Strawberries  are super and sweet to look at and to eat! In this video, Shayna used strawberries as her theme for making handmade cards . What ideas do you have for making cards or stationary? What shapes and colors can you find in different fruits and vegetables? Nourishing Literacy  offers food, literacy, wellness, and life skills… continue reading Nourishing Literacy | Let's make strawberry cards with Shayna!

By written by Shayna M.    July 15, 2022   

• Culinary Literacy
• Crafts and Hobbies

Do you enjoy creating things with your hands, be it simple origami shapes, drawing, painting, baking,  or even learning and creating code? There are few better ways to explore your creativity than just letting loose and making whatever your heart tells you to! Your neighborhood library is ready to be your one-stop shop for discovering… continue reading National Children's Craft Day

By written by Jeff B.    March 14, 2022   

• Art
• Childrens Books
• Recommendations
• Crafts and Hobbies
• STEAM

Fresh, frozen, sun-dried, freeze-dried, jelly, jam, milk, ice cream, fruit leather, syrup... strawberries are sweet, a treat, and fun to eat! A great source of vitamin C, strawberries are a special food with some surprises hidden under their green tops. The small freckles on the outside of the fruit are commonly referred to as the… continue reading Nourishing Literacy | Strawberries Are Our Jam!

By written by Shayna M.    March 2, 2022    2  

• Culinary Literacy
• Cooking
• Crafts and Hobbies

Did you know that January is National Hobby Month ? From baking bread in mass quantities to perfecting our puzzle skills, many of us have used these unorthodox past two years to find new things we enjoy doing in our downtime! Are you looking for your next hobby? Let the Free Library help! By checking out an instrument from our … continue reading Find a New Hobby with the Free Library!

By written by Kate C.    January 21, 2022    2  

• Crafts and Hobbies
• Library Resources

What art projects can you think of that involve layers? What recipes have you tasted that include layers of ingredients? Leanna and Tonii share two ideas for layering, while creating art and recipes in the following video. These ideas might be ones that you want to try or they might inspire different ideas of your own! Tonii's Layered… continue reading Nourishing Literacy | Let's Layer: Art and Cooking!

By written by Shayna M.    December 10, 2021   

• Art
• Culinary Literacy
• Recipes
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Self Care

September is National Sewing Month and a great opportunity to create something new this year for everyone on your D.I.Y gift-giving list. Both the Art and Literature and Science and Wellness departments at Parkway Central Library have many informative how-to titles to help make your crafting ideas a reality. You may already have the crochet,… continue reading Create Something New During National Sewing Month

By written by Juanita V.    September 30, 2021   

• Art
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Literature
• Science and Wellness

Earth Day is here again and while I try to do my part in reducing, reusing, and recycling all year long, I’m always looking for more ways to keep the Earth and, more specifically, the streets of Philadelphia a little cleaner. But I have a confession to make: I still have that bag of plastic shopping bags living in my kitchen. Some stores… continue reading Earth Day Project | Upcycling with Plastic Yarn

By written by Echo P.    April 22, 2021   

• Crafts and Hobbies
• Nature
• Recycling

Thank you to Nourishing Literacy (NL) team member Carolyn for writing this blog post! In addition to sharing her experience and findings, Carolyn has included some of the activities and approaches that we use in NL. The NL team enjoys providing interactive food info and ideas that spark curiosity and are inclusive to all ages and skills. Leafy… continue reading Nourishing Literacy | Greens Across Tables

By written by Shayna M.    April 13, 2021    4  

• Ebooks
• Going Green
• Culinary Literacy
• Recipes
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Self Care

Summer is looking a little different this year without in-person programming at the Free Library. As someone who lives for summer arts and crafts programs, I’m sure I’m not the only one itching for some quality craft time with the kids. If you are looking for fun, engaging crafts to make with your kids but don’t have a lot of… continue reading Creating on a Budget with Recycled Crafts

By written by Echo P.    July 1, 2020   

• Childrens Programs
• Family Programs
• Summer
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Recycling

by Nourishing Literacy  staff members Shayna M. and Carolyn After reading a New Yorker article a few weeks ago, our curiosity and interest grew in how to use kitchen scraps in resourceful ways. Tamar Adler, the highlighted chef and cookbook author in the article, is passionate about creating wholesome, satisfying dishes with foods… continue reading Making Sense of Food Scraps

By written by Shayna M.    May 18, 2020   

• Childrens Programs
• Ebooks
• Family Programs
• Gardening
• Going Green
• How To
• Digital Media
• Culinary Literacy
• Recipes
• DIY
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Nature
• Library Resources

Before I was a Rare Book Librarian, I worked as a Stitcher (let's not say "sewer"), and have recently pulled out my sewing machine to make face masks for donation. As of April 3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially endorsed wearing cloth face masks in public settings. While the gold standard to… continue reading Making Face Masks for Fun (and Not Profit)

By written by Caitlin G.    April 17, 2020    6  

• DIY
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Healthy Communities

While we all practice social distancing with schools and libraries closed for at least two weeks to help flatten the curve of COVID-19 , what exactly are you (and your kids!) going to do with yourself? A lot of us have to-be-read piles stacked in tottering piles and a to-do list of tasks around the house that we may have been putting off for a… continue reading Keeping You and the Kids Busy While Social Distancing

By written by Jennifer E.    March 25, 2020    1  

• Recommendations
• Around the Web
• Online Learning
• Digital Media
• DIY
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Digital Learning

**Upated to reflect new virtual programs on March 26 at 3:23 p.m.** While we’re sad that our buildings are closed for now , our Free Library librarians and staff members are taking some of your favorite programs online until we can all get together in person again! Check out some of the activities that are planned… continue reading Join the Free Library for Online Storytimes and Virtual Activities!

By written by Kate C.    March 23, 2020    7  

• Databases
• Digital Media
• Storytime
• Cooking
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Health

On December 7, the Art Department at Parkway Central Library will host the 12th annual Book Paper Scissors event, a fair designed for artists who create book-and paper-based work. As usual, numerous local artists and organizations will be on hand showcasing their work and visitors will be able to browse or purchase items directly from… continue reading Book Paper Scissors: 12th Annual Artists' Book Fair at Parkway Central Library

By written by Alina J.    December 3, 2019   

• Art
• Artists Books
• Community Events
• Crafts and Hobbies

Sharing cross-cultural stories is so important to developing civic engagement and participation in our communities. Creating safe environments is essential to discovering, exploring, and learning about our neighbors. We all share a set of collective stories about our families, cultures, and love for our traditions. Learning what is important to… continue reading Multicultural Fair: Empowering Communities, Quilting Stories

By written by Mary Marques    November 5, 2019    1  

• Community Events
• Family Programs
• Languages
• Music
• Seniors
• Teens
• New Americans
• Crafts and Hobbies
• IMLS
• Students
• Diversity Equity and Inclusion

Squash is one of those wonderful, hearty foods that last throughout the colder seasons, and comes in many intriguing shapes and sizes. It serves as a point of literary intrigue, a cultural cornerstone, and a hot topic for cookbooks. Check out what the Free Library has in our cookbook collections —all in celebration of squash!   The… continue reading The Pumpkin on the Plate

By written by Gennifer R.    October 30, 2019   

• Gardening
• Culinary Literacy
• Recipes
• Cooking
• DIY
• Crafts and Hobbies

Now that the new school year is up and running, LEAP would like to welcome students back to school! LEAP provides a safe and supportive afterschool environment for school-age patrons grades K – 12, complete with homework help, computer access, and literacy enrichment activities galore. Here's just some of this year's LEAP Program… continue reading What's New with LEAP?

By written by Emily S.    October 3, 2019   

• Teens
• Comics and Graphic Novels
• LEAP
• Crafts and Hobbies
• STEM
• Anime and Manga

A zine (pronounced zeen) is a small-circulation, self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images. Usually hand-made using found materials and simple supplies, zines can be about any topic and take various shapes and sizes. They can include comics, visual art, poetry, short stories, memoirs, fandoms, and nonfiction guides. This… continue reading Get Creative Through the DIY Method of Zine Making!

By written by Michelle Z.    May 20, 2019    2  

• Digital Media
• Writing
• DIY
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Diversity Equity and Inclusion

Type "slime" into any search engine and you’re bound to find a variety of slime-making kits sold through major retailers, links to several YouTube accounts dedicated to slime, and even news articles about people of all different backgrounds playing with slime. Talk to any young person in your community, and it is likely that… continue reading It's Time for Slime!

By written by Khyra L.    December 7, 2018    1  

• Community Events
• Literacy
• Maker Movement
• LEAP
• Crafts and Hobbies
• STEAM

“Tell me and I forget.Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” - Xun Kuang, philosopher   Imagine trying to learn to knit. Would you learn best by reading a book about knitting? Hearing a friend talk about knitting? Watching an expert knitter? Or, learning the basic steps and actually trying to knit? According to… continue reading Skills for Community-Centered Libraries: Learning through Experience

By written by Community-Centered Libraries    December 6, 2018    1  

• Free Library Staff
• Rare Book Department
• Crafts and Hobbies
• Community
• Neighborhood Libraries
• Adult Learning
• IMLS
• Teachers