Does your kid use the TEA Room at Darien Library? If your boy or girl in Grades 3 to 6 does use it, here’s what’s new; if they don’t use it, consider this a list of reasons why they might want to.
In an email Tuesday the library announced “new, fun projects and tech to explore in the TEA Room,” the library’s mini-makerspace/learning lab/artist studio for kids in Grades 3 to 6.
What the TEA Room Is
The library offers classes in the TEA Room on subjects from circuitry to printmaking (learn more about scheduled classes here — although there aren’t any for this week).
Image from Darien Library
What Darien Library’s TEA Room offers
You’re also welcome to reserve the room to explore all of our supplies and technologies. The room is meant to be a fun environment for exploration.
The room “has long housed our 3D printer and buttonmaker, along with an ever-evolving cohort of the latest technology and projects for kids.
What’s in the TEA Room?
Snap Circuits, LittleBits Guitar, Sammy the Coding Robot, Bloxels Video Game Design, Cubelets Modular Robotics, DIY Craft Projects, Duct Tape, Buttonmaker, Mini Dormer Architecture Set, Structure Sticks, LEGO Architecture Kits, Lulzbot 3D Printer, iMac Computer, Osmo Coding Kit, Turing Tumble Marble Powered Computer, KAPLA Blocks, Light box, Paper Craft Supplies, Ellison Die Cut Machine.
Find Out More
The Tea Room Web page has tabs with more information on:
- Scheduled TEA Room classes
- Web links for TEA Room projects
- Using the TEA Room and reserving time in it
What’s New in the TEA Room
Here are excerpts from Darien Library’s announcement:
CODING
We have fun new technology to help your kids learn the ins and outs of coding! Build Sammy the Coding Robot with simple colored cubes, then use physical code cards to guide Sammy on a food-filled adventure.
Image from Darien Library
Coding in the TEA Room
With Bloxels explore the design side of coding. Using small colorful blocks, kids can design pixelated video game characters, backgrounds, and interactive objects, and then write stories for their characters.
Cubelets teach kids basic robotics by intuitively combining robot cubes to make uniquely functioning robots.
DIY Crafts
Image from Darien Library
These craft projects are now available in the TEA Room.
Stretch creative muscles with these fantastic new crafting projects! Kids can make an adorable origami bookmark, learn quilling techniques to make a card, design their own unique kokeshi doll, braid a colorful bracelet, or decorate show-stopping feather earrings.
ARCHITECTURE
Discover where art and engineering intersect with exciting new architecture toys!
The Mini Dormer model kit gives kids a chance to design the modernist building of their dreams with colorful, modular building components.
Architecture toys now at the TEA Room.
Structure Sticks can be combined in endless possibilities to create strong-yet-flexible structures that are as limitless as your child’s imagination.
COMPUTING
Explore basic computing with a marble-powered computer! The Turing Tumble walks kids through the basics of how a computer works with an interactive graphic novel.
Picture from Darien Library
Computing projects now offered in the TEA Room
Kids start with basic challenges, assembling increasingly complicated marble processing units as they learn more and more about computing processes.
Using the TEA Room
Reserving Time in the TEA Room
From the Darien Library TEA Room web page (under the “Using the Tea Room” tab):
“The TEA Room can be reserved in advance by Darien Residents, those who work full-time in town, and friends of the library at the $300 level. Drop-in appointments are available for any library visitor pending availabilty and resources.
“Use of the TEA Room is available for: 1 supervising adult and up to 4 children in grades 3-6. The supervising adult stays in the TEA Room for the duration of the reservation. […]”
Image from Darien Library website
Using the TEA Room