Steam in to Rotorua Library with the kids this summer

Rotorua Library's 'Summer of STEAM' school holiday programme has plenty of interesting events to keep the kids entertained over the summer period.

The letters in STEAM stand for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.

The programme allows children to get a taste of some of these activities ahead of the February opening of the revamped Rotorua library building, Te Aka Mauri, which will feature many opportunities to explore STEAM concepts.

Included in the activity line-up are robotics and Lego sessions, Toro Pikopiko puppet shows and puppet-making workshops, creative zine-making workshops and 3D printing demonstrations.

"The STEAM events will challenge your child's critical thinking and problem solving skills as they experiment and engage with robotics and other amazing technology," says youth and early learning specialist Te Aroha Rangi.

Children need to be supervised during programme events.

Numbers are limited for many activities, so people will need to book early to avoid missing out.

Booking and activity details, including any costs, are available on the library website or at the library with bookings open from Thursday December 21.

As well as organised activities, the popular Bingo Summer Reading Challenge is running throughout the summer holidays.

The Reading Challenge is an incentive-based programme designed to keep children up to the age of 13 reading over the summer break and maintaining reading levels.

New children's books have also arrived in time for the holidays and Te Aroha suggests picking up your Bingo Summer Reading Challenge sheet at the same time as borrowing for the holidays, so you can be in to win some great prizes.

The summer reading challenge runs from now until January 20, with prizes being given out at a Summer Reading Finale featuring special guest Aunty Bea on January 23.

Bingo sheets and more information can also be collected from the library or downloaded from www.rotorualibrary.govt.nz.