Friendship bracelets are a fun tradition of creating handmade jewelry to give to your best friend! The patterns can range from very simple to complex art. Below are some ideas for all ages and abilities. 

Activities:

• Learn how to make a friendship bracelet using one of the resources below. Take a photo of your creation and share it with us by using the #howdoyou62 hashtag.
• Upgrade a pattern by adding beads, charms, or other decorations. Try a complex pattern that requires 4 or more colors. Or design your own pattern and share it with us. 
• Create a friendship bracelet using supplies found around the house. Try using something different like floss, ribbons, or yarn. Decorate your bracelet with pop can tabs,  feathers, beads, corks, or lids. 
• Mail your friendship bracelet with a handwritten letter to someone outside your house. It could be a family member, friend, or neighbor. 

Resources:

•  Hoopla has a variety of ebooks including many crafting how-to books.  Check out this booklist for more ideas. 
• Creativebug has many video craft tutorials including this Five-Strand Braid bracelet. Requires CPL card number to log in. 
• Craft Jam: a crafting company that has a great step by step instructions with photographs. This tutorial teaches you how to make the alternating half hitch, 5-strand braid, and diagonal friendship bracelets.
• Youtube: has a variety of great craft tutorial videos. I recommend this one by DIYholic that teaches the spiral, chevron, loom, and fishtail friendship bracelets. 
• Braceletbook: is a great resource if you want to try complex patterns. Check out this Ombre Stripe pattern. 

Photo by Nasim Keshmiri on Unsplash​

Head back to the 62 Days of Summer home page for more ways to participate in the summer program!

Bring the camping experience to you with a backyard camp out! Below are ideas for all ages and abilities.

With this STEAM Square, we invite you to use different aspects of performance to complete the challenges below. There is science behind several aspects of performance, and we have included challenges related to acting, writing, singing, composing, and dancing for you to enjoy this summer. Curious about how a focus on the performing arts is integral to science and math? Read this article from Forbes magazine or check out our links below to see correlations you be unaware of.

Looking for more stuff to do? Check out our other STEAM Stop activities here or head back to the 62 Days of Summer home page for more ways to participate in the summer program!

Complete one READ square by setting a challenge. 

A traditional summer reading challenge takes the form of reading a set number of books, or a set number of pages, or even a set number of minutes. Recently, reading challenges have expanded in scope and offer many ways to broaden your reading horizons. You can choose any reading challenge that fits your needs, and here are a few suggestions.

Just the Data

• Use our 62 Days of Summer tracking sheets to keep track of basic numbers. Write down titles as you read them, or color in time units. Choose the best method for you. 
• Try Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza Tracker to track your reading streaks and unlock book donations.
• If you’re focusing on numbers this summer, you might find that committing to a Goodreads challenge helps you keep track of your efforts and you can maintain it over time.

Gentle Guidance

One of the most basic reading challenges is Gene Luen Yang’s Read Without Walls Challenge. Only three books long, you read one book about a character who’s unlike you, one book about a topic you know nothing about, and one book in a format you don’t usually read.

Looking for Extras

• Barnes and Noble has a Summer Reading journal for grades 1-6. Print and fill out the journal, and then it becomes a coupon for a free book.
• Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor has a Summer Reading Club for grades K-8 in which participants can read to earn a series of $6 coupons.
• Join SYNC, a free audiobook summer program for teens and gain access to select free audiobooks through July.

Laser Focus

Are you keen on a theme? Love westerns, or want to only read mysteries this summer? Penguin Random House has compiled a series of 20-book challenges all centered on different themes. There are even themes designed for readers who want to expand their horizons, including one made up of debut novels and one with many different genres.

Doorways and books go well together. Doors in literature often lead characters into wild adventures and magical outings. Likewise, our own doors and doorways can be a fantastic way to highlight and put the spotlight on some of our favorite stories and books. Bedroom doors, classroom doors, and basement doors are all a good place to start. They can become the inspired entrance to your own personal space. They can make someone wonder what lies behind it. Visionary thinking will let an ordinary door become a marvelous celebration of a favorite story. Its a great summer project that gives you a place to exercise your creativity now or in a future doorway, and celebrate a book you love in an innovative way. Head back to 62 days of Summer for more ways to participate in the summer program!

The Fourth of July, or Independence day will be here before you know it. Red, white and blue are the patriotic colors that surround this fun day of celebration. The holiday goes back to 1776 when the continental congress voted for independence as a nation, and formally adopted the Declaration of Independance. The tradition of fireworks began in Philadelphia a year later with the first organized celebration of independence day, and became even more widespread after the War of 1812. Congress made July 4th a federal holiday in 1870. Today we often celebrate independence day with barbeque's, fireworks and patriotic music. There are also  many fun craft and food ideas to help observe the festivities. Check out these books that give you celebration stories and background on this grand summer holiday. Head back to 62 days of Summer for more ways to participate in the summer program!

We have got you covered on some music to groove to this summer! Whether you are having a social distancing or virtual block party this summer, or your family is enjoying a backyard cookout, we want to provide you with some options for a summer soundtrack. We have two playlists to choose from on multiple platforms to stream or download for later. We also have provided some links below to our in house music collection as well as digital titles for you to download for free with your Canton Public Library card! 

Why should kids have all the fun?  This STEAM Stop is designed with adults in mind.  The curated activities listed below either require bigger supplies, are more complicated in nature, or include the use of materials not safe for children.  Enjoy! 

Although the new world of social distancing is putting a crimp in all of our travel plans, that's no reason we can't take a trip - a virtual trip that is! From museums to zoos, to country and city tours, the possibilities are endless. No need to leave your couch, just pick a destination and you're on your way! No passport required. A good place to start your vacation is from one of the following sites which list a variety of virtual tours from around the world.

• Google Arts & Culture  Explore art and culture from around the globe with this comprehensive site, including over 200 museums from 80 countries.
• Thrillist.com  Find links to food, drink, travel and entertainment around the world including their list of the best virtual trips while social distancing
• Pure Michigan  The new #Virtual Pure Michigan campaign brings Michigan travel experiences directly into people’s homes by way of virtual tours, live streams, web cams and other interactive technology such as puzzles, games, and fun fact sheets for the whole family
• VisitDetroit  Links to Detroit attractions offering virtual tours and online learning.
• Travel and Leisure  Tours of Tokyo, European castles, glaciers in Alaska, and Abbey Road studio in London are just some of the many virtual destinations you can find on this site
• Discovery Education  Virtual field trips with hands-on learning activities

Can't make up your mind with all of the many choices available? No problem!  Browse through some of the categories listed here - and take a minute to view this inspiring video about the city of Detroit.

Animals & Nature

• Detroit Zoo
• Explore the Arctic
• National Aquarium
• San Diego Zoo
• Sea World Orlando
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Cities & Countries

• Egyptian Monuments
• Great Wall of China
• New York City
• Paris
• World Heritage Sites

Detroit & Michigan

• Detroit Symphony Orchestra Live Performances
• Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation
• Traverse City
• Under the Radar Michigan

Kids & Family

• Detroit Institute of Arts Virtual Field Trip
• Michigan Science Center
• Take a Trip to Mars
• Tour the White House

Museums

• ​​British Museum
• Louvre
• Vatican Museum

National Parks

• Tour the National Parks of the United States​

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Print & emedia

The Library's collection also offers a variety of ways to experience a virtual vacation:

• cloudlibrary  Listen to your favorite travel books.
• Hoopla  Travel videos for all ages.
• Travel Guidebooks (Print)  Fodor, Frommer, Lonely Planet and more.
• A Tale of Two, or Three, or More Cities  A curated list of city histories.

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Databases

• A to Z the USA  Explore the USA, from sea to shining sea and beyond.  
• A to Z World Travel  Comprehensive travel guides to 200 world cities.
• Global Road Warrior  A cultural database with in-depth information on 175 countries.

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Kick back and soak up some travel tips as well as "visit" some fascinating destinations.

Podcasts

• Amateur Traveler  This long-running podcast (over 600 episodes) talks about a different destination every week.
• Globetrotter Lounge   Hosted by award-winning travel expert Jet Set Lisette who interviews inspiring women who have found creative ways to travel the world.
• Switchback Kids   Elizabeth and Cole Donelson (aka the Switchback Kids) visited all of the 59 national parks, and share their experiences, including top lists, budgeting tips and more.
• The Thoughtful Travel Podcast  Hosted by travel blogger Amanda Kendle, who interviews fellow travel addicts about their travel experiences, like getting lost, navigating different cultures, and meeting the locals. ​

Head back to 62 Days of Summer for more ways to participate in the summer program!

Splash lab is all about using different principles of STEAM to explore one of our most abundant compounds made of two elements: hydrogen and oxygen. Though water is everywhere on Earth, it is a very unusual compound because of the nature of the chemical bonds between its atoms. Here are a few facts:

• Water is denser in its liquid state than in its solid-state, which is why ice can float on or in liquid water.
• Water has an unusually high boiling point based on its molecular weight.
• Water is often referred to as the "universal solvent" because of its amazing ability to dissolve so many substances.

We have collected the following activities for you to experiment with water this summer.