A Recap of Recaps

Submitted by Kim Ottesen

Here is a sampling of recaps from July 7 through July 13: 

Multicultural Bonanza at SF
63 children, 36 adults

"This program was all about reflecting our summer theme "All Together Now" by celebrating the joy of diversity. We reflected the theme 'All Together Now' by making crafts from the different parts of the world. We made African Djembe Drums, Mexican paper flowers, South American Panpipes and more. We started the program with reading this amazingly wonderful book "Our World Is A Family" By Miry Whitehill & Jennifer Jackson. This program was well received by the patrons who attended. What made my day was seeing the spark of joy in the children's eyes when they finished making the craft and what they made actually worked !!!! I had many patrons come and tell me how much they appreciated this program. One patron said she loved what I shared about picking up various languages while growing up in India. She was amazed to know that each state in India speaks a different language! However what totally warmed my heart today was when children ran up to me with their hands overflowing with the crafts they made and with a spark of joy in their eyes said thank you for the program before leaving. The VolunTeens were absolutely wonderful. They were able to learn the crafts pretty quick before the program and were proactive in prepping the cups needed for making the drums." –Anu Murari

HP STEAMWork Dreamwork at HP
24 children, 9 adults

"Our STEAM challenge today was for the kids to create their own version of an 'alebrije,' a traditional Oaxacan animal sculpture. I set the tone with some lively Mariachi music which played as families came through the door and had an area set up with available books about sculpture art, Mexican culture, and the Day of the Dead holiday. We began the program with a presentation about alebrijes and where they came from. Kids learned about the town of Oaxaca, Mexico and the story of the very first sculptor of alebrijes, Pedro Linares. I also shared a bit about the significance of alebrijes in Southern Mexican folklore and in present day Day of the Dead celebrations. We took a look at some photos of different types of alebrije sculptures to talk about the special characteristics of this art style (bright colors, intricate patterns, combinations of different animals and fantasy elements). While looking at the photos, I asked the kids to guess which animals they think each artist put together to make their sculpture. After they all pointed out different animals, we had a good laugh which led to a discussion on how we all have a unique point of view (which is something that I think makes art really cool!). When it was time to get started, I gave them some quick tips on planning their alebrije and encouraged them to work together and discuss their ideas. I gave them air-dry clay as a base to sculpt with and then laid out beads, toothpicks, googly eyes, pompoms, feathers, pipe cleaners, beans, and a few other fun craft supplies for them to use in their sculptures. I also had a glitter station which was a bit hit! Everyone was so excited to put together different animals and got SO creative with different colors and materials. Some of the kids even built stories around their artwork and named their creations. After we were finished, they were able to take their art home which they were so excited about. What a fun program!" –Chase Truran

Adult Special Needs Craft & Story Hour at CU
14 adults
"For our program today, we had Friendship as our theme. For our craft, we made friendship bracelets and, as a back-up activity, we also colored bookmarks for friends. To start, we read Not Friends by Rebecca Bender, It Will Be Okay by Lisa Katzenberger, and Peacock and Sketch by Allan Peterkin. We got some chuckles and one patron had a huge smile in the very back while we read, so I think the books were a hit. Then, we moved into the bracelets. For our friends we see often, I went ahead and had put the beads spelling their names into separate bags (we also made sure to explain this carefully so that our new friend who came for the first time today would not be hurt). A caregiver distributed these while Kegan and I went around handing out colored beads and letter beads for our new patron. Everyone seemed to like putting the beads on the string for the bracelets - it was challenging and kept their attention. For patrons who needed a little more help, we were there to help thread beads. I had one patron pick her beads and hold them while I pushed the thread through. The thread became a little frayed towards the last bead, but, even so, it seemed like everyone was having fun. We had the bookmarks for those who wanted it. They made many happy for those who finished quickly. Kegan overheard a few saying they were coloring them specifically for friends, which is so nice. We read back-up books while patrons were wrapping up their bookmarks: The Bee Without Wings by Amberlea Williams (I asked a patron who seemed very excited if she likes bees, and she said she does) and The Bear and the Duck by May Angeli. At the end, I let them know about our new date in November and that, starting then, we will be having the program on the first Monday of every other month." –Brianna Schantz

The Detective Club Murder - A Murder Mystery for Adults at PR
36 adults
"The Detective Club Murder was a huge hit with our patrons. A total of 36 patrons attended, out of 46 who were registered (several cancelled at the last minute, asking us to hold another one because they hated to miss the event). Attendees ranged in age from early 20s to mid-80s and everyone had a wonderful time. Several patrons brought friends and sat together as a group, while others made new friends over the course of the evening. Some patrons came in costume while others dressed as themselves but everyone came ready to play! Our program was written by bestselling mystery/suspense author Ruth Ware. We played several videos by Ware throughout the program, which had her acting as the narrator. The patrons all had their own assigned/chosen roles to play. They read about their character and after introducing themselves, later got to question each other. Eventually each table voted to decide who the murderer at their table was. The discussion amongst patrons was thoughtful, but no one guessed the murderer on the first try. We had fun decorating the room with a fake fireplace, fancy gold-rimmed plates, cups, and gold forks. We also had candles on all of the tables. The mood was set for murder. Many attendees, the majority, asked us at the end of the program to hold another murder mystery. We heard lots of laughter from all of the tables, saw many smiles over the course of the evening, and were very pleased with the number of patrons who attended Post Road's first adult murder mystery. This tells us that there's a strong interest in this type of program for adults at our branch." –Trina Schlecht

Kids on the Green at Halcyon with Outreach
60 Children, 48 Adults
"On Wednesday, Outreach enjoyed the monthly visit to Kids on the Green at Halcyon. The sun was high and the kids were in abundance. Kandy and I began the program with a tandem reading of The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist, what a great read aloud. Kandy used her deep, shark like voice to draw the children into the story. Slippery Fish was a fun accompaniment as we had the entire crowd acting out the song with us. The other books we shared were Jump by David McPhail and Breath by Scott Magoon. As I read Jump and encouraged the kids to jump, Kandy acted out the story with all the various puppets.  We had a lot of fun with this. Our storytime wrapped with the puppet show, A Gift for Goose. It was great to see a few familiar faces in the crowd, one of which was Vicki Doerr and her little girl." –Lorraine Lane

Photo of the Week:

Patrons trying to solve the Ruth Ware mystery at the Detective Club Murder