Fun Activities for When You’re Bored

“Incredible LEGO® Creations From Space with Bricks You Already Have” by Sarah Dees
What better way to bust boredom than dumping all of your LEGOS onto the floor and building spaceships, rovers, aliens, and more! You’ll have hours of fun with these 25 designs whether you spend the whole weekend making them all or just picking out your favorites. I bet when you’re finished with these designs you’ll be looking for more, so stop by the library and check out our collection of LEGO® books.

“Arab Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook” by Karim Alrawi, illustrated by Nahid Kazemi
Cooking together as a family is a great way to build vocabulary, work on math skills, and teach patience. In this cookbook, you’ll find more than just recipes. Each recipe starts off with a short Arab fairy tale that goes along with the recipe. The stories do a great job of rooting culinary history in a cultural context. The recipes are easy to read and have less than 10 steps each. Scattered throughout are muted palette illustrations and added facts about different types of food like sesame seeds, and eggplant, and where different dishes come from. A great book to come back to again and again whether you’re just reading the stories, trying out a new recipe, or making a new favorite again. 

“How to Create Animation in 10 Easy Lessons” by Will Bishop-Stephens
This book is for everyone who enjoys storytelling. No animation experience required! The book is great at breaking down different animation styles (claymation, flipbook, etc.) in addition to tips & skills to help you make your animation a reality! You’ll learn about animating toys, building your sets, dramatic lightning, and more. This can be a great solo or with friends project. What are you waiting for? Lights, camera, action! 

“Out of the Box: 25 Cardboard Engineering Projects for Makers” by Jemma Westing
Start saving your shipping boxes and toilet paper rolls because this book is full of cardboard creations that are inventive and entertaining. The book starts with listing basic supplies you’ll need and cardboard skills you can practice. Each of the 25 designs has photographs with clear step-by-step instructions to follow. There are designs for games, art, costumes, and more! I highly recommend the tube owls because they are great as finger puppets, can perch on your bookcase, or be a colorful travel buddy in the car. 

“Let’s Play Outdoors!” by Catherine Ard, illustrated by Carla McRae
Are you bored because you feel cooped up inside? This book is teeming with engaging outdoor activities. The pace of the book encourages slowing down and appreciating nature. It gives ideas of how to interact with the world around you while being environmentally conscious. You can change your perspective by making a window camera or creating a pinecone bird feeder and bird watch. Whether you’re in your backyard, at a local park, or camping in the woods, there are a lot of ways to enjoy nature. Here are just a few to get you started.