Teens continue to enjoy science-themed activities during the Great Bend Public Library’s “Spark a Reaction” summer program. On Tuesday, two boys and two girls showed up at the library’s Teen Spot for a building contest using spaghetti and miniature marshmallows.
Young Adult Librarian Jennifer King said attendance at summer activities has been strong but did drop off this week as triple-digit temperatures returned. There is something for teens — which includes anyone in grades 7-12 — almost every day that the library is open.
Tuesday’s challenge was to build the tallest spaghetti tower in 30 minutes. Teens chose their partners, with Chloe Gibson and Fernanda Rodriguez competing against Sage Cauley and Dalton Dicks. Each team was given 20 pieces of spaghetti and 30 marshmallows.
Both teens started with a triangular base, but gravity eventually defeated the girls.
“This would be a cool building of the future,” Dicks said, looking at the trapezoidal prism he and Cauley built. “It looks kind of like a spaceship.”
When King announced there were 8 minutes left, the girls scrapped their original design and started over. By that time the boys had finished their basic design and were working on refinements. In the end, their structure was 17 inches tall — 10 inches ahead of the other team’s.
Participation in activities at the Teen Spot, as well as reading books or graphic novels, helps teens earn points for the Spark a Reaction program. They will need to have earned at least five points and read eight graphic novels or 300 pages by Friday to take part in a food fight at 4:13 p.m. on the library lawn.
Other teen events this week include the Writing Club, which meets at 2 p.m. every Wednesday, and the “Comic Book Coasters” craft at 2 p.m. Thursday in the library’s basement. A movie will also be shown at that time.
For younger children (K-6), Dan Dan the Magic Man will be at the library at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.