Wesley Boland, 2, and his sister, Emilia, 4, put on a show with the groundhog hand puppets they made Friday with the help of their mother, Caitlyn Boland, Mars Area Public Library director.

A timely “Take-and-Make” project at Mars Area Public Library allows tots to create a puppet that honors that renowned recurring rodent, Punxsutawney Phil.

Caitlyn Boland, library director, said it only made sense to coordinate Groundhog Day with this week's Take-and-Make project, which instructed youngsters to glue a groundhog face onto a paper lunch bag.

The Mars library has been offering Take-and-Make kits since June for young children, teenagers and adults.

The kits are left in the library vestibule on the business day closest to the first day of each month for adults, twice a month for teens and weekly for toddlers and young elementary school students, Boland said.She hopes the kits provide some fun and creativity during the coronavirus pandemic, when residents of all ages are spending excessive time at home.“Even though we (have) virtual programs, we still saw a need from people wanting that activity,” Boland said.

She said 50 kits are made weekly for the youngest Take-and-Make users, and 100 each for teen and adult users.“People really just need an activity to do during a time when there's not a whole lot going on,” Boland said. “It can relieve anxiety and boredom.”The kits are all free to the public, and can be picked up at the library vestibule without having to show a library card.The most recent adult Take-and-Make kit contained ingredients and instructions for hot cocoa bombs.

A recent teen kit contained the fixings to make Guatemalan worry dolls.“It's first-come, first-served, while supplies last,” Boland said.Like everyone, Boland looks forward to the end of the pandemic, so every day won't seem the same.“We'll eventually switch back to maybe having it more inside the building,” she said.

Jennifer Ford, children's librarian at Mars Area Public Library, said the kiddie Take-and-Make kits have a theme that usually matches a holiday or season.Kits have included making a salty snowman, a cardboard snowflake puzzle, a bird feeder from a paper towel roll and some peanut butter, a snow plow made of various shapes, and lacing, in which tots thread yarn through specific holes to create a shape.“When we're looking for an idea, we try to focus on skills like textures, cutting and coloring,” Ford said.

All December Take-and-Make kits were Christmas-themed, except for the week of New Year's Eve, which included materials to make a noisemaker, she said.“We try to make them super simple, so the young ones can do it, and the older ones can have fun too,” Ford said.She is glad the Take-and-Make kits are so popular among Mars area residents.“It's a great success,” Ford said. “Grandparents are coming in because they have their little ones all day, while mom and dad are working. It gives them something to do.”

The Mars Library has created a "Take and Make" craft bag to make at home. Parents may pick-up a craft at the library. This week's craft is a groundhog hand puppet.

The Mars Library has created a “Take-and-Make” craft bag to make at home. Parents may pick-up a craft at the library. This week's craft is a groundhog hand puppet.

Wesley Boland, 2, shows off the groundhog hand puppet he made from a Take-and-Make kit distributed by the Mars Area Public Library.

Wesley Boland, 2, works on his groundhog hand puppet with his mother, Caitlyn Boland, Mars library director, which they made from a “Take-and-Make” craft bag from the Mars Library.

Wesley Boland, 2, works on his groundhog hand puppet with his mother, Caitlyn Boland, Mars library director, and sister, Emilia, 4, which they made from a “Take-and-Make” craft bag from the Mars Library.