Grab & Go Activity Kits
Get Creative!
Grab & Go Kits are take home activities designed for kids, teens, and adults.
Grab & Go Kits can be picked up using GRPL To Go, our curbside holds pickup service, or can be picked up at any GRPL location.
Share your creations with us by tagging us on Facebook and Instagram @grandrapidspubliclibrary.
To reserve any of our activity kits in advance, please contact your favorite GRPL location. Grab & Go Kits are available while supplies last and items rotate monthly.
Craft Kits
Designed for toddlers & kids.
GRPL Craft Kits feature craft supplies that encourage imaginative play.
Use the materials provided to highlight your creativity.
Storytime Kits
Designed for kids birth – 5.
Our Storytime Kits include a book and age-appropriate activities for toddlers and kids. They also include helpful resources in English and Spanish which support early literacy skills like reading, singing, talking, playing, and writing. Pick up your free Storytime Kit at Outdoor Storytimes with GRPL happening May – August 2022, while supplies last.
Summer Reading Program
Continents of the World Craft Kits
Available June 11 – August 13, 2022
Each week, grab free take-home craft kits for kids ages 5 and up! Included in the kit is all the materials you need to help explore and learn about our fascinating world! Each week features a different culture and continent. Craft kits can be picked up using GRPL To Go, our curbside hold pickup service, or can be picked up at any GRPL location.
Available while supplies last.
Africa: Adinkra Stamps
Available June 11 – 18, 2022
The Ashanti people of Ghana use stamps to create patterned adinkra cloth. Each adinkra symbol has its own name and meaning, like hope, love, or bravery. Create your own adinkra symbol and stamp.
- Learn more about Africa’s peoples, cultures, animals and more in our CultureGrams database here.
- Check out our staff curated book list on related subjects here.
North America: Totem Pole Bookmarks
Available June 18 – 25, 2022
Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest create totem poles to represent people, history, ancestry, and events. Use gel pens to design totem pole bookmarks commemorating things that are important to you.
- Check out the diversity of North America’s indigenous peoples and more in our CultureGrams database here.
- Check out our staff curated book list on related subjects here.
Asia: Kites
Available June 25 – July 2, 2022
Kites were first invented in Asia thousands of years ago and remain very popular on the continent today. In Japan, they are traditionally flown to celebrate the New Year. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, people compete to knock down each other’s kites in kite fights. Make your own kite and send it soaring!
- Explore the rich cultures of Asia in our CultureGrams database here.
- Check out our staff curated book list on related subjects here.
Europe: Castle Designs
Available July 2 – July 9, 2022
Castles were built in Europe for over half a millennium during medieval times. Design your own unique castles with graphite using a variety of shading and texture techniques.
Antarctica: Pastel Aurora
Available July 9 – July 16, 2022
You may have heard of the Northern Lights, but did you know auroras happen in Antarctica, too? Use pastels to create your own drawing of a colorful aurora.
- You can learn more about auroras in the library’s Britannica School Database.
- Interested in learning about Antarctica’s fauna and cold climate? Take a look at this wonderful continent in our CultureGrams database here.
- Check out our staff curated book list on related subjects here.
Central America: Toucan Wall Decor
Available July 16 – 23, 2022
Create a one-of-a kind wall decoration featuring the Keel-Billed Toucan (the national bird of Belize) using a wooden ring and thick art paper.
- Don’t know what a Keel-Billed Toucan looks like? Take a look at Animalia Bio’s page.
- Fun fact: Central America is considered a region of the North American continent! Check out all the diverse countries within the North American continent at our CultureGrams database here.
- Check out our staff curated book list on related subjects here.
Australia: Indigenous Aboriginal Petroglyphs
Available July 23 – 30, 2022
Experts believe that some ancient rocks are illustrations of extinct giant animals (also known as megafauna) by Aboriginal people. Make your own rock art inspired by petroglyphs from Australia.
- Take a look at the National Museum of Australia’s article page on the first known Australian rock arts.
- Interested in exploring more about the continent of Oceania? Check CultureGrams database here.
- Check out our staff curated book list on related subjects here.
South America: Rainstick
Available July 20 – August 6,2022
No one is sure where the rainstick originated, but it was likely in northern Chile, one of the driest places on Earth. Today, Chile’s indigenous Diaguita people still make and sell rainsticks out of cacti. You may not have a cactus, but you can still make your own rainstick!