October 13, 2021

Are you looking for fun, STEAM projects to do with the family without it feeling like a boring class? Look no further than this science experiment, where you can grow your own salt crystals overnight using simple household ingredients! Supplies:•  Epsom salts•  Glass jars or cups•  Hot water•  Bowl or spoon•  1 pebble or small rock•  Food coloring (optional) Steps:1. Measure out an equal amount of water and Epsom salt and pour just the water into a glass jar or cup. Heat the water for 45 seconds in a microwave, then stir in the Epsom salt until the salt is mostly dissolved (don’t worry if a little salt remains unmixed.)2. Add a few drops of food coloring to the water/salt...

Adults Children Learning Teens Tweens

September 9, 2021

The following is a selection of books written by authors featured in the 2021 Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF)! From fiction to nonfiction to poetry, this year's CWBF will be a great opportunity for members of the community to hear from notable writers with diverse backgrounds. Check out the following items before or after the festival to explore their creations:

Authors Books Catalogs and Collections Central Wisconsin Book Festival E-books Events Graphic Novels Poetry Reading Recommendations

September 2, 2021

You probaby didn't know this, but September 4 is National Hummingbird Day! Celebrated on the first Saturday of September, this is a great time to take notice of these beautiful, energetic birds before they migrate south.But even after they're gone for the year, you can still have hummingbirds around by crafting your own! Using some common household supplies, just follow the steps below and you'll soon have a charm of your own ("charm" is a term for a group of hummingbirds!) Supplies needed:2 Pom-poms1 toothpick or pipe cleaner1 cupcake liner or 3 craft feathersScissorsBlack markerGlueGoogly eyes (optional) Steps:1. If you have a toothpick, cut it in half. Using the marker, color it black and then set it aside...

Adults Children

August 25, 2021

Next month is the Central Wisconsin Book Festival! This year, 11 fabulous children’s authors will be speaking at the festival. The majority of these events will be conducted virtually through Zoom, which means you can attend from anywhere! The following books are my recommended pre-festival reads for kids. The good news? They're all available for checkout from your local Marathon County Public Library! On Friday, September 17, via Zoom, Canadian artist Matthew Forsythe will read from his entertaining picture book Pokko and the Drum and also show participants how he created the illustrations. Forsythe’s artwork has been exhibited in Los Angeles, Japan, Italy, and Germany. A few of my...

Authors Books Central Wisconsin Book Festival Children Early Literacy Events Reading Recommendations

August 18, 2021

If you use the OverDrive app to access Wisconsin's Digital Library for free e-books, e-magazines and audiobooks, please plan to switch to the Libby app by the end of 2022.The OverDrive app is being "sunsetted" by its creator — i.e. the app will no longer be updated or supported in the near future, and eventually will be discontinued.Additionally, the OverDrive app will not be available in the Apple App Store, Google Play, and the Microsoft Store starting in February 2022. It's unclear when the OverDrive app will be removed from the Amazon Appstore.*Current OverDrive app users can continue to use the app until further notice. All of the same e-books, e-magazines and audiobooks are available on...

Books E-books Online Resources Technology

August 11, 2021

Do your children want to learn more about those who have made substantial contributions to history, and the world? We've put together a reading list of biographies for kids, arranging them by length - short, longer, and longest. We've also included links to two podcasts that also may interest them - Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and The Past & the Curious. For additional recommendations, call the children's desk at the Marathon County Public Library's Wausau Headquarters at 715-261-7220. 

Books Children Early Literacy Education History Learning Reading Recommendations Tweens

July 29, 2021

Are you a gardener, watching your harvest grow this summer? I am, and since the start of the pandemic, I've really enjoyed digging (literally) into my backyard and doing more projects than I ever have before. Weekends off with my husband (for the first time in the decade we’ve known each other) provided the perfect opportunity to work outside creating quite the sanctuary in our backyard! Not only did we expand our garden (again) and build more planting areas around the yard (again), we’ve created a winding path up to a woodland area where I can sit and read. We’ve also created new areas for wildlife and pollinators, including a wildflower patch, bee hotels, and my favorite addition: a pond, complete with a...

Adults Books Food Health Resources Home And Garden Reading Recommendations Wisconsin's Digital Library

July 22, 2021

The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) recently purchased over 60 new items for its collection, thanks to a $1,000 grant from the East Asia in Wisconsin Library Program.  The program was created in fall 2020 by the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Library Association, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The goal of the program is to provide public libraries with the funds to purchase East-Asia-related materials to their collections, or to plan programs and events related to East Asia.  MCPL was one of 38 public libraries around the state to be awarded a grant, and was the...

Adults Authors Books Children Education Learning Libraries Library Branches Wausau Headquarters

July 8, 2021

The Wausau Headquarters of the Marathon County Public Library was (mostly) closed to the public from March 2020 until June 1, 2021. What were we doing all that time behind the scenes? Giving the place a new look! Thanks to a generous donation from the Marathon County Public Library Foundation, we’ve replaced furniture and some of the carpet, and crews are working to replace the library’s roof. We’ve also shuffled around some of our computers and book shelves — all with the hope of making the library an even more welcoming and useful environment for YOU. If you haven’t been back to MCPL Wausau since our June re-opening, what are you waiting for? Come and check it out! Here’...

COVID-19 Facility Improvement Foundation Wausau Headquarters

July 8, 2021

For those fortunate enough to learn the joy of reading at a young age, books can be impactful, perhaps even life-changing. Accompanying book characters through life challenges and experiences can set a course for young readers for whom they want to be and how they want to live their lives, or can simply begin a lifelong interest in reading. With this in mind, I asked some adult readers what book they read in their childhoods that had a significant impression on their lives. The qualities of courage and fortitude were lessons some readers learned through their book choices. One individual loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series, particularly the early books, relating how...

Adults Authors Books Early Literacy Reading Recommendations