15 Days of Winter Break

Welcome to your Winter Break!

Our Youth Services Department has put together these resources for your family to learn about local and national events, different ways to explore library resources, and, most importantly, make memories. 

1^st Day of Winter Break: December 24

• Who needs paint? Freeze Popsicle sticks in colored ice and use them to paint your own picture.
• Watch The Gingerbread Man puppet show performed by San Marcos Public Library in Texas.
• Enjoy the night lights! Take a walk or a drive to see decorations around town after dark.
   

2^nd Day of Winter Break: December 25

• Make your own play dough! If you want to, use the dough to make extra decorations or gifts.
• Rock out to the classic Nutcracker ballet in this hip-hop performance.
• Go howling with Hoopla! Use your library card to listen to Little Wolf’s First Howling on Hoopla. Take a walk to howl just like in the story!
   

3^rd Day of Winter Break: December 26 

• Paint your own snow globe using a pom-pom.
• Explore Washed Ashore, which uses plastics and other debris found on beaches to make amazing sea life sculptures to bring attention to an important issue. Look at the gallery images and spot familiar items.
• Come to Helen Plum and use your library card to check out a Museum Adventure Pass to visit winter wonders outside and inside.
   

4^th Day of Winter Break: December 27 

• There doesn’t need to be snow on the ground when you can create your own snow at home! 
• Enjoy reading in Languages Other Than English (LOTE) by exploring this great library database.
• Have a Family Game Night! Play a favorite or explore Helen Plum’s family-friendly board game collection.
   

5^th Day of Winter Break: December 28 

• Make your own thank you card for the wonderful people in your life.
• Try your hand at learning to code with these fun games.
• Bundle up and learn about life on a farm by visiting Kline Creek Farm.
   

6^th Day of Winter Break: December 29

• Create colorful designs right in your snowy yard! 
• Read along with The Snowy Day and explore more on Scholastic BookFlix. 
• Stay cozy by having a yummy picnic at home.
   

7^th Day of Winter Break: December 30 

• Yikes! Create your own set of cardboard snow monster footprints to leave surprising tracks in the snow. 
• Explore our DVD collection for a cozy movie night. Need suggestions? Here are some of our favorite flicks.
• Grab paper and start folding! Create your perfect snowflake to display at home.
   

8^th Day of Winter Break: December 31

• Create a memorable New Year’s Eve family countdown with balloons!
• Keep the party going! Pick a dance from Watch & Learn Library and get moving.
• Look at pictures from the past year and remember what fun you had.
   

9^th Day of Winter Break: January 1 

• Start a new tradition this year! Create a memory jar to read on New Year’s Eve next year.
• Have an ABC scavenger hunt! Find one item in your home that starts with each letter of the alphabet.
• Make New Year’s resolutions. Use this goal setting sheet to help you get started or think of your own hopes for 2024!
   

10^th Day of Winter Break: January 2

• Make your own puzzle at home for fun or as a gift.
• Visit Helen Plum’s online resource A-Z World Travel and start exploring!
• Build a snow fort! Go outside and make a fort with boxes and snow.
   

11^th Day of Winter Break: January 3 

• In this experiment you will magically lift an ice cube using only string and salt.  
• Cook a recipe from another country using CultureGrams, a Helen Plum database.
• Don’t forget to keep track of your reading for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten or the School Year Reading Program. Come to Helen Plum to collect fun prizes!
   

12^th Day of Winter Break: January 4 

• Brr! This chilly chemistry experiment shows an endothermic reaction (what?).  
• Want to learn to read Harry Potter in Scottish or speak Pirate? Use your library card to learn a language with Mango! Smaller learners can use Little Pim too!
• Find different ways to enjoy the outdoors like snowshoeing or snow tubing at various DuPage County Forest Preserves locations.
   

13^th Day of Winter Break: January 5 

• Make your own snow—and paint.
• Take a virtual field trip to wintery national parks and other snowy places.
• Looking for a new hobby in the new year? Become a magician with these cool books!
   

14^th Day of Winter Break: January 6

• Craft some cute penguins to add to your snowy decorations.
• Start or continue your book club with Helen Plum’s book discussion guides online.
• Get inspired to whip up a dish with the kids with ideas from Food Network.
   

15^th Day of Winter Break: January 7

• Make frost using items found in the kitchen.
• See the San Diego Zoo animals on live cam. We like the red pandas!
• Tell us what you did over your winter break! Draw a picture, write a letter, and find the special mailbox in Youth Services to share it with us.