New Jersey Makers Day is an annual statewide celebration of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and maker culture. Join us for this ALL AGES event on Saturday, March 16, 10:00am to 4:00pm at Westfield Memorial Library for interactive workshops, drop-in demonstrations, and open exploration.

Morning Activities

Animalbots | Ages 6+ (Registration Required)

10:00am to 10:45am | Meeting Room | Register

11:00am to 11:45am | Meeting Room | Register

Explore habitats by making an animalbot and a diorama of its corresponding habitat. First, embark on a journey to discover different animal habitats as you build and decorate your very own diorama. Then, build a small animal robot using a simple circuit, featuring a battery and a motor. When your circuit is complete, watch in amazement as your animal robot spins and wiggles around inside its habitat.

While adults are encouraged to join their children in the Meeting Room, please only register children for the event.

This workshop is designed for ages 6 and up with adult help, and registration is required for either the 10 am or the 11 am timeslot.

Creative Construction Zone: Magnatiles | All Ages (Drop-In)

10:00am to 12:00pm | Children’s Area

Frequently used in classrooms, these magnetic tiles allow for imagination-fueled play and the satisfaction of building structures with tiles that firmly hold together. Bring your kids to play and build in our main carpeted children’s area with our new sets of Magnatiles, thanks to a mini-grant from the New Jersey STEM Pathways Network.

Let’s Make Kites! | Ages 3.5+ (Registration Required)

10:00am to 10:45am | Children’s Area | Register

Hey kids, with no previous experience, you can make a small diamond kite to fly in a light breeze! This workshop is designed for ages 3 1/2 and up with adult supervision.

Pollinator Education Station with Westfield Girl Scouts (Drop-In)

10:00am to 12:00pm | Back of the Library

Make an easy native bee house and learn about pollinators with the Girl Scout Cadette Troop #40824.

Putting Accessibility Data at Your Finger Tips with Access Wayfinder (Drop-In)

10:00am to 12:00pm | Children’s Area

Stop by and chat with Krishav Singla, a Westfield resident and senior at Union County Magnet High School, who will provide information on the importance of coding and the development of the Access Wayfinder app along with multiple partners. The app documents and scores more than 140 businesses in Westfield on measures of accessibility.

Scribblebots | Ages 6+ (Registration Required)

10:00am to 10:45pm | Meeting Room | Register

11:00am to 11:45am | Meeting Room | Register

Build a self-drawing, action painting robot using a simple electronic circuit and markers! Discover the history of action painters and their mesmerizing techniques that conveyed movement and action. Once your scribble bot is ready, watch it dance around the paper, creating action-filled masterpieces.

While adults are encouraged to join their children in the Meeting Room, please only register children for the event.

This workshop is designed for ages 6 and up with adult help, and pre-registration is required for either the 10 am or the 11 am timeslot.

Westfield Robotics Demonstration (Drop-In)

10:00am to 12:00pm | Teen Zone

2:00pm to 4:00pm | Teen Zone

Take a look, get your hands on the controller, and drive the robot! Explore how you can control a student-built robot and learn more about robotics from the Westfield Robotics teams! This demonstration will be located in our Teen Zone from 10-12 and from 2-4.

Easy Crochet Bunnies with Miss Mandy | Ages 8-12 (Registration Required)

11:00am to 11:45am | Children’s Area | Register

No experience necessary for this easy and adorable introduction to crocheting with Miss Mandy. This workshop is designed for ages 8-12 and requires pre-registration.

Afternoon Activities

Adult Crafting with Marge: Spring Bouquet | Adults (Registration Required)

1:00pm to 2:00pm | Local History Room | Register

Join us as we make a colorful bouquet of roses made from Hershey kisses! This makes a wonderful gift for someone special or a colorful springtime decoration. Registration is required.

Ski Jumps with the 4H Club | All Ages (Drop-In)

2:00pm to 4:00pm | Back of the Library

Use marbles to simulate a ski jump with 4H youth club participants.

Creative Construction Zone: Straws and Connectors | All Ages (Drop-In)

2:00pm to 4:00pm | Children’s Area

A long-time Makers Day favorite, this educational toy allows for immersive and imaginative engineering-style play! Make playhouses and forts, design buildings, or build a spacecraft. Bring your kids to work on building structures together in our main carpeted children’s area.

Instrument Petting Zoo with the New Jersey Workshop for the Arts | All Ages (Drop-In)

2:00pm to 4:00pm | Children’s Area

Thanks to local music school, the New Jersey Workshop for the Arts, kids of all ages will be able to touch and try out a variety of musical instruments! Come and see them in the storyroom!

Relax and Draw with Zentangle | Ages 9-17 (Registration Required)

2:00pm to 2:45pm | Meeting Room | Register

Join us to learn this fun, easy and relaxing method of drawing that uses structured patterns, simple tools, and very basic pen-strokes to create beautiful works of art. Anyone can do it! Mimi Topping, our instructor, is a New Jersey certified art teacher and certified Zentangle teacher who is constantly seeking new ways to create and inspire creativity in others. Mimi has taught Zentangle workshops for the past eleven years at numerous libraries, schools, hospitals, clubs and businesses in the NJ, NY and PA area. She is passionate about teaching art and enoys seeing students realize their talents in just one class. In this class, you will create a beautiful “tile” consisting of unique patterns using different color options.

This workshop is limited to ten participants ages 9-17 and requires pre-registration. Attendees from our November workshop are welcome to register, as are completely new Zentanglers!

Seed Starters with the 4H Club | All Ages (Drop-In)

2:00pm to 4:00pm | Back of the Library

Kids! Get yourself all set to grow a flower in a pot with 4H youth club participants.

Surface Tension – Suminagashi Workshop | Ages 8-14 (Registration Required)

2:00pm to 2:45pm | Meeting Room | Register

Suminagashi,which means “floating ink,” is the ancient Japanese technique of creating artworks using oil based ink. In this adaptation of this technique, observe the phenomenon of surface tension as you place drops of paint and soap on water and transfer the resulting patterns onto paper. Creating your work of art is also a relaxing activity that allows you to practice mindfulness.

This workshop is designed for ages 8-14 and requires pre-registration.

Amigurumi with Miss Mandy | Ages 11-18 (Registration Required)

3:00pm to 3:45pm | Meeting Room | Register

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures, and Miss Mandy has such a cute project in store for you!

Miniature Secret Garden in a Tin | Ages 9 to 17 (Registration Required)