Nerf Battle: Nuff Said

So we've talked about a Nerf Battle for some time now, and we finally did it. It was so much awesome!

Now we didn't have a lot of Nerf guns at our library (shocker!), so we asked members to bring their own. In order to make sure that most people walked back out with what they brought in, we had everyone sign in with their name, grade, email, and what equipment they had brought. Many of the teens were willing to let others use their extra guns which was great. 

Then came the fun part! We had a couple different scenarios that were a ton of fun.

All v. All/Red v. Blue
Everyone gets two rubber bands on their wrist, a gun in their hand, and the time when the round is going to end. When someone shoots you, you show them that you are putting one of your lives (the rubber bands) on the floor, and then you run back to a spawn point (we used hula hoops) before you can reengage.
You can change this slightly by dividing everyone into two teams. We gave everyone a simple colored yarn bracelet (one side red, one side blue), and away we went.

Zombie Apocalypse 
We did this two different ways, but in both ways the fun part is the humans will eventually lose in a wave of Zombie inevitability.
1) Hide 3 small guns across the library. Select 3 teens as Zombies. If you get touched by a Zombie, you become a zombie. If you find a gun and shoot a Zombie, they lay down for 5 seconds, and then keep coming.
2) Select about a fourth of your teens as Zombies. Give everyone else a gun. This time, the Zombies can run! If a human gets touched, they become a Zombie. If a Zombie gets shot, they have to touch a spawn point, and then just keep coming. This was the favorite scenario by far!

Ninja Protect the President
A group of selected teens (the bodyguards) are trying to get another teen (the president), from one side of the library to the other. The president doesn't get a gun, and the bodyguards just get two plates or a large tray to block darts and discs. Everyone else in the library is trying to take the president down.
If the president is hit, or if the president gets to the finish location, the round ends. If the bodyguards get hit, they have to drop to their knees for 3 seconds, leaving the president vulnerable. Clarifying that attackers can't push past the bodyguards will be useful, and if that doesn't quite work, give the bodyguards some small guns as well as shields.

The Phantom Toolbooth: An Oldie-But-A-Goodie

The Phantom Toolbooth by Norton Juster
with illustrations by Jules Feiffer

Why did I read it?

Because a friend told me to lol.

What happened?

Milo is a kid who doesn't know what to do with himself...ever. He comments, "there's nothing for me to do, nowhere I'd care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing." That is, until a magical toolbooth appears in his room, and takes him to the Lands Beyond and the Kingdom of Knowledge.

As it turns out, these lands have become troubled of late. In the golden age of the Kingdom of Knowledge, a wise king fought back the demons of ignorance and set up a glorious kingdom...but it wasn't to last. His two sons, King Azaz of Dictionopolis and the Mathemagician of Digitopolis, constantly bickered over the superiority of words or numbers. They eventually banished their step-sisters, Rhyme and Reason, and the kingdom quickly fell into disrepair, disorder, and chaos.

For instance, some of the inhabitants never took the time to look around, so their town slowly vanished without them even noticing..another group had fallen into absolute silence because they could no longer appreciate beautiful sounds...and some miners only ate when they're full and didn't stop until they were hungry...

But, there might be hope for the Kingdom of Knowledge. A newly curious boy from another world, a faithful and literal watchdog (a dog with a watch for a body), and an adult-sized Humbug are struggling and bungling their way through this broken world...and they don't seem to know any better than to save the world by turning it right-side up again.

What did I like or not like?

This book is the definition of an oldie-but-a-goodie. The book was first published in 1961, but its metaphorical lessons on not taking things for granted, learning as a noble pursuit, and putting importance on what is actually important will resonate with readers of all ages.

As the synopsis hints at, this book is full of pithy sayings, anthropomorphic concepts, and fantastic puns, and it's way too much fun to read. If you haven't read this book before, stop what you are doing and start reading it right now. If you have read it before, stop what you are doing and read it again =D
 

Cover: Context Sensitive Lock Screen

Typically speaking, I like to test drive a website or app before I write about it. But this one is super cool, and I have it on pretty good authority (TechCrunch, The Verge, engadget, and my buddy who has really enjoyed using it) that its worth checking out.

Cover uses context (like location, time of day, and what apps you use certain times) to tailor your lock screen with useful apps. The main idea is that it places different apps on your lock screen depending on when and where you are, and also learns what apps you use most frequently so they are easily accessible.

The other key element is speed and convenience. You can peek at an app by pulling it halfway across the screen, or open it all together by pulling all the way across the screen. Cover also makes it easier to switch between apps. If you hold down the upper right of the screen when an app is open, it gives you suggestions on apps typically switch to while having that app open.

P.S. This is one of those apps that is just for one platform, but instead of only being available for iOS, this is only available for Android. If that makes you happy, let me know. If that makes you sad, please take your complaints to Apple ;) jk, but please do let me know what you think!

P.S.S This app is still in Beta, but its fully functional at this point.