Category Archives: library events

Mission Viejo Biology Day Event

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Through the Mission Viejo Teen Advisory Board, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the STEAM Stations Biology Day event. It was held at the Potocki Center for the Arts, where we had organized hands-on activities to allow children to grow their curiosity and explore their interest in the field of biology! Two of the main activities were owl pellet dissection and fingerprint art.

I worked at the owl pellet table, where I taught the children about the different bones they were finding through a bone identification sheet. I remember being eleven years old and dissecting owl pellets for the first time, so it was exciting to share that experience with kids around the same age as I was. Their excitement when they identified a mole’s skull and other body parts filled me with joy. My favorite part of the whole day was seeing their “aha!” moments mainly because I felt proud to help them learn and embark on new discoveries.

At the fingerprint art station, the children drew different animals not only on paper but also on small wooden boxes they could take home. Many of them had very creative fictional animals, like dragons and unicorns.

Overall, I really enjoyed seeing the children’ s imaginations running wild and free. Volunteering at this event reminded me how rewarding teaching could be. As a potential biology major in college, sharing my passion with the children gave me a sense of fulfillment. I would definitely partake in this event next year and I hope that you and/or your children come! I’ll see you there!

– Sophia B.

Diversity Circle at the Mission Viejo Library

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Globalization is all around us— our electronics, food, popular culture, literature, and much more are all the result of intermingling between many different countries across the world. Different cultures and people will continue to share spaces, creating diversity within our communities. The Mission Viejo Library recognized the need to understand and appreciate diversity, which is why they hosted their Diversity Circle event with Don Han on 4/7.

When I signed up to participate in this event, I was unsure of what to expect. Although I had participated in various diversity events at school, most of them consisted of students watching a powerpoint and being taught about how to be mindful of our differences. However, the Diversity Circle immediately struck me as different. I actually walked right past the event as I was trying to find it— the set up was like that of an intimate conversation, and I thought that a meeting was going on as a glanced through the open door. When I finally found my way in, I saw the seats arranged in a small circle so that everyone could hear each other as they spoke.

Our conversation started with the question of why we thought diversity was important. As we went around in a circle, I was impressed by the unique responses from each of my peers, some of whom I recognized and others whom I did not. As we took turns speaking, we passed around a small ladybug rock, which indicated whose turn it was to speak. Mr. Han explained how it was customary for whoever initiated the meeting (in this case, it was him) to place emotionally significant items in a small wooden bowl in the middle of the circle. One item that particularly fascinated me was a thin cloth that the men of his people would wear in a variety of different ways; Mr. Han had taken it with him when he moved to the United States.

One question that particularly struck me was about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Mr. Han asked us if we thought DEI was relatively new or if it had already existed for a long time, and for the first time, we respectfully disagreed with one another. We explored this topic as both a specific policy and a general concept about inclusion, with some of us asking about past civil rights movements and whether that counted as a form of DEI.

I am grateful for this opportunity to become a more educated and conscientious member of my community as well as to engage in meaningful conversations. For those on the fence, I encourage you to learn more about diversity!

Earth Day Event

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On Saturday, April 26th, I had the pleasure of helping the Mission Viejo Library with the Earth Day event. The Mission Library had two booths: one was run by the Teen Advisory Board (TAB), while the other was run by the teen interns. I worked at the TAB booth and helped people decorate succulent pots as well as assemble the mesh bottom cover, the soil, the rocks, and of course, the plant itself. All of our succulents were donated from the community, which goes to show how caring the residents of Mission Viejo are. Many people (including a member from city council) came to spread the joy of Earth Day.

The best part? It was all free! From the live band (that played all day, except to take a short break for the rain) to the assortment of tasty food, residents could stop by and partake in the festivities without having to buy tickets or RSVP. There were multiple stands giving away free merchandise and educating visitors about the environment, such as the El Toro Water District which handed out dog waste baggies. Not interested in getting free items? Our Teen Intern booth had a nature-based scavenger hunt where savvy explorers were challenged to locate birds, insects, and plants in an effort to appreciate our community’s natural beauty. Or, if fairs, aren’t your interest, many volunteers planted trees along the trail behind our booths. Getting to meet so many people who are also environmentally conscious was a delight, and I can gladly say that I made new friends! No matter what you were looking for, the Earth Day event was sure to have it.

While the festivities were wonderful, it is important to consider the message behind Earth Day. Cleaning up after ourselves is extremely important especially when considering the impact of anthropogenic waste has on ecosystems both locally and globally. Thousands of species suffer from genetic bottlenecks, have their mating passages disrupted, or even go extinct every year due to human actions. Taking AP Environmental Science at my high school has taught me about how humans need to take more accountability for our environmental impact, and this event reinforced what I have learned.

Steam Stations: Biology Day

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Earlier in March, the Teen Advisory Board (TAB), along with other teen volunteers, hosted the final Steam Station out of three. What are STEAM Stations? These Stations have been a series of STEAM based events that the library’s youth team have helped to develop. We based all of our activities on the acronym, STEAM which stands for: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. After first hosting Coding Day  and then Engineering Day, we hosted the final event: Biology Day! Biology Day was a fantastic end to the series with various fun activities.

Like our previous events, there were three different stations:

The first station was our fingerprint lab! Participants would be able to use ink pads to cover their fingers which they would then press onto a balloon. In order to magnify their fingerprint, they would blow the balloon up and by using identification sheets, participants could identify which kind of fingerprint they have (Loop, arch, whorl, etc).

At the second station, participants could go and make art with their own fingerprints. Using a variety of colored ink, they would cover their fingers with them just as they did in the last station to press them onto paper to create their own art! 

Finally, participants were given owl pellets, tools, and an identification sheet so they could dissect real owl pellets. As they picked apart the pellets, they could extract small bones and identify what bones they found by using the identification sheet. Both children and adults had a good time extracting bones together, making a fun bonding experience.  

I say this final STEAM Station was a success, just like our previous two Stations. Participants had a lot of fun making their own art and especially discovering bones. It was also nice to go into the community and hold this event at the Potocki Center of the Arts nearby the library; the outside space was warm and sunny, allowing our event-goers to experience a great day in nature which was perfect for Biology Day. 

Everyone had a great time out in nature jumping around to each different station. Some stations took longer than others, especially the owl pellet activity, which allowed participants to jump around to different stations in the meantime. It was wonderful to see everyone have fun with their fingerprint balloons and share their fingerprint artwork with each other. It was especially great to see individuals working together to find and identify bones as they dug through owl pellets. All in all, these stations were a fun learning opportunity for everyone. 

This concludes our three STEAM Stations! It was wonderful to host these events and to see new and familiar faces from the library and community who were able to attend and experience these STEAM Stations. I hope that in the future if we ever host these again, that both familiar and new people come to enjoy what we have in store. 

Please look forward to future library events!

-Nicole R.

STEAM Stations: Engineering Day

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At the beginning of February, the youth team of the library hosted our 2nd STEAM Stations event! What are STEAM Stations? For those who don’t know, STEAM Stations is the monthly library youth event that the Teen Advisory Board organizes that focuses on various aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Art, Mathematics). Last month, we focused on binary coding which was a super fun experience. This month, we focused on engineering which was very exciting!

For those who missed it, we had three different stations that focused on simple aspects of engineering:

Our first station was our spaghetti and marshmallow towers. Participants would use their spaghetti sticks and mini marshmallows in order to build a tower as tall as they can. Once they had their tower built, their challenge was to balance one large marshmallow on top. They were all able to test their structures and building skills with a super fun activity.

The second station was our pom-pom catapults. Another activity focused on building but also trajectory! Participants would follow the directions using popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and a plastic spoon in order to create their own catapult that they could test out with fun, colorful pom-poms. It was an entertaining activity that tested more of their building skills and challenged them to launch their pom-poms the farthest they could with their craft. 

Finally, we had our paper-airplane station. A nice, simple station that allowed participants to test what kind of design created the best working paper airplane. Participants could create their own design or follow given directions to try and create the best paper airplane that would be able to soar as far as possible. 

Our February STEAM Stations was another success! It was super popular with people of all ages coming around combined with a mix of returners and newcomers. We had people who knew the event was happening and people who had no idea what STEAM Stations were come to participate. Our participants had a lot of fun experimenting the best ways to build their spaghetti towers, some even working together to build one giant one. They also had a great time launching pom-poms into the air and throwing paper airplanes around the Children’s Center. All of our stations focused on an aspect of building and required everyone to really think about how to create the most efficient design and model while also having fun.

Our third and final STEAM Stations event will be held on March 8 at the Potocki Center for the Arts and will be centered around Biology! We will have even more fun and creative activities ready for everyone who wants to attend. We hope to see you all there!

-Nicole R.

STEAM Stations: Coding Day

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Previously in January, the library held their first STEAM Station to begin the new year. What is STEAM Stations? STEAM Stations is a library program that the Teen Advisory Board organizes that prioritize different aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math). The library’s first STEAM Station was Coding Day; a station concentrated around coding.

For those who missed it, Coding Day had three mini stations all centralized around binary code:

The first station was our name activity. Essentially, it taught all participants how to write their name in binary code in a fun, artistic way. The activity was an art based project where participants would choose two colors (one to represent 1s and one to represent 0s)  so they could create their name in binary code. By coloring in specific squares to fill in the ones and zeroes, they were able to create their own, unique binary block that spelled out their name.

At the second station, participants created a binary code bracelet. Using binary code, they could match the numbers to the three colors of their choosing to create a beaded bracelet with their initials. Each color would represent one letter of their initial which they would then thread through colorful pipe cleaners that could tie around the participant’s wrist. Not only was it fun, but it provided another opportunity to try spelling using binary code. 

Finally, at the third station, participants created a paper binary calculator that could create the binary code for numbers all the way from 0 to 31. While the other two activities focused solely on spelling and creating letters with binary code, the binary calculator focused on creating numbers instead. It was a fun but easy math challenge that got participants thinking and learning numbers in binary code. 

Coding Day was a great success and had a very good turnout. While the event welcomed everyone 6 years old and up, plenty of young kids came and had a fun time creating art while also learning about how create numbers and letters using binary code. I had a fun time seeing their beautiful bracelets and unique binary names as I quizzed them with math problems using the binary calculator. While the event had many young kids, it was open for all ages to enjoy. All the crafts and activities are simple enough for everyone to try out but still fun to do and you get to leave with your own creations. 

While Coding Day was only a one day event, if you are interested in coding, check out the coding program at the Mission Viejo Library for availability. It is open for everyone so do not hesitate to try it out! Furthermore, there are two more STEAM Stations coming up. On February 8th, there will be Engineering Day and our final one on March 8th will be Biology Day. Each will be solely focused on their individual topics with fun and interactive stations for everyone to enjoy. It’s a fun experience that I hope more people come and check it out! Hope to see you all there!

-Nicole R.

Be Part of a Community Art Project and Earn Double Hours!

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Write a letter to someone who has demonstrated kindness! Scan the QR for more details or visit: https://www.cityofmissionviejo.org/departments/arts-culture/ordinary-voices-extraordinary-impact.

Letters can be turned in to the Ask Here desk at the library through February 21. Earn 2 hours per letter, up to 4 hours per person.

To see some of the local artist’s work, visit https://www.conceptzombie.com/artgallery

Candy Houses TAB Event

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Every year, the Mission Viejo Library hosts Santa’s Village in connection to the North Paseo Night Market. And once each year, the library’s Teen Advisory Board hosts the Candy Houses station outside during Santa’s Village. It is one of the busiest and most exciting events for the library and its guests; family, kids, and teens alike.

What is the Candy Houses booth? It’s a fun activity during Santa’s Village that many can participate in (for as long as supplies last!). The members of Mission Viejo Library’s Teen Advisory Board (TAB) help to supply each guest with graham crackers and the candy of their choosing in order for each individual to create their own candy house! The candy houses–based off of gingerbread houses–can be created at tables nearby the booth and enjoyed amongst all ages.

The Candy Houses booth is a great experience for families to bond and have fun. No matter what time you get in line–whether it is your first activity at Santa’s Village or one you stumble across later on–it’s a great and delicious way to spend your time. 

So far, the Candy Houses booth has been a success. As the library plans for this event, they order more and more supplies, and yet, it never seems to make it until the end of the night as even more people show up year after year. This year was no exception; despite the mass amount of supplies, we found ourselves still needing more. The line to the booth seems to get longer every time it is hosted which means that (as long as the trend continues) we have to be prepared for even more to come next year! 

All in all, Santa’s Village and the Whoville Night Market were a success once again. And just like prior years, TAB’s Candy Houses booth was just as busy and just as fun. If you haven’t experienced it, I highly recommend checking it out next year. It’s open to everyone so don’t be a stranger and enjoy!

-Nicole R.

Earn Community Service Hours!

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Looking to earn more community service hours? Join us this Tuesday for Teen Volunteer Club!

We’ll be meeting in the children’s area of the library from 6-8 pm. This month’s activity is helping prepare materials for the seed library.

This group is open to teens in grades 7-12 and meets on the second Tuesday of the month. No registration, application, or training required.

See you there!