Magic Tree House Parties!

Yakima Valley Libraries is hosting a number of Magic Treehouse Parties in January at various branches. Come join in the fun to make crafts and play games from different historical eras. All activities are inspired by Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series. The events are designed for kids in grades 1-4, or ages 5-10.

Here is a listing of times and locations:

Yakima (Downtown) Library, 4 p.m. January 11. 102 N. Third Street, Yakima. 509-452-8541.

Granger Library. 3 p.m. January 12. 508 Sunnyside Ave., Granger. 509-854-1446.

Buena Library, 3:30 p.m. January 13. 801 Buena Road, Buena. 509-865-3390.

Southeast Library, 11 a.m. January 14. 1211 S. Seventh Street, Yakima. 509-576-0723.

Summitview Library, 11 a.m. January 15. 5709 Summitview, Yakima. 509-966-7070.

Zillah Library, 3:30 p.m. January 18. 109 7th, Zillah. 509-829=6707.

Sunnyside Library, 4 p.m. January 20. 621 Grant, Sunnyside. 509-837-3234.

White Swan Library, 3 p.m. January 24. 391 First Street, White Swan. 509-874-2060.

Wapato Library, 3 p.m. January 26. 119 East 3rd Street, Wapato. 509-877-2882.

Selah Library, 3:30 p.m. January 27. 106 South Second Street, Selah. 509-698-7345.

You can also visit yvl.org or call 509-452-8541 for more information.

Construction Zone Party

CAUTION: PARTY ZONE

Can you build it? Yes, you can!

When Michael Ozanich asked for a “Bob the Builder” party to mark his fourth birthday, his parents built a celebration inspired by the construction of their new Selah home.

photo by ANDY SAWYER -- Click for more photos

The family’s not-yet-finished basement — with its exposed framework and concrete floors — set the scene, decked out with a roll of yellow caution tape.

When the kiddy crew arrived at the construction site, a hard hat and tool belt were waiting for them to get to work (partying, of course).

A stack of boxes and a wrecking ball were the hit of the party, so to speak. In fact, the wrecking ball (a volleyball wrapped in black plastic, suspended from the ceiling) was such as smash that Michael’s mom Aimee tells us she left it hanging for over three months.

INVITATIONS: Using her computer, Aimee made invitations with clip art of hard hats, bulldozers and construction-themed word play: Foreman Michael is turning four! Can you help him build a fun foundation for his next year? We will be breaking ground on Jan. 23. Your shift begins at 3 p.m.

ACTIVITY: Before the party, Crew Boss Brent (a.k.a. Dad) made kits for the kids to build their own tool boxes. Then, with a little help from the boss man, the crew hammered together their boxes and personalized them with paint.

TOOL BOX TIPS

Find directions to make your own tool box at lowes.com. Look in the How-To Library.

Or, purchase wood craft kits online for about $8-10 each at ssww.com or woodcraft.com.

• Create a Work Zone Obstacle Course: Crawl through a box, balance across a 2-by-4 and steer a wheelbarrow through traffic cones.

• To provide a safe space for little ones, tuck a box of building blocks or Legos in a corner.

CAKE: No construction required here. This one’s super easy — dish up a heap of mud (actually a mound of brownies, tossed with some gummy worms.) Dig in!

FAVORS: Stock the tool boxes with a couple of real tools from a dollar store and they’re set to go.