PICKENS — If you’ve been looking for something fun and educational for your kids to do for the next few weeks, it turns out you need look no farther than your local library.
The Village Branch Library in Pickens is hosting “Science Saturdays,” instructed by Phil Gilmour, a former science professor at Tri-County Technical College.
“We’ve never done this before, so we’ll see how it goes,” said branch manager Jennifer Kolesar. “But you know, parents are always looking for stuff to do with the kids during the summer. This is fun, it’s educational and it’s free.”
The three-week program kicked off last weekend.
“These are hands-on experiments geared towards elementary aged children,” Kolesar said. “Home school, public school, special needs — we welcome everyone. And although it’s a three-part series, you don’t have to come to all three. You can pick one or two or do all three. Whatever works.”
Although the Pickens branch has programs going year round, Kolesar said the hardest part is often just getting the word out.
“All the time I’ll have people come in and say: ‘Oh, I didn’t know you were doing that!’ We put out notices, and hand out flyers but we never seem to quite get to everyone,” she said.
“Science Saturdays” continues on July 23 with “How do lightning bugs light up?”, “What are bones made of?” and “What are chemical reactions?” and will conclude July 30 with “What is light?”, “How does a prism work?” and “How can I make a kaleidoscope?”
All of the Science Saturday programs begin at 11 a.m. Although the activities are free, space is limited so parents are encouraged to register their kids by calling the Village Branch Library in Pickens at 864-898-5747.
