Our programs and events make books jump off the pages. We develop the skills of our favorite characters. We taste the foods they eat. We shift from picturing things in our heads to living them, stepping into the shoes of others and developing empathy for people like them. Plus, we do those things together. The Library is a place to meet others who are as passionate about the stories you love as you are.
During spring break, we dove into the Wild Robot series by Peter Brown with a build-a-robot program, an escape room based on the Wild Robot Escapes, and an interactive showing of the movie. We watched the movie, acted like robots and snacked on gummi worms as the gosling Brightbill ate his first meal.
Our Imagination Stations event in June gave kids a chance to play with technology they may have only read about, like robots. They took virtual tours of microbes and bacteria in a microverse. One of the stations also featured a behind the scenes look at how animated films are made. Those who stopped at that station could see how to order the sequence of a story and make their own storyboards.
Our book clubs dig even deeper into beloved stories. In the Boxcar Children Book Club this summer, we went on a blueberry hunt, made butter, had a picnic, and built mini boxcars. At the Novels at Night Book Club for adults in June, we ate chocolate truffles and drank sparkling grape juice to accompany a discussion about Julia’s Chocolates by Cathy Lamb. Storytime each week gives our youngest patrons a chance to fall in love with new stories and channel that new love into something creative.
Beyond our programs, we have spaces designed to facilitate storymaking, storytelling, or playacting. A corner in the Children’s Department is set up each month with different toys for children to pretend they are running an ice cream shop, a pizza parlor, an ice skating rink, a bakery, or a post office, depending on the season. In the Exploration Garden, children can create a fairy garden scene or a construction scene in the sandbox.
Discover ways to play at the Library and check our Events Calendar to see what stories are coming alive at the Library next!