In 2011 President Barack Obama arranged to borrow the painting from the Norman Rockwell museum. He had it hung outside the Oval Office and invited Ruby to come see it. Watch this video carefully to hear President Obama say something important:

“I think it’s fair to say that if it hadn’t been for you guys, I might not be here and we wouldn’t be looking at this together.”

Ruby Bridges visits with the President and her portrait

He said something very similar during his campaign for the presidency in 2007.

“I’m here because somebody marched. I’m here because you all sacrificed for me. I stand on the shoulders of giants.” ~Speech, Selma Voting Rights March Commemoration in Selma, Alabama, March 4, 2007

Black History Timeline

The books suggested in the Black history timeline below make great selections every day, but are especially meaningful on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, and on January 18th, the National Day of Racial Healing. On these days we turn our attention to specifically remember history and re-commit to the goal of racial justice.

1954

Brown v. Board of Education was a very important United States Supreme Court case. The Court decided state laws that separated Black students from white students in public schools were unconstitutional. In other words, the Court said this separation of students was not legal. The decision by the Court was unanimous (9–0). Unanimous means all of the supreme court justices agreed.

title - When the Schools Shut Downtitle - Remembertitle - Brown V. Board of Education : A Day That Changed Americatitle - Brown V. Board of Education

1954

The Murder of Emmett Till – Accused of offending a white woman at a grocery store, Emmett was a 14-year-old Black boy lynched in Mississippi in 1955. The brutality of his murder and the fact that his killers were acquitted highlighted the long history of violent persecution of African Americans. Like Ruby Bridges, Emmett became an icon of the civil rights movement.

title - Choosing Bravetitle - Ghost Boystitle - In the Name of Emmett Tilltitle - A Wreath for Emmett Till

1955-1956

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against segregated seats on the public buses in Montgomery, Alabama. Back then Black people had to ride in the seats at the back of the bus, and if the seats were all full and a white person got on the bus, a Black rider would have to give their seat to the white person. A boycott a tactic people use to point out something they think is not right. They stop buying something or stop using something to draw attention to the problem. In this case, people boycotted the buses; they stopped paying to ride them.

title - Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycotttitle - Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvintitle - Sweet Justicetitle - Rosa

1957

The Little Rock Nine was a group of Black students who signed up to go to Little Rock Central High School. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court had already said it was not legal to separate Black students from white students in public schools, officials blocked these Black students from entering the school. President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne and the Arkansas National Guard to escort the students to school.

title - The Little Rock Nine Challenge Segregationtitle - March Forward, Girltitle - Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Ninetitle - The Lions of Little Rock

1960

The Greensboro Sit-ins were nonviolent protests against segregated seating in restaurants. The sit-ins began in Greensboro, North Carolina when four Black men sat down in the white section of a restaurant. No one would take their order because they were not sitting in the “right” seats. They sat quietly until the restaurant closed. Because they were sitting in the seats, white people could not sit in the seats and make an order. The next day more people came and did the same thing, filling up the seats. More people joined each day at more restaurants and in more cities. The restaurants did not make any money. Eventually, the restaurants changed their segregation rules so that they could do business again.

title - Lunch Counter Sit-institle - The Greensboro Lunch Countertitle - Freedom on the Menutitle - Sit-in

1960

Ruby Bridges was the first Black student to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, Louisiana. Four federal marshals escorted Ruby and her mother for the entire school year.

title - Ruby Bridges Takes Her Seattitle - I Am Ruby Bridgestitle - Ruby Bridgestitle - This Is your Time

1961

Freedom Riders were people who rode on buses to protest segregated seating. The United States Supreme Court had already ruled that it was illegal to separate Black people from white people on public buses. The authorities did not enforce the law. To protest this, groups of people, both Black and white, rode the buses together to challenge the rules. The riders drew attention to the states that were not following federal law.

title - The Story of the Civil Rights Freedom Rides in Photographstitle - Night on Firetitle - Twelve Days in May

1963

The Birmingham Children’s March was a march by hundreds of school children in Birmingham, Alabama. The children left school and walked downtown to talk to the mayor about segregation. Authorities used fire hoses and police dogs to try to stop the march. Many children were arrested. This event inspired President Kennedy to publicly support federal civil rights legislation and the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

title - We've Got A Jobtitle - The Youngest Marchertitle - Let the Children March

1963

The March on Washington took place in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. At the march, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. The march helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

title - More Than A Dreamtitle - Unstoppabletitle - A Song for the Unsungtitle - March On!title - A Place to Landtitle - I Have A Dream

1963

The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963 killed four little girls and injured 22 other people. Three Klansmen were thought by the FBI to be responsible and were eventually prosecuted for the crime, but not until 1977, 2001 and 2002. A fourth man died before he could be prosecuted. The bombing contributed to support for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

title - Birmingham, 1963title - Birmingham Sunday

1964

The Civil Rights Act enacted on July 2, 1964. It is a landmark law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

title - Fighting for the Civil Rights Act of 1964title - Glory Betitle - All the Days Past, All the Days to Cometitle - Freedom Summer

1965

The Selma to Montgomery Voting Marches were three protest marches along a 54-mile highway from Selma, Alabama, to the Alabama state capital of Montgomery. Black citizens who were being prevented from exercising their constitutional right to vote organized the marches. The marches contributed to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

title - Because They Marchedtitle - Lillian's Right to Votetitle - Turning 15 on the Road to Freedomtitle - The Teachers March!

1968

Dr. Martin Luther King assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. While his death silenced his own voice, it did not end the civil rights movement. The movement continues to this day as people work to ensure and preserve opportunities for racial equity, inclusion, justice, and peace.

title - The Day King Diedtitle - Martin Risingtitle - The Cart That Carried Martintitle - Chasing King's Killer

To learn even more about fascinating and inspiring black history makers, visit the Center for Black Literature & Culture at Central Library. The Center is dedicated to celebrating the vibrant and resilient heritage and triumphs of those born of African roots.

This photo from the Library of Congress shows the delivery of two turkeys to President Herbert Hoover in 1929. According to White House History, the tradition of sending a Thanksgiving turkey to US Presidents goes back many years. John F. Kennedy was the first President to pardon a turkey. A pardon means showing leniency, in other words, he didn’t eat it! Pardoning the turkey eventually became an annual event for United States Presidents. You might wonder what happened to all those pardoned turkeys? I found out they have gone to several different places including George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Disney World!

There have been many United States Presidents, more than 40, so there are a lot of oddball traditions and just plain funny stories about their quirky habits. There are even more stories about their pet projects and special accomplishments. Check out some of these books to find out behind-the-scenes stories that probably won’t make it on your social studies test!

Would you like to learn about how presidents get elected? Take a look at Elections for Kids to see books, databases, websites, and artifacts that will help learn more or do research to answer homework questions about elections.

You can start by looking at this voting machine that is an Artifact from The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. It was used by voters in Indianapolis from the 1930s through the 1980 election. Look at more elections artifacts from the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’ Collection.

Websites, Activities & Printables:

NoveList K-8: Stories about Elections is a database you can use in any IndyPL Library Branch or at home to learn about elections for kids. Login using your library card number. Novelist will show you fiction chapter books and picture books you can read about elections. Click on “Check the Library Catalog” to see if IndyPL has the book.

Unique Stories About U.S. Presidents

Unique often equals funny! All the astonishing accomplishments and silly details fit to print about which President sang with his pet parrot, which one took dancing lessons, which one got a speeding ticket on a horse, and which one ran down Pennsylvania Avenue (the street in front of the White House) chasing after a goat! Hint: the goat one is the President from Indiana!

Title - PresidentsTitle - The Painter and the PresidentTitle - Bizarre CampaigningTitle - Teddy Roosevelt Was A Moose?Title - Abe LincolnTitle - JoeyTitle - Dancing HandsTitle - Hard Work, but ItTitle - Lincoln Clears A PathTitle - Close CallsTitle - TeddyTitle - Hanging Off Jefferson

I’m sure you’ve heard people say that dogs are man’s best friend. When you read some of these books, you’ll discover that there are a lot of animals that have been man’s best friend as well as best friends to each other! Who would have thought that a deer and a dog or a dog and a duck could be friends? Some of these animals just have the best life stories. Some are famous, like Koko the gorilla who learned American Sign Language. Or the 21 elephants that walked across the Brooklyn Bridge when it was built, just to prove it was safe! Or Eclipse, the dog that learned how to catch the bus to the dog park all by himself! Theses are true animal stores and they are amazing!

Can We Be Friends: Unexpected Animal Friendships from Around the World tells the stories of five unlikely animal friendships:

  • a hippo and a tortoise
  • an elephant and a sheep
  • a gorilla and kittens
  • a cheetah and a dog
  • a dog and dolphin

Check out even more books that tell the true animal stories of some special members of the animal kingdom!

Amazing and True Animals Stories for Kids

Read about the 21 elephants that walked across the Brooklyn Bridge when it was built, just to prove it was safe, or about Eclipse, the dog that learned how to catch the bus to the dog park all by himself! Check out some of these books for amazing stories about some special members of the animal kingdom.

Title - WhalesongTitle - We Also ServedTitle - Twenty-one Elephants and Still StandingTitle - Elizabeth, Queen of the SeasTitle - IvanTitle - Bob the Railway DogTitle - Dog on BoardTitle - Clara

Need help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

The books, databases, websites and artifacts on this page will help you do research and answer homework questions about elections. Explore Unique Stories of the U.S. Presidents as well as The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Election Artifacts Collection.

Websites, Activities & Printables

Novelist K-8 Logo

NoveList K-8: Stories about Elections is a database you can use in any IndyPL Library Branch or at home. Login using your library card number. Novelist will show you fiction chapter books and picture books you can read about elections. Click on “Check the Library Catalog” to see if IndyPL has the book.

e-Books & Audiobooks

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about elections at any of our locations, or check out election e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use OverDrive for e-books and learn how to use OverDrive for audiobooks.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Elections and Voting – It’s a Big Deal!

Choose a book or two from this list to learn about the United States election process, who can vote, and the history of how each has developed over the last 200+ years. Find out the answers to some puzzling FAQs: What’s a ballot? What is a poll? What does suffrage mean? Why couldn’t Black people vote? Why couldn’t women vote? You can read a general history or focus on one issue, event, or person who made a difference. #indyplkids

Title - Presidential Elections and Other Cool FactsTitle - Your Voice, your VoteTitle - The WalkTitle - Black Voter SuppressionTitle - Vote for Our Future!Title - Lifting as We ClimbTitle - The Voice That Won the VoteTitle - ElectionsTitle - Stolen JusticeTitle - Give Us the Vote!Title - The KidsTitle - The Woman

Kwanzaa is a celebration that honors African heritage. Observed from December 26th to January 1st, it includes a feast on December 31st called Karamu. Kwanzaa celebrations include singing, dancing, storytelling and African drums. To learn more about the holiday’s roots in ancient African customs and how it is celebrated, watch the PBS Learning Media video All About the Holidays: Kwanzaa and this Sesame Street video during which a family shares how they celebrate together.

Listen together as author Ibi Zoboi reads aloud, The People Remember, with illustrations by Loveis Wise. It uses the seven principles of Kwanzaa called Nguzo Saba, to share the history of African descendants in America from the time their ancestors arrived in America to the present day. The seven principles are:

1. Umoja (Unity)
2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
3. Ujima (Responsibility)
4. Ujamaa (Cooperative economics)
5. Nia (Purpose)
6. Kuumba (Creativity)
7. Imani (Faith)

You can also listen to author Donna L Washington read Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa, a story that introduces the holiday and celebrates its true meaning – coming together to help others.

Did you like these? You can find more stories at Free Video Read Alouds and enjoy even more themed reading and activity fun at IndyPL’s DIY Online Storytimes at Home.

Books for Kids About Kwanzaa and Nguzo Saba

Use your library card to check out e-books, audiobooks, and other streaming content about Kwanzaa from home, right to your device. See our digital Kwanzaa collection from OverDrive Kids, or come visit us! Below is a selection of books for kids to help you get started!

Title - The Night Before KwanzaaTitle - KwanzaaTitle - Celebrating KwanzaaTitle - The People RememberTitle - KwanzaaTitle - Seven Spools of ThreadTitle - My First KwanzaaTitle - Habari Gani? WhatTitle - KwanzaaTitle - LiTitle - Kwanzaa KaramuTitle - The Sound of Kwanzaa

Need Help?

Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text, or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Beginning or reluctant readers ages 6 – 11 are often invited to read aloud to a registered therapy dog in our libraries – a dog who loves to listen to stories! Children register to read for a 15 minute paws to read session. Reading to a dog is a great way to improve a child’s reading skills and self-confidence. Children may read from any book they choose.

  • Event: Paws to Read at Wayne
  • Date & Time: Saturday, July 05, 11:00am
  • Location: Wayne Branch
  • Description: School-aged children who are beginning or reluctant readers are invited to read to a non-judgmental registered therapy dog who loves to listen to stories. It’s a great way to improve a child’s reading skills and self-confidence!
  • Register Here
  • Event: Paws to Read at Michigan Road
  • Date & Time: Saturday, July 05, 2:00pm
  • Rescheduled Date & Time: Saturday, July 12, 2:00pm
  • Location: Michigan Road Branch
  • Description: Beginning or reluctant readers are invited to read to a registered therapy dog who loves to listen to stories. Its a great way to improve a child’s reading skills and self-confidence. Participants may sign up for a 15 minute reading session by registering online or calling 317-275-4370 ext. 4.
  • Register Here
  • Event: Paws to Read at Glendale
  • Date & Time: Tuesday, July 08, 6:00pm
  • Location: Glendale Branch
  • Description: Beginning or reluctant readers ages 6 – 11 are invited to read to a registered therapy dog who loves to listen to stories. It’s a great way to improve a child’s reading skills and self-confidence. Register online or call the branch at 317-275-4410, ext. 4.
  • Register Here

If your child has never tried reading to a dog before and wants to learn a little about what that might be like to attend a paws to read session, listen below to the story, Madeline Finn and the Library Dog. Meet Madeline, who does not like to read. She doesn’t like to read books, magazines, or even the menu on the ice cream truck! Mrs. Dimple, the librarian, suggests Madeline read to a dog, and so Madeline meets Bonnie, who is beautiful, like a big snowy polar bear, and a very good listener! When Madeline can’t get the words right, Bonnie doesn’t mind. Madeline realizes it’s ok to go slow and keep trying.

Here are some more dog stories you can listen to, just click on a book jacket to hear the story!

title - Charlie the Ranch Dogtitle - Dog's Colorful Daytitle - A Greyhound, A Groundhogtitle - Hot Dogtitle - Harry, the Dirty Dogtitle - The Night I Followed the Dogtitle - The Poky Little Puppytitle - R Is for Rocket

Websites, Printables & Activities:

e-Books & Audiobooks:

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about dogs at any of our locations, or check out dog e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use e-books or learn how to use audiobooks.

Looking for even more books to read about dogs? Try these recommendations from IndyPL staff:

Need help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text, or email Ask-a-Librarian.

If you love airplanes, try out some of these paper creations in Building Vehicles That Fly. These paper engineering projects will help you learn the science behind how planes are designed and built. If you understand how the forces of aerodynamics work, you can make a paper airplane that flies really far! In several of the books listed below the directions are really clear with color photographs to help you make the folds correctly. Start out with a couple easy ones and then try something more challenging.

What You Need

  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Paper Clips

Do an experiment with three paper airplanes folding the exact same way with the exact same size of paper. Fly all three planes and measure how far they go. What happens if you add one paperclip to each? What happens of you add 2? Or 3? Record your results.

Websites, Printables & Activities

You can also ask a math and science expert for homework help by calling the Ask Rose Homework Hotline. They provide FREE math and science homework help to Indiana students in grades 6-12.

e-Books & Audiobooks

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about paper airplanes at any of our locations, or check out paper airplane e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use e-books and learn how to use audiobooks.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Paper Airplanes – Draw or Fold These Aerodynamic Marvels

If you love airplanes, try out some of these paper creations and engineering projects to learn the science behind how planes are designed and built.

Title - FlightTitle - What Pilots Need to KnowTitle - Star Fleet Paper Airplanes for KidsTitle - LetTitle - Paper PlanesTitle - Making Paper AirplanesTitle - 5 Steps to Drawing AircraftTitle - Out of This World Paper Airplanes EbookTitle - Building Vehicles That FlyTitle - Amazing Paper AirplanesTitle - Making A Paper Airplane and Other Paper ToysTitle - The Flying Machine Book

Sometimes when atoms come together to form a molecule, one end of the molecule has a positive charge and one end of the molecule has a negative charge. When this happens the molecule is called a polar molecule. Molecules that do not have two different electrical poles are called non-polar molecules. For today’s demonstration you will make a lava bottle to observe polar and non-polar molecules.

This experiment will show you how polar molecules and non-polar molecules behave when added together. If two kinds of molecules are added together that are both polar molecules, they will mix. They are miscible. Miscible means that the two things can mix together. If two non-polar molecules are added together they will also mix and are miscible. However, if a non-polar molecule and a polar molecule are added together, they will NOT mix together. This is called imiscible. Imiscible means that the two kinds of molecules CANNOT mix together.

What You Need

  • Plastic Bottle
  • Water
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Food coloring
  • Measuring Cups
  • Alka Seltzer

Instructions to Make a Lava Bottle

Fill the bottle about 3/4 of the way up with vegetable oil. Fill the bottle the rest of the way up with water. Now add some drops of food coloring. Close the cap on the bottle and shake it up. What happens?

Break the alka seltzer tablet in half. Open the bottle and drop in one half. What happens? Once the bubbles settle down drop in the other half. What happens again?

Water is a polar molecule. Vegetable oil is a non-polar molecule. These two substances do not mix together, they are imiscible (they will not mix together). That’s why you see the blobs of water bobbing around in the oil. Food coloring is a polar molecule so it WILL mix with the water. The water and the food coloring are both polar molecules and will mix together. That’s why the water blobs turn the color of the food coloring and the oil does not.

The alka seltzer just makes the lava bottle more fun because it makes the colorful water blobs move without shaking the bottle. The alka seltzer tablets dissolve in the the water and make carbon dioxide gas (like we saw vinegar and baking soda do in the Exploding Ziploc Experiment. The carbon dioxide gas bubbles attach to the colorful water blobs and make them float to the top of the bottle. When the gas bubbles pop there is no gas bubble to hold up the water blob, so it slowly floats back down to the bottom of the bottle.

Websites, Activities & Printables

You can also ask a math and science expert for homework help by calling the Ask Rose Homework Hotline. They provide FREE math and science homework help to Indiana students in grades 6-12.

e-Books and Audiobooks

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about Science Experiments at any of our locations, or check out science experiment e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use e-books and learn how to use audiobooks.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Atoms, Molecules and the Elements in the Periodic Table for Kids

The photographs, diagrams and creative storytelling in these books make the building blocks of the universe understandable…and fun! Find out about the scientists and discoveries which helped us find out what makes up all the stuff of the universe.

Title - My Book of the ElementsTitle - The Everywhere AtomTitle - The Periodic TableTitle - The Periodic Table of ElementsTitle - Atoms and MoleculesTitle - Investigating Atoms & MoleculesTitle - The ElementsTitle - The Stardust That Made UsTitle - Inspecting Elements & the Periodic TableTitle - The Micro World of Atoms and MoleculesTitle - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the ElementsTitle - Let

Sir Isaac Newton, an English scientist born in 1642, discovered three important principles of physics that describe how things move. Consequently, the principles bear his name, Newton’s First, Second, and Third Laws of Motion. Today’s experiment demonstrates Newton’s Third Law of Motion. It says that for every action there is an equal and opposite re-action. Basically, if an object is pushed, that object will push back in the opposite direction, equally hard.

Websites, Activities & Printables

You can ask a math and science expert for homework help by calling the Ask Rose Homework Hotline. They provide FREE math and science homework help to Indiana students in grades 6-12.

e-Books and Audiobooks

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about Sir Isaac Newton at any of our locations, or check out Sir Isaac Newton e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use e-books and learn how to use audiobooks.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Newton’s Laws of Motion: The Science Behind How Things Move

Newton’s Laws of Motion explain force and motion, or why things move the way they do. They are great concepts to explore by doing a science experiment. These are especially good science project ideas for kids who like to move! The concepts can often be explained using sports equipment or by understanding how amusement park rides work. These books offer ideas for physics experiments that demonstrate force and motion and the laws that govern them. Some of them provide the background information needed for the report that is often required to go with projects for the science fair.

Title - Force and MotionTitle - Isaac Newton and the Laws of MotionTitle - Physics for Curious KidsTitle - Sir Isaac NewtonTitle - The Gravity TreeTitle - Janice VanCleaveTitle - The Secret Science of SportsTitle - Fairground PhysicsTitle - Gravity ExplainedTitle - Awesome Physics Experiments for KidsTitle - Sir Isaac NewtonTitle - A Crash Course in Forces and Motion With Max Axiom, Super Scientist

Crystals are made when a substance has atoms or molecules that form in a very organized, repeating, 3D pattern. When we think of crystals we often think of some well-known gemstones like diamonds or rubies. But there are some very common crystals too like sugar, ice, snowflakes, and salt.

Learn more about the naturally occurring crystal formation of snow and ice by reading Curious About Snow. Find out the science behind how snow crystals form, the stories of record setting snowstorms, and an introduction to the life and work of photographer Wilson Bentley. Bentley made it his life’s work to study and photograph snowflakes. It is because of Wilson Bentley that we know no two snowflakes are alike!

Enjoy Bentley’s fascinating biography, Snowflake Bentley. You know what is really amazing about him? He made his discoveries in the 1890s! He invented and used a special device that combined a microscope with a camera to capture his microscopic pictures. The book includes some of Bentley’s actual snow crystal photographs.

You can make a scientific observation yourself or do a crystal experiment at home by growing borax crystals. Borax is a laundry detergent booster. You can find borax in the laundry room at home or in the laundry detergent section at the grocery store.

What You Need to Grow Borax Crystals at Home

Try this experiment at home! You will need:

  • Glass Jar
  • Pencil or Pen
  • String
  • Pipe Cleaner
  • Borax
  • Pitcher
  • Measuring Cup
  • Tablespoon
  • Hot Tap Water
  • Piece of Yarn or Cotton String, about 6 inches long

Instructions for Growing Borax Crystals

Fill a pitcher with 3 cups hot tap water. (Not so hot that you can’t touch it!) Add 3 tablespoons of Borax for each cup of water. We used 3 cups of hot tap water and 9 tablespoons of Borax. A mason jar was a great container for this. Stir the mixture.

If all of the Borax dissolves, add a little more Borax and stir. Add Borax until the water can’t dissolve it anymore – the mixture is saturated. That means the water is holding as much of the Borax as it can. In fact, this solution is supersaturated, that means the water is holding even more Borax than it normally would because the water has been heated. Now pour this supersaturated solution in the glass jar.

Make a shape out of the pipe cleaners and tie one end of the string to it. We made a snowflake shape out of pipe cleaners to see if we could make a snowflake crystal. Tie the other end of the string to the middle of the pen. Hang the pipe cleaner shape down in the jar with the pen across the top of the jar to keep it from touching the bottom of the jar. Watch what happens in the jar over the next few weeks.

srpboraxgrowth

Here is what our crystals looked like after growing on the pipe cleaner snowflake for about 2 weeks. The secret to growing borax crystals is having a supersaturated solution.

Science Experiment Idea

Grow three different borax crystal snowflakes. You need three glass jars that are exactly alike. Fill one with cold tap water and one with hot tap water. Get an adult to help you fill the last jar with boiling water. Now add Borax a little a time to each jar until the Borax will not dissolve anymore. The warmer the water, the more Borax will dissolve in the water. That’s because heating the water helps it become supersaturated. Now add a pipe cleaner snowflake to each jar and compare the crystals that grow over the next couple of weeks. Which jar has the most crystals? Which jar has the largest crystals?

Websites, Activities & Printables

You can also ask a math and science expert for homework help by calling the Ask Rose Homework Hotline. They provide FREE math and science homework help to Indiana students in grades 6-12.

e-Books and Audiobooks

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about crystals at any of our locations, or check out e-books and audiobooks about crystals from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use e-books and learn how to use audiobooks.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Explore the Science of Crystals from Minerals to Gems to Snowflakes

Learn about the qualities and identifying characteristics of crystals, the amazing naturally occurring patterns that happen in both minerals and snowflakes. No two are exactly alike, and yet each one has a uniform and repeating pattern. You can study how crystals form by growing some of your own!

Title - Geology LabTitle - Crystal & GemTitle - Dig and Discover CrystalsTitle - Hands-on ScienceTitle - Your Birthstone BookTitle - Bling!Title - GeologyTitle - Practical Magic for KidsTitle - All About Crystals and GemsTitle - Read All About Rocks and GemsTitle - Investigate GemsTitle - Crystals

A molecule is a group of atoms bonded together. Density is how close together the molecules of a substance are or how much mass a substance has in a given space. Buoyancy and density are related. Density affects how much an object might float, or be buoyant, or sink.

For example, if you have one cup of jelly beans and one cup of marshmallows, the jelly beans have more mass because there is more “stuff” compacted into the cup. The marshmallows have less mass because the molecules of marshmallows are NOT close together. Marshmallows are mostly air.

If you put each of those cups in a microwave to melt the jelly beans and the marshmallows, the sugar and water molecules that make up the jelly beans would almost fill the cup to the top. The sugar and water molecules that makes up the marshmallows would only fill the cup a little bit because marshmallows have less mass, they are mostly made of air. Materials with more density weigh more. A cup of jelly beans weighs more than a cup of marshmallows.

For an object to be buoyant, or float, it must have less density that what it is floating in, or, it has to have something attached to it that helps it float – like you with a life jacket on. You can make some interesting observations about density and buoyancy.

What You Need

  • Drinking Glass
  • Clear Soda
  • Water
  • Ten Raisins

Instructions

Fill one clear glass up with water and drop in five raisins. Fill another clear glass up with clear soda like sprite or 7up. Drop in five raisins. What happens when you drop the raisins in? What a few minutes – now what is happening to the raisins in each glass? Can you guess why the raisins are behaving differently?

Raisins are heavier than the water in the drinking glass. The raisins are also heavier than the soda in the drinking glass. At first, both sets of raisins sink to the bottom of the glass, they don’t float.

But the soda has little air bubbles in it – the carbonation. When there are enough of these little carbonated balloons (the bubbles) stuck to the raisins the bubbles lift the raisins to the surface making the raisin float. The bubbles are like little temporary life jackets! When the bubbles pop and the gas inside them escapes into the air…the raisins don’t have anything to help them float anymore and they sink to the bottom of the glass again.

Science Experiment Idea

Try putting other small objects in soda to see if the bubbles will attach to them and help them float to the surface of the soda. Try a penny, a toothpick, a peanut, or a skittle. Can you find something that the bubbles will float to the surface like the raisin?

Websites, Activities & Printables

You can also ask a math and science expert for homework help by calling the Ask Rose Homework Hotline. They provide FREE math and science homework help to Indiana students in grades 6-12.

e-Books & Audiobooks

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about Science Experiments at any of our locations, or check out science experiment e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use e-books and learn how to use audiobooks.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

The Science Magic of Floating – Buoyancy Explained

Books to help kids understand the science concept of density and how we see it at play when things float – both in the air and in water. Get ideas for science projects and information for the reports that are often required to go with them.

Title - Sink or FloatTitle - Flying and FloatingTitle - Building Boats That FloatTitle - The Science of SeafaringTitle - Build It! Things That FloatTitle - What Floats in A Moat?Title - Hot Air BalloonsTitle - What Is Density?Title - Does It Sink or Float?Title - How Do Hot Air Balloons Work?Title - What Floats? What Sinks?Title - Scholastic