Thanks for your interest in booking a hands-on science program in 2026! WILD Jersey recommends four programs for the “Unearth a Story” summer reading theme:

NEW! Seashell Geodes – We’ll take a look inside some real crystal geodes and talk about how they form. Then kids will make their own Borax crystal geodes from seashells! (ages 8-12)

Find a Fossil – Be a paleontologist for a day as we excavate real fossils from a mock rock. Children get to identify and label a fossil, then take it home to keep. (ages 8-12)

Faux Fossils – Learn how fossils teach us about living things of long ago. Children will examine some real fossils, and then make their own fossil impression to keep. (ages 5-7)

Gemstone Dig – Look for gemstones in a mock rock, then clean and identify them. Children will take home the gemstones they find. (ages 5-12)

Please download my WILD Jersey 2026 Program Fee Schedule for costs.

My new Sand Painting program for kids has been a big hit! I’m now offering a version of the activity for teens or adults – Mandala Sand Art. Mandalas are geometric designs, and coloring a mandala is meant to help focus the mind. We’ll use colored sand to “paint” our mandala designs, a tactile technique used traditionally by the Navajo people.

Interested in booking Mandala Sand Art for your teen or adult group? I’m scheduling fall programs now! Please email me for details.

Thank you to all who booked WILD Jersey programs in 2024! I hope to work with you again this year. For current program fees, please download my Wild Jersey Program Fees 2025.

This year, I’m offering two new programs for the Color My World summer reading theme:

Sand Painting – Kids will choose a design, then paint their picture using glue and colored sand.

“Tie Dye” Papermaking – In this new twist on a popular program, we’ll make “tie dye” paper by recycling used paper in every color.

Thank you for your interest in my hands-on programs for kids! I’ve listed programs appropriate for the 2024 summer reading them, “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” including a new program – Animal Track Casting.

I do also offer programs for teens, adults, seniors, and audiences with special needs. I’m working on updating my website with information on those activities now. Please feel free to email me if you have a particular age group in mind.

For current children’s program offerings and fees, please download my 2024 program fee list.

Thanks to everyone who booked a program in 2022! I’m happy to provide you with my program offerings and fees for 2023. If you’re interested in booking a program or have a question, please email me at the address on the flyer.

Please NOTE: I will continue to mask for all programs, and am currently only booking programs for ages 5 and up.

It’s been a loooonnnnnng two years! Thanks to those of you who reached out since the pandemic started. And for those of you visiting my website now, yes, I will be offering in-person programs this summer, including two programs perfect for this summer’s reading theme. Gyotaku Fish Printing is a hands-on art activity, with an introductory talk focused on fish behavior and anatomy. Beach in a Box is a traveling touch museum, and kids can bring their own beach finds to share and have identified. For this summer’s program fees and offerings, please download my 2022 WILD Jersey Program flyer.

SAFETY FIRST: I am fully vaccinated and had a booster shot, and I will wear a mask for all children’s programs. I follow all current COVID protocols and guidelines, and am happy to comply with your facility’s requirements regarding social distancing, etc. I will only be offering programs for children ages 5 and up at this time.

PROGRAM OFFERINGS: As you likely know, the pandemic has caused some supply chain disruptions, and prices of certain items are volatile at the moment. As a result, I’ve had to trim my program offerings (temporarily), as some materials are difficult to obtain and/or cost prohibitive. I also had to consider the risk of purchasing supplies (like large quantities of air dry clay) that won’t keep, should COVID case numbers rise and cause program cancellations. So, I’m offering a limited variety of programs this summers. I did raise my fees a bit, to cover increasing costs for supplies and travel.

Thinking of booking a hands-on environmental activity for kids at your library this spring? My April calendar is filling up quickly as we get ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day!

Download the WILD Jersey 2020 fee schedule to get started on finding an activity to meet your budget this program season.

Looking for some fun, hands-on science activities to support this summer’s “A Universe of Stories” space theme? I’m offering two new programs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our mission to the moon! We’ll be launching Bubble Rockets and racing Lunar Rovers as we put Newton’s Law to the test.

Download the 2019 program fee list for prices for all my hands-on programs. Interested in booking or have a question? Email me for more information.

Does your child love science? I’m bringing all kinds of hands-on fun to area libraries over the next few months. Contact the host library for each event to find out how to register for the program.

Thank you to all the NJ librarians who support my programs!

May 2017

Seed Balls
Fair Haven Library
Tuesday, May 16 at 3:15 pm

Cook for the Birds
Howell Township Library
Wednesday, May 17 at 4:15 pm

Papermaking
Marlboro Public Library
Thursday, May 18 at 4:15 pm

June 2017

Seed Balls
Middletown Township Library
Tuesday, June 20 at 2:15 and 3:45 pm (two groups)

July 2017

Gyotaku Fish Printing
Marlboro Library
Thursday, July 6 at 4:15 pm

Papermaking
Lacey Township Library
Monday, July 10 at 7:00 pm

Lenape Coil Pots
Island Heights Library
Tuesday, July 11 at 2:00 pm

Seed Balls
Allentown Library
Thursday, July 13 at 4:00 pm

Build a Potato-Powered Light
Upper Shores (Lavallette) Library
Monday, July 17 at 3:00 pm

Build a Potato-Powered Light
Allentown Library
Thursday, July 20 at 4:00 pm

Build a Potato-Powered Light
Beachwood Library
Friday, July 21 at 10:30 pm

Papermaking
Stafford Township Library
Monday, July 24 at 6:00 pm

Papermaking
New Egypt Library
Tuesday, July 25 at 2:00 pm

Seed Balls
Tuckerton Library
Monday, July 31 at 2:00 pm

Seed Balls
West Long Branch Library
Monday, July 31 at 5:00 pm

August 2017

Mock Rocks
Hazlet Library
Tuesday, August 1 at 4:00 pm

Build a Potato-Powered Light
Manalapan Library
Wednesday, August 2 at 4:00 pm

Beach in a Box
Marlboro Library
Thursday, August 3 at 4:15 pm

Build a Potato-Powered Light
West Long Branch Library
Monday, August 7 at 5:00 pm

Build a Potato-Powered Light
Stafford Township Library
Monday, August 21 at 6:00 pm

Librarians, are you looking for children’s programs to fit the 2017 summer reading program? Here are some recommendations to complement the “Build a Better World” theme.

Build a Potato-Powered Light (NEW!)

We’ll learn how batteries work, and then make a potato battery to power an LED light. Kids will take home a kit and the know how to make their own potato-powered light at home.
$185 + travel fee where applicable. Grades 3 & up. 20 children max.

Seed Ball Making (NEW!)

Plant a garden you can throw! We’ll roll our own seed balls from clay and compost. Take them home and toss them to plant wildflowers for birds and butterflies.
$185 + travel fee where applicable. Grades 1 & up. 20 children max.

Build a Birdhouse

We’ll build a wooden nesting box suitable for wrens, chickadees, and other small songbirds. Each child takes home a finished birdhouse to hang in his or her yard.
$325 + travel fee where applicable. Grades 3 & up. 15 children max.

Papermaking

Recycle junk mail and make your own paper. Add seeds to the mix and you can plant your paper in spring!
$125 + travel fee where applicable. Grades 1 & up. 20 children max.

Ink from Acorns

Okay, not really acorns – we’ll use tannin-rich tea leaves instead. Learn why the Pine Barrens are the perfect place for making natural ink, and make a vial of natural ink to bring home.
$165 + travel fee where applicable. Grades 3 & up. 20 children max.