Exploring, learning and breaking down barriers

About 25 children from public and private schools in Lawrence had the opportunity to learn and have fun as they participated in the Peninsula Public Library Explorers Club for six weeks which was supported by a $375 grant from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.
Children in grades third through sixth learned about catapults, community structures, three-dimensional volcanoes and lava lamps, electricity, blind taste tests based on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. They also celebrated Keats’ work, including his most well-known children’s book, “The Snowy Day.” His writing sought to break barriers between people and he wanted no child to be an outsider.
Rhonda Todtman, the assistant director for the library, said the funding for the Explorers Club’s material was obtained through an application process. “This was our first time applying for this particular grant, and we got it,” she said. “We’re looking forward to future grant opportunities with this program, as well as other grant programs for the children. The children did a great job. We loved having them here.”
The children benefitted from attending the program because they learned about literacy and science skills, along with team building skills, said Ilene Madden, the director of the children’s section of the library. “They all worked as a community when they all shared the materials,” she said. “They showed great citizenship.”
The children learned a myriad of different skills from the program and enjoyed themselves each week. Batya Ehrenberg, 11, attends the Torah Academy for Girls in Far Rockaway, enjoyed decorating a picture collage of herself with feathers and tissue paper. “I learned a lot of different things about electricity,” she said. “I also learned a lot about cities, and the difference between urban and suburban. My favorite part was making buildings out of cardboard and learning about different types of places.”