Who are the Compost Heroes?
Do you know a Compost Hero?
What would life be like without these important community helpers?
Find the answers to these questions and more with books, videos and a special event, all from Berkeley Public Library.
Saturday, March 20, 2:30-3:15 pm— Free Program—Registration required
Join Berkeley Public Library for an interactive zoom meeting about compost heroes.
Pretend to be wiggly earthworms, munching microbes, mysterious molds and helpful humans that do this important work of composting. Learn about them too! Recommended for age 3 and up.Register to save your place and obtain the Zoom link.
Visit our website event page:
https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/book-adventures
You might be surprised by the things that are happening right beneath your feet!
You might be a Compost Hero too!
Past Events
Tools Rule!
What are tools for and what can we do with them? How do tools make our lives easier? What tools do you use every day?
Meet the Tool Lending Library
What is a tool? What do we use them for?
Watch a recording of Tools Rule: Meet the Tool Lending Library! This live event was held on Saturday, January 23 from 2:30 to 3:30. Tool Lending Specialist, Robert Young shows off tools, answers questions and demonstrates how to build a planter box using tools from the Berkeley Public Library's Tool Lending Library. Get a fun, behind-the-scene’s peek with an expert from this local treasure!
More videos with Mr. Young, Tool Lending Specialist from the Berkeley Public Library:
Recommended for age 3 and up.
Tools Rule Book Adventure Resources
- Our list of books and ebooks is packed with stories, project ideas, history, and giggles. Check them out them today!
- Watch these fascinating videos about tools:
- Learn Tools for Kids | Toolbox Song (Mooseclumps)
- Samantha wants to be a construction worker (Can you imagine that?)
- How to build a Rube Goldberg Machine (Joseph Herscher)
- Learn how to whittle safely (Evergreen Adventure Camp)
- Let's have fun with simple machines (Planet Nutshell)
- Anne carves a spoon (Anne of All Trades)
- Time lapse-Building a home (Golden Eagle Log and Timber Homes)
- Download an activity page:
Ohlone Tools
The Ohlone people's skills enabled them to live well off the land's natural bounty. We will look at hunting and cooking tools used by the East Bay area's original inhabitants and that are still being used and revitalized by current day Ohlone people.
On Saturday, December 12, 2:30-3:15 pm, we met special guest, naturalist Dino Labiste of Coyote Hills Regional Park of the East Bay Regional Parks in a live virtual event. Naturalist Labiste talked about hunting and cooking tools of the Ohlone people and how they are made.
Watch the recorded presentation here. Recommended for ages 4 and up.If you liked Naturalist Labiste's presentation about tools of the Ohlone people, find out more with these videos!
- Café Ohlone, Berkeley
- Ohlone Basket Weaver - Linda Yamane
- Ohlone Youth Summit, Tule Boat Voyages-Building a tule boat!
- Native American Cordage (Dino showed how cord can be made from Dogbane fibers)
- Coyote Hills Regional Park
- Carrizo Plain National Monument
SPIDERAMA! Spiders in Your Neighborhood (Oct / Nov 2020)
How do spiders help us? How do they help our community? Our world?
START HERE to answer these questions and embark on your own family spider experience for our kickoff BOOK ADVENTURES program this October and November!
Watch a recording of Spiderama! Live, held on Saturday, October 24 from 2:30 to 3:30, in which Ranger Anthony Fisher of the Tilden Environmental Education Center and Patrick Stadille, author of Spiders in Your Neighborhood (Heyday Books, 2013), each talked about our friendly neighborhood spiders.
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Our book and media list will take you to books, ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more to help you learn about our 8-legged friends. Check them out or stream them today!
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Watch these amazing videos about spiders:
- Don’t be afraid of spiders (SciShow Kids)
- Spiders for kids (Wizz)
- How spiders make webs (Howitworksmag)
- Is a spider’s web a part of its mind? (Deep Look)
- Native California Tarantula (BayNature.org)
- Turret Spiders launch sneak attacks from tiny towers (Deep Look, KQED SF)
- Adorable daring jumping spider (Hyland Nature)
- Amazing spider baffles scientists with huge web (The Hunt, BBC)
- Spider with three superpowers (The Hunt, BBC)
- Spider web fishing in the South Pacific Islands (BBC two)
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Identify spider webs around your home and neighborhood. Find a one-page web field guide to spider webs on the Bay Nature website
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Watch these videos that will teach you how to make a model spider or draw your own spider.
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Download and color your window poster and let everyone know that you are a friend to spiders too. Color a tarantula! Color an orb-weaving spider!
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Here are some more great resources:
View our online calendar to see all all programs and look for up-to-date information.