Succulents, potting mix, glass bowls, and an assortment of other items were arranged between a cart and a table as participants arrived at the "Play in the Dirt, Make a Terrarium" activity at the library on September 21. A terrarium is a miniature indoor garden, usually planted in a see-through container.

C.H. Booth Young Adult Librarian Kim Weber and library clerk Terry Tortora welcomed students and directed them to seats at the start of the event.

The activity was open to local tweens and teens, and it offered the chance to "catch a bit of summer in a jar" by making a terrarium. Before the kids started making their terrariums, Ms Weber shared a short presentation, detailing tips and tricks to making a terrarium with succulents.

"The nice thing about terrariums is they really don't need a lot of water," said Ms Weber, adding that it is important to choose the correct type of potting soil. To create an ideal environment for the succulents, grown at the library ahead of the event, Ms Weber said the group would use a succulent potting soil mix.

It is also important to prepare proper drainage for terrariums, and Ms Weber said pebbles and sand were available to use at the bottom of the terrariums, to offer an area for water to drain. As Ms Tortora pointed out, different colored sand was available for the participants to choose from. White and red sand were popular choices.

Some decorative objects, like plastic mushrooms, were also available for the participants to decorate their terrariums.

After the presentation, the participants got their hands dirty by filling the glass terrariums with sand, pebbles, potting mix, succulents, and other chosen decorations.