Take a look at these recaps from programming across the system that took place between November 21–November 28:
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| Giant brick construction crew at LEGO Afternoon |
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| Artists creating masterpieces at the 2nd Annual Art from the Heart Art Show |
2nd Annual Art from the Heart Art Show at Cumming Library
8 children, 6 adults
"Inspired by this year's Forsyth Reads together author, Chitra Divakaruni, I asked patrons to paint "One Amazing Thing" for this year's theme. Participants could choose a feeling, something they have seen, tasted, or experienced. After a short tutorial video, the artists practiced different brush strokes and wrote their artist statement. Next, I gave them paper and pencil and asked them to sketch a rough draft, then I gave them multi-media paper for their final project. We had some amazing artists! One young man said he remembered the first time he went to church. Another mom created a beautiful starry night she experienced. Another child drew the country of India's flag and different things that reminded her of India. I love doing this program because it allows us to get to know our patrons a little more and encourages families to do something creative together. All who attended seemed to really enjoy themselves." –hosted by Sariah Homan
Smart Art at Hampton Park Library
2 children, 1 adult
"We had a small crowd for Smart Art this month, but everyone seemed to enjoy our craft: bean mosaic art picture frames. I began with a quick history lesson on mosaics and how they were incorporated across the globe, then we got to work on our own creations! I had a variety of beans out, along with some white glue and Mod Podge to act as a seal. Since it was a small group, we were able to have a great conversation and the teens were able to make two frames.” –hosted by Kayla Bolton
Elf on the Shelf Celebration at Post Road Library
9 children, 9 adults
“After welcoming our families, I shared photos of some of Jingles' antics last year and asked if anyone had seen Jingles yet today. We all promised to keep our eyes peeled for him. We started with “Reindeer Pokey and everyone seemed to love doing our songs and dances in a large circle together. When the front door opened, we all expected to see Jingles come in, but it was CSA Joana with a note from Jingles directing me to a cart behind the puppet stage. On top of the cart was a HUGE present which I unwrapped it to find a book: Pig the Pug. After we read the book, I unwrapped another box that was inside the first and found instructions for a game and a Santa hat. We played a round of "Santa Says" before we did a circle dance to “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree”. When I pulled another box out of the last one, the kids were sure Jingles would be inside! I knocked on the box, but didn't hear an answer. Instead, I opened the box to find the book Dinosaur vs. Santa, a red dinosaur puppet, and jingle bells. The kids helped with all the "ROAR"s as I read. I finally opened a tiny box that contained a jingle bell, which made us sure that if we sang “Jingle Bells” (our elf's favorite song), Jingles would emerge. As we finished the song, I started nesting the boxes back together and casually turned the cart around so that its back faced the room. The kids pointed emphatically at the cart, where they saw Jingles, all wrapped in tape, ribbon, and Christmas lights! Everyone was excited and couldn't believe he had been there all along! One determined little girl meticulously recounted the events of the morning aloud to me, trying to figure out when he had arrived. Families took home bookmarks and a recipe for Gingerbread playdough that Jingles had left them and every single child thanked me on the way out. It was a wonderful time!” –hosted by Jane Elizabeth Sewell
LEGO Afternoon at Sharon Forks Library
72 children, 48 adults
"We had a BIG turn out for LEGO fun today and many parents were thankful that we were offering something on this rainy afternoon! There was a lot of great collaboration throughout the room, among families, old friends and new friends, which was really fun to see. I snapped pictures of the creations that patrons were particularly proud of, and the many giant LEGO builds. I had the giant bricks set up close to the door and after watching the tower get built and knocked down several times, I started wondering aloud if they could build this or that, which they were all too pleased to show me they could! We offered four regular brick stations with some Thanksgiving-themed challenges, but most builders were dreaming up their own fun. The Duplo wall and bins were used right down to the very last bricks, with some cool vertical buildings on both sides. We had so many friends join us that I brought out the MEGA BLOKS, and one little friend made an awesome airport with a jumbo jet! One young patron camped out at the coloring station and happily colored all of the available sheets. I had a few chats with young patrons about their favorite LEGO books, fiction and nonfiction, and how hard a level 3 really was! I asked patrons to clean up the LEGOs near where they had been building at the end of the program and just like that, LEGOs went into bins. It was a programming miracle...and I was thankful!" –hosted by Stephanie Gardner
Outreach Visit to Pine Ridge
20 children, 9 adults
“It was a cold and blustery afternoon as the bookmobile made its way to one of our largest bookmobile stops. Pine Ridge is located off Highway 400 at exit 12 and Highway 9 and has been a great stop for the bookmobile from the very beginning. With over 1,000 people living in this manufactured housing community, Pine Ridge is home to a large Spanish-speaking population. Our established stop is in the front of the community adjacent to the main office, but recently the Outreach team made the decision to add a stop in the back of the community near the playground. We never know how well a new bookmobile stop will be received, but this one was a winner! We had 18 people, 12 of which were children, visit the new stop. The children enjoyed the new bookmobile craft, a holiday wreath. A precious dog even came on board and enjoyed a bookmobile doggie treat.” –contributed by Lorraine Lane
ReplyDeletethe giant block photo is awesome!