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by Christine, Chapman Branch  The end of the school year is coming in just a couple of weeks and that's cause for celebration. Today's post features a Do It Yourself tutorial for making a mini piñata. These tiny piñatas are great for any occasion, and pretty easy to make, so you could even make them as gifts for your friends. Our example features a rainbow color scheme, which would make a great Pride Month gift or party accessory, but you can use any colors of tissue paper for different holidays or events.  A piñata covered in rainbow tissue paper hangs on a white cabinet door knob You can view and print the piñata instructions by clicking the button below. Enjoy & Congratulations on making it to summer!  A rainbow piñata lays on grey carpet surrounded by candies and rainbow confetti
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by Christina O., Day-Riverside Branch  I love my friends and as a teen I’d spend endless hours hanging out with them doing just about anything and everything. Expressing my feelings and hearing their opinions about situations I was going through and just hanging out, but as a lot of adults know, once you leave high school and enter into “adulthood” making and keeping friends is a super tricky task! I’m hoping this blog post can help you (and let's be honest myself) learn the importance of friendship, what we should look for in our friend, what we should look for in a friend, and how we can keep our friends close even as we get older and our life shifts! So here is the most obvious question ever: Why is friendship so important as you get older? Well according to helpguide.org “Friends bring more happiness into our lives than virtually anything else.Friendships have a huge impact on your mental health and happiness. Good friends relieve stress, provide comfort and joy, and prevent loneliness and isolation. Developing close friendships can also have a powerful impact on your physical health.”  That's great, but you might be asking: how do I keep my friends as my busy life continues to chug along? Well, I always like to work backwards. I like to ask myself what made this person and I connect? How do I keep that connection strong and able to evolve? How does this person like to communicate? Is texting their preferred way of communication or should I give them a call? Answering these questions can help you establish better relationships and understanding with your friends, help you get closer, and stay friends for years to come! So, if you have a friend that you soley communicate with on Snapchat for example maybe instead of a text message you can do a video snap where you can show them your face or what you are doing throughout the day. I’ve actually been doing this with my best friend Ashely and it’s been so nice to see her face and hear about her day! So now that you know the benefits of having friends and you've got some tips on how to start the communication process, here's another question. What makes a good friend? Not to be that guy, but you gotta look out for yourself! Remember it’s important to look for people who have your best interest in mind and you enjoy being around. Ask yourself:
At the end of the day it’s important that your friendship helps you and not hinders you from being your true self!  Now you may be wondering “ what do I do? I'm shy!” Don’t worry I got you covered! Okay let's start with making new friends, from my experience It’s so much easier to let people talk about themself. Ask open ended questions about hobbies, music and what you do after school and if a subject comes up that you enjoy, voice it! An important factor of being a good friend and/ or starting a new friendship is paying attention to what your current/potential friend has to say. That is half the battle! Remember to be open minded and willing to share your own experiences. You’re sure to get a connection but, if you aren’t interested in what they have to say and don’t see yourself hanging out with that person it’s totally okay to move on. Just remember to be nice about it! It doesn't mean that you or they are bad at meeting people or making friends. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be and that's okay! According to google there are about 7.753 billion (2020) people on the earth so you have options. Just remember to be kind to them and yourself! Alright buddy, lets review:
by Yoli, Marmalade Branch  Here are some ways to help:
Resources and Articles that Support Teen Mental Health:
A list of organizations that are Helping Ukrainians On-the-Ground, and In Neighboring Countries.
by Stephanie C., Main Library  The Super Summer Challenge is on the horizon! With about one month of school left and the weather heating up, it's not hard to be dreaming of summer right now. At the City Library we are busy getting ready for our biggest event of the year, the Super Summer Challenge, which runs from June 1st to August 13th. The Super Summer Challenge is our version of a summer reading program, and while reading is a big part of it (because it's important to keep exercising that muscle over the summer), we also incorporate lots of other fun activities into the challenge, so there is something for everyone. I mean that literally. Anyone can participate, it's not just for kids. We have separate challenge trackers for Babies & Toddlers, Kids, Teens, and Adults too! You can get together with friends to complete challenges as a group, or do activities as a family and everyone wins. Most activities don't even require you to be at the Library. In fact, we want you to get out there and explore your city, world, and beyond this summer. What's that you say? Are there prizes? Well, yes, of course! Not only do you get a prize for every level of the challenge you complete, you also get a prize just for signing up. If you sign up early, you'll have your pick between a sticker sheet, enamel pin, or library tote bag for your sign up prize. Here's a sneak peak of this year's enamel pin. Shhh!  An image of the enamel pin design, which features a sailing ship atop an open book and the words Oceans of Possibilities. The top of the blue background reads The City Library, The Salt Lake City Public Library, and the bottom reads Super Summer Challenge 2022. Oh, and in case you haven't heard, we've started doing in-person events again. So, if you do want to hang out at the Library this summer, we've got you covered. You can always find a cool place to hang out, geek out, art out, and check out your favorite books and movies this summer. Starting June 1st, set a course for any City Library location to grab your FREE Super Summer Challenge Tracker, or you can go paperless by tracking your progress online with Beanstack or by downloading the Beanstack Tracker app. Are you still reading this? Nice! If you are really really excited about the Super Summer Challenge and can't wait to tell everyone about it, you might want to consider being one of our Teen Squad volunteers this summer. Tweens and Teens ages 11-17 can volunteer in the Library this summer, helping to sign folks up for the Super Summer Challenge, giving out prizes, and congratulating participants for all of their accomplishments. If that sounds fun to you, head over to our Teen Squad page to learn more. See you at the Library soon! |