PITTSTON — The Pittston Memorial Library was filled with love on Valentine’s Day when teens and tweens took part in Valentine’s Day projects.

Library staff members Noelle Kozak and Kristin Boettger decided to coordinate projects for children who may be a bit too young for a sweetheart.

Kozak is the library’s program coordinator for teens (seventh through 12th grade) and Boettger coordinates the children’s programs. Both team up to do tween (fourth through sixth grade) programs and projects.

There are plenty of programs for children of all ages at the Pittston Memorial Library from toddlers to seniors in high school.

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“We get together with our tween group once a month but we do a rotation of programs,” Kozak said. “We do a book club one month or, on the alternate months, we’ll do a hangout club with doing a craft or a science thing or even a movie.”

The tweens project Thursday night was manufacturing crystals using Borax soap, hot water, pipe cleaners, string and popsicle sticks.

The first step was to create a design with the pipe cleaner. Once that figure was made, the special concoction of hot water and Borax was mixed thoroughly. Next was taking the made object, tying it with string and securing it to the stick. The item was then submerged into the liquid. In 24 hours, a crystalized figure was fully developed.

“Being it was Valentine’s Day, we were kind of looking for a program that would be related to that and something cool to do,” Kozak said. “So we saw the crystal growing thing and it’s all the rage and we thought we’d give it a try and try it with the tweens.”

The teens’ project was a facial scrub made of coconut oil, granulated sugar, scented oils and fragrances.

When all the ingredients are mixed together in a jar, the scrub could be used immediately.

“It’s really cool,” 12-year-old Emmaleigh Murphy said. “I think this counts for a science project so me and my brothers could do this at home.”

Murphy has been a steady fixture at the library as she and her brothers attend regularly.

“I enjoy the crafts and being able to check out books that I don’t read at home,” she said. “I love fiction and nonfiction and my favorite book at the moment is the fourth book in the Charlie Bone series, “Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors.”

Ariauna (15), Isabella (14) and Elizabeth (15) Burney, of Pittston, also attended the Valentine scrub craft project. The trio enjoys reading and going to the library as often as possible.

“I’ve been coming since I’m 7,” Ariauna said. “I’ve already read more than 12 books this year.”

“Reading is a way of traveling the world and never leaving the building,” Elizabeth said.

Emmaleigh Murphy, 12, forms a heart out of a pipe cleaner for her project to make a crystal heart at the Pittston Memorial Library for a Valentine’s Day project.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Library1-1.jpg.optimal.jpgEmmaleigh Murphy, 12, forms a heart out of a pipe cleaner for her project to make a crystal heart at the Pittston Memorial Library for a Valentine’s Day project. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Patrick Black, 11, is shown putting Borax into a jar so the snowflake he constructed from pipe cleaners can crystalize in 24 hours. Library staff member Kristin Boettger looks on.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Library2-1.jpg.optimal.jpgPatrick Black, 11, is shown putting Borax into a jar so the snowflake he constructed from pipe cleaners can crystalize in 24 hours. Library staff member Kristin Boettger looks on. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Pittston Memorial Library staff member Noelle Kozak, standing, demonstrates the procedure to make an exfoliant scrub in a jar. From left, are are sisters Ariauna, 15; Isabella, 14; and Elizabeth Burney, 15.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Library3-1.jpg.optimal.jpgPittston Memorial Library staff member Noelle Kozak, standing, demonstrates the procedure to make an exfoliant scrub in a jar. From left, are are sisters Ariauna, 15; Isabella, 14; and Elizabeth Burney, 15. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Isabella Burney, left, watches her sister Elizabeth fill a jar with coconut oil.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Library4-1.jpg.optimal.jpgIsabella Burney, left, watches her sister Elizabeth fill a jar with coconut oil. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Ariauna Burney is shown mixing a combination of sugar, lavender fragrance, and coconut oil to create a skin scrub.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Library5-1.jpg.optimal.jpgAriauna Burney is shown mixing a combination of sugar, lavender fragrance, and coconut oil to create a skin scrub. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Valentine’s Day project geared toward tweens

By Tony Callaio

For Sunday Dispatch

Reach the Sunday Dispatch newsroom at 570-655-1418 or by email at sd@psdispatch.com.