Book Adventures

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:

• Meet the Tools
• Tool Safety
• Building a Planter Box

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:
  • What would you like to build? coloring page.
  • Tool Treasuse Hunt.
  • Tools! Tools! word search.
  • It's Saw aMazeing! maze.

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?