Young Gloucester Scientist Club

SFL’s Young Gloucester Scientists Club: Field Trip to Maritime Gloucester 

~ Sawyer Free Library

Register now for a day of sea-side learning at Maritime Gloucester on Thursday, August 11th! The Sawyer Free Library Young Gloucester Scientists will help raise the sails on the Schooner Ardelle as they learn what it takes to be a sailor. Then they’ll spend some time on land learning about invasive crab species and rotate through stations all about the unassuming oyster, emphasizing its unique internal anatomy with a hands on dissection.

This program is suitable for 4th-8th graders. Registration is required for this free day long program!

All participants are asked to arrive at 32 Harbor Loop by 9:20a.m. and pick up will be at 1:30p.m. Permission slips required. All attendees should bring a bag lunch and water, no glass containers please.

For questions, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

The Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club is supported by federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The YGSC is a monthly club for 4th through 8th graders that introduces them to Gloucester Community members with careers across a variety of STEM fields.

Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club: Build a Wire Tree Workshop

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club presents: Build a Wire Tree Workshop this Friday, July 28 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street.

Flex your creativity with this nature-based art activity with Local Sculptor & Wire Artist Ryan Kelley. Ryan has used over 35 miles of wire to create his detailed wire-art, and has many miles still to come.  In this 2-hour art class Ryan will share his wealth of knowledge and teach our young scientists to follow their own passions and create as well. This program is suitable for 4th-8th graders.

Registration is Required. Questions? Visit, SawyerFreeLibrary.org or 978-325-5562.

The Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club is supported by federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The YGSC is a monthly club for 4th through 8th graders that introduces them to Gloucester Community members with careers across a variety of STEM fields.

Young Gloucester Scientist Club: Vernal Pond Field Trip – Friday, May 19

~ Sawyer Free Library

For May’s Young Gloucester Scientists Club field trip, they have teamed up with Rick Roth and the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team to learn about the link woodland creatures, such as salamanders and frogs, have to ponds in Gloucester.  Suitable for 4th-8th graders.

Join in on the fun on Friday afternoon, May 19 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. `Location details will be sent after registering.

The event is free but you need to register at SawyerFreeLibrary.org.

The Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club Presents: ASTRONOMY APRIL

~ Sawyer Free Library

Friday, April 14, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

YGSC: Solar System Explorers – The Young Gloucester Scientists Club is hosting a live virtual interactive journey through our Solar System with experts from Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University. This program is suitable for 4th-8th graders. Registration is required to receive the link. This program is virtual, should a device be needed reach out to Teen Librarian Marisa.

Tuesday, April 18 – Friday, April 21 

Astronomy Take & Make Universe in a Jar – a take home kit for tweens and teens with hands on astronomy activities. For students in grades 4-8.  Registration is required for each child individually. Pick up begins Tues, and continues through Friday. 

Friday, April 28, 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.

YSGC Field Trip: Star-Gazing at Halibut Point State Park – SFL’s Young Gloucester Scientist Club is hosting an evening of night-sky observations with the Gloucester Area Astronomy Club.  Students, grades 4th through 8th, and their families, will use telescopes, chat with experts and do some hand-on astronomy activities at this late-night Field Trip to Halibut Point State Park located at 4 Gott Ave, Rockport, MA. Registration is required. 

Questions? Contact Teen Librarian Marisa Hall at mhall@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5549.

SFL’s Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club to host “The Whalemobile” at Gloucester City Hall on Friday, March 31st

~ Sawyer Free Library

It will be a whale of a time at Gloucester City Hall on Friday afternoon, March 31st, when the Sawyer Free Library hosts Whale Watch Naturalist Cindy McInnis and her life-sized inflatable whale from 3:30–5:30 pm, in Kyrouz Auditorium, as part of its Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club. 

Young Scientists will have the opportunity to step inside Nile, the 43-foot long and 30-foot wide inflatable humpback, and learn how whales are similar and different from humans in this interactive program. They will learn about Nile’s migratory path, how many calves she’s had, and how researchers came to this information. Artifacts such as baleen, teeth, and bones will be available for children to see and feel as a part of this interactive program.

The Whalemobile program is suitable for 2nd-8th graders, ages 7 and up. It is free and open to all to attend, although registration is required for each young scientist planning on stepping into the whale. Please register on the calendar page of the SFL website. People can sign up in half-hour intervals starting at 3:30 pm and ending at 5:30 pm on the calendar page of SawyerFreeLibrary.org.  The event will take place in Kyrouz Auditorium on the second floor of Gloucester City Hall located at 9 Dale Avenue.

The Young Gloucester Scientists Club is a monthly club for 4th through 8th graders, which takes a hands-on approach to learning, building community connections, and encouraging local youth to actively think like scientists by observing, questioning, and experimenting with the world around them. 

In addition to monthly field trips in the community, circulating Kits and library-produced Digital Content provide children with fun learning activities to do at home and in-person family programming that introduces them to Gloucester Community members with careers across a variety of STEM fields.

To learn more about the program or upcoming events, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org.

SFL’s Young Gloucester Science Club: Techy Turtle Relays

~ Sawyer Free Library

SFL’s Young Scientist Club will be meeting this Friday, February 24th from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at Sawyer Free Library @ 21 Main Street.

This month’s meetings features the work of Kate Sampson, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Turtle Stranding and Disentanglement Coordinator and Sphero Robots.   The program is suitable for students 4th – 8th grade. Register HERE.

Sawyer Free Library Receives State Grant for Innovative STEM Programming 

~ Sawyer Free Library

Library to Launch Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club for Elementary and Middle School Students 

It’s full STEM ahead for Sawyer Free Library‘s young patrons with the launch of Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club, a new innovative after-school program made possible through a federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC).

The grant of $9,800 will expand Gloucester’s public library’s programming to promote interest in science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM) learning. The Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club supports the digital, scientific and technological goals of 4th through 8th graders aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. It will introduce young scientists to Gloucester community members with careers across a variety of STEM fields and connect them with Gloucester’s natural environment.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) awarded Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) direct grants to public libraries at its July 7, 2022, board meeting. Federal LSTA grants are funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services. 

“Each community in Massachusetts is unique and has its own local needs,” said Robert Favini, Head of Library Advisory and Development at the MBLC. “These grants allow libraries to address those local needs directly, whether it’s programming for children and teens, helping residents find a path to citizenship, or protecting the town’s historic documents and artifacts.”

“We’re thrilled to be a recipient of this generous MBLC grant to fund the Sawyer Free Library’s newest program, the Young Gloucester Scientists Club,” said Library Director Jenny Benedict. “Sawyer Free Library plays a vital role in supporting young people to discover their interests and direct their own learning.” Benedict added, “The future of our local environment is dependent on young people today developing a strong sense of place and community and engaging in meaningful learning together to solve our most pressing environmental concerns.”

Children’s Librarian Marisa Hall, who developed the Young Gloucester Scientists Club and applied for the grant, said, “These funds give the Sawyer Free Library an incredible opportunity to expand our current STEM programs and encourage students to further explore their interests in the sciences. This project connects them to a sense of “place” by using our own community’s physical resources and social connections to introduce them to new and innovative STEM concepts and topics.”

The Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club features three components:  in-person programs, circulating STEM kits and online video interviews. The in-person family programming will introduce young people to Gloucester community members with careers across various STEM fields, providing mentors from various backgrounds. Programs will feature local sea, land and sky topics and will highlight our rich Maritime history and culture as Gloucester celebrates its 400th anniversary. 

The Club will take a hands-on approach to learning, build community connections and encourage youth to actively think like scientists by observing, questioning, and experimenting with the world around them. Kicking off in 2023, the library will host Afterschool Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club monthly meetings January through May. In the summer, it will feature a three-day Astronomy “Crash Course” and a series of four Young Gloucester Summer Scientist’s Club Field Trips.  All in-person programs will be held in the Library’s transitional space located on Main Street in downtown Gloucester as well as locations throughout the community.  

The “Young Scientist” STEM kits will provide participants with fun and engaging learning at-home activities. The hands-on kits will be available to check out and include accompanying guides with FAQs, discovery tips, parent conversation starters, and more. There will be seven types: Mini Drone, Microscope and Color Camera, Reflector Telescope, Space Rover Inventor, Coding, and Marine Biology Explorer Kits. Materials will be available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and, if needed, other languages to be inclusive and accessible to all interested participants.

The “Let’s Meet an Expert” online videos will feature interviews with Gloucester’s STEM experts and scientists conducted by young scientists. The videos will create connections to those working to explore, discover and protect Gloucester’s natural environment. Topics will include Ocean Conservation and Sea Turtle Rehabilitation (NOAA), SnotBots, Drones and Observing Whales (Ocean Alliance), Whale Protection (The Whalemobile), Astronomy (Gloucester Astronomy Club), Using our Natural Environment to Design Solutions for our Future (Biomimicry New England) and more. 

The schedule and specifics of the new after-school program will be forthcoming. For more information, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org.

Twenty-one libraries received Federal LSTA grants for a total amount of $220,085 awarded. Grants are open to libraries of all types that meet the eligibility requirements. In addition to the direct library grant program, the MBLC uses LSTA funds to support statewide programs and services, including summer reading programs, research databases, the statewide eBook program, the Commonwealth Catalog and mass.gov/libraries which has information and resources for residents. LSTA is administered on the federal level by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in the Commonwealth by the MBLC. More information about LSTA can be found at www.mass.gov/mblc.