Harry Potter Escape Room: Escape the Professor's Office

There's something very mysterious about your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, so you and your friends decide to break into her office and find out what she's hiding. Only problem: she's booby-trapped the office, and now you're locked inside! Can you break out before she returns?

This kit contains everything you need to set up an escape room in your library and is suitable for both larger and smaller spaces. Suitable for ages 8 and up. It is very easy to set up and run, but we recommend borrowing it at least a week in advance of when you wish to hold your program in order to familiarize yourself with the contents and game.

Physical Literacy Fit Kits

Remember the excitement you felt when your teacher brought out the colourful parachute in gym class? Or how much fun it was to play jump rope games with your friends? Our two physical literacy kits let you share that joy through library programming!

• Parachute Kit: contains a play parachute, rubber chicken, bean bags, and a booklet full of games and activities to help guide your programming activities (if the kids don't decide for you what games they want to play!)
• Run, Jump, Throw, Skip Kit: contains balls, frisbees, pylons, and jump ropes so you can play a variety of yard and playground games at your library! Contains an activity guidebook and a booklet of classic jump rope rhymes to get you started with your programming activities. Great for summer reading clubs!
• Winter Physical Literacy: Outdoor programs don't have to be limited to the summer months. This winter version of our popular physical literacy kits encourages kids to get outside and build snowmen, construct igloos, and even go sledding. Comes with several snow brick shapers, snow paints/sprayers (to write in/colour the snow!), a snowman kit, and a guide to outdoor winter games and activities you can use to round out your program.
  
  

Outdoor and ”Giant” Games

Murder Mystery Party Kits

• Mystery in the Library:
  • During an author talk at the local library, a rare historical volume goes missing! Patrons must try to solve the theft before the thief can strike again! (Ages 10 & up, no costumes required.) 
• Murder at the Deadwood Saloon:
  • A high-stakes poker tournament takes a deadly turn when one of the participants is found murdered. Can party-goers solve the crime before the killer strikes again? (Ages 13 and up.)
• The Wizard of Oz Murder:
  • Things were just starting to settle down in the Land of Oz when the East Witch turned up dead -- and now it's up to your favourite characters to find out whodunit. Join Dorothy, the Tin Man, Glinda, and more in trying to catch the killer. (Ages 9 and up.)

Karaoke

• Karaoke Machine
• Two Microphones
• Super Hits Volume 21 CD-G
• Greatest Ever CD-G
• 100 Party Hits CD-G
• Track List for CDs

Board Game Kits

Kit #1:

• Party Games
  • Taboo
  • Apples to Apples
  • Scattergories
  • Pictionary
• Card Games
  • Uno
  • Old Maid
  • Cribbage
• Strategy Games
  • Risk
  • Carcassonne
  • Clue
• Other:
  • Playing card decks, x2
  • Dice

Kit #2:

• Party Games
  • Snake Oil
  • Anomia
  • Trivial Pursuit: Party
• Card Games
  • Animal Rummy
  • Go Fish
• Strategy Games
  • Dominion
  • Settlers of Catan
• Other
  • Scrabble
  • Dominoes (Double 6)
  • Playing cards x2 packs

Oculus Quest Virtual Reality

Experience virtual reality in the library space! Our two Oculus Quests are fully wireless VR headsets designed to be easy for anyone to set up and use. You do not need a large open space, a computer, or a television to use this kit. Suitable for all ages! If you would like information about or assistance with running this program, please contact the Client Services Librarian. Games included:

• Beat Saber: Use light sabers to smash laser blocks, as demoed by Jimmy Fallon and Brie Larson here
• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes: work together with partners to defuse a bomb before it explodes! A great puzzle game for tweens, teens, and adults.
• Wander lets users explore the world without leaving the room. This is a great, quiet game for adults who want to experience VR in a calm, relaxed way.

Many more, including roller coasters and fishing!

Keva Planks *NEW*

Keva Planks can be used to build some seriously impressive structures. These small wooden planks (all the same size and width) fit together without using ANY glue or connectors, letting you create whatever you can think of, from marble runs to towers taller than you! If you can think of it, you can build it using Keva. Two kits of 400 planks each are available to borrow. This kit is suitable for all ages and can be used as either a passive program, part of a STEAM/maker night, or on its own. Encourages teamwork, creativity, and engineering skills!

Kits contain:

• 400 Keva Planks
• Plastic ping pong balls
• Diagrams and instructions for building various structures

Osmo *NEW*

Osmo transforms iPads into devices that allow users to use physical items like Hot Wheels, blocks, and pen and paper to interact with a digital world! Race real Hot Wheels cars on a digital track, learn some basic coding, play word and math games, or draw pictures that magically animate! Osmo is suitable for kids aged 4-12 and makes an especially great STEM program for younger participants. Learn more about Osmo here.

• 4 iPads
• 4 Osmo bases
• Osmo games: 
  • Hot Wheels Mind Racers
  • Coding Awbie
  • Newton (draw your own Pong game)
  • Masterpiece & Super Studio (foster art skills)
  • Tangram (create shapes out of blocks)
  • Words and Numbers

Zentangle-Inspired Art *NEW*

The Zentangle Method (created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas) is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images using structured patterns. If you have patrons who love the meditative, crafty nature of our origami or fibre arts kits, they'll love learning how to tangle with our Zentange-inspired kit! Suitable for all ages but an especially great option for adult or seniors programming. Learn more about the Zentangle Method here.

• Artists' pens in various sizes and colours
• Artists' tiles, for creating your art
• Zentangle pattern books for both adults and kids

Kindness Rocks

Ever been out for a walk and come across a beautifully painted rock with a picture or affirmation on it? You found a Kindness Rock! Meant to bring a little joy and happiness to the world around us, these little rocks are a fun, easy way to brighten anyone's day. With our Kindness Rocks kit, you can share a little of your own joy with the world.

Kit contains:

• Acrylic paints
• Paint pens
• Spray sealant
• Paintbrushes
• Art tutorials and a list of suggested positive affirmations, in case you need a little inspiration
• ~40 rocks suitable for painting

Fibre Arts: Knitting and Crochet

Have you heard? Knitting is cool again! Lead a learn to knit or learn to crochet program at your library with this kit, or just set out supplies in a sunny spot and watch people cozy up with yarn. Who knows -- maybe someone will make you a scarf!

Kit contains:

• Crochet hooks, various sizes
• Knitting needles, various sizes
• Yarn, various weights and colours
• Teach Yourself VISUALLY: Crochet how-to book
• Teach Yourself VISUALLY: Knitting how-to book

Beginner Coding with Ozobots

Basic computer programming has never been easier (or more fun!) than with Ozobot. These tiny robots read colour code and travel on paths created by you -- all you need to make them go is some paper and markers. Make them race, solve a maze, spell your name, dance -- if you can draw it, these little bots will go there. 

Kit contains:

• 4 x Ozobots (2 Evo, 2 Bit)
• 2 x play boards (for quick start/bot demos)
• 4 x Ozobot marker sets (Each set has 1 each of red, green, blue, and black markers)
• Paper
• Ozobot dice
• 2 x activity guides

Inventing with MaKey MaKey

Ever wanted to play piano with bananas? Make your own Dance Dance Revolution board? Play Tetris with a Play-Doh controller? You can do all of these things and more with our MaKey MaKey kit! MaKey MaKeys are “the invention kit for everyone”.

Kit contains:

Advanced Origami
Easy origami not enough of a challenge? This kit contains everything you need to fold some seriously cool projects, including pretty patterned paper and instructions for folding more complicated projects.

Duct Tape Crafts

Ever wanted to make a wallet out of duct tape? How about duct tape roses, bow ties, or Christmas ornaments? Our duct tape crafts kit has everything you need to make all of these cool projects and more!

Contains: 

• 25 rolls of Decorative Duct Tape
• Sharpies and Markers
• 2 Rulers
• 3 Pairs of Scissors
• Print-Outs of Instructions for Crafts
• Sample Duct Tape Crafts

Perler Bead Art 

Great for kids and teens! Perler bead art (link to examples) is made by arranging plastic beads into patterns and shapes, then using a hot clothes iron to melt them together (please have an adult use the iron). Shapes take on a pixelly/8-bit appearance, making this a fun project for participants into video games and other kinds of "nerd" pop culture. Ships with all necessary supplies, including beads, pegboards, and iron, as well as suggested patterns.

Learner’s License Prep

Do you have teen patrons who need a little extra help ahead of taking their learner's license exam? This is a great kit to borrow during spring break or early summer, when many teens are getting ready to take their exam!

Minecraft

A perennial favourite. Minecraft is already installed on public computers, so your patrons can build and battle Creepers right away!