STEAM in September: Cart-ARGH!-raphy for Practical Pirates

If you're a pirate who is going to bury treasure, you'll need to know how to make a map! Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. In this activity, you'll make a three-dimensional map out of salt dough and paint. You'll need to get your hands a little dirty, but as a pirate, you probably won't mind that, will you? You will also need to decide ahead of time where you'll be burying your treasure. Since September is Hispanic Heritage Month, it would be a great opportunity for you to explore uncharted seas and choose one of the more than twenty countries where people speak Spanish (and might still own gold doubloons!).

The kit will include guided instructions with pictures, a cardboard base, a watercolor palette with brush, and 3 map templates. It will also have a page of Swashbucklin' Sums from Bedtime Math, a Pura Belpré Award booklist AND a foam boat kit from Oriental Trading Co. You will need to provide a pencil, crayons or markers, and scissors, plus 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of water, and 1/2 tablespoon (2 tsp) of cream of tartar for the dough (per pirate). Kits are one per FAMILY and can be picked up at Northwest Library from Wednesday September 23rd through Saturday September 26th during normal curbside hours. Any duplicate registrations will be deleted. Due to high demand for these kits, all print outs and instructions will be posted here on the SUNDAY after the last day of pickup so that families with siblings or others who may not have had the opportunity to register can reproduce the kit at home.