Recap of Recaps: November 29–December 3

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Here are some recaps from system-wide programming that took place between November 29–December 3:

The Hodges perform holiday music during It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas

It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas at Cumming Library

9 children, 16 adults

"We had a good crowd from age four to 84 come out to enjoy Christmas carols performed by Phil and Julie Hodges and their son, Philip. I was a bit surprised to see

so many families with young children come, and it was a delight to watch a little girl dance along to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and to see families listening to the music together and clapping along. The Hodges packed a lot of songs into the hour, singing over twenty. Phil played guitar and sang with his wife while their son accompanied them on the piano. Five or six people came in on a whim after the program started because they heard the music from the lobby! Near the end of the hour, Phil asked if anyone had any requests and one little girl decided on "Deck the Halls", and I requested "White Christmas." Another highlight was their rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside," where Phil and his wife swapped parts. Special thanks to Julie who prepared three different holiday-themed crafts to set up in the back of the room. The kids had a lot of fun making Christmas trees and wreaths while their parents continued listening." –hosted by Melissa Gunter

North Forsyth Middle School Visit to Hampton Park Library

 28 children, 6 adults

"Jennifer and I teamed up to present a fun storytime and library tour for the North Forsyth Middle School special education classes. We read Crunch, the Shy Dinosaurby Cirocco Dunlap, and sang "Hello/Goodbye, Friends," "I Know a Chicken" (with shaky eggs), "Funga Alafia" (with rhythm sticks and puppets), and "Roly Poly" (with scarves). Participants also enjoyed the puppet shows "Pig on Her Head" and “Book! Book! Book!” The kids were very engaged and helpful during the program, and laughed a lot during the puppet shows. Many thanks to Jennifer for all of her help!” –hosted by Kayla Bolton

Puppetpalooza at Post Road Library

37 children, 33 adults

”We started off Puppetpalooza right with a big crowd of regulars! I made sure to remind them that this was our final storytime before the winter break, and to ask me after the show about exciting events coming up in December. I needed to stall for time before William's Winter Nap, so I asked the kids to tell me what animal takes a long nap in the winter. The highlight was a little girl who shyly said "bear", and when I celebrated her answer, her face lit up! Though the audience for the second Puppetpalooza presentation was somewhat smaller, they were much more willing to move and groove during the songs and had bigger reactions to the shows. The highlight was, of course, the infant that came with his grandmother and mother. They both took turns engaging with him during the songs and puppet shows. Despite how little he was, he seemed glued to both thanks to their encouragement.” –hosted by Erin Palmer

ATLAS (At the Library After School) at Sharon Forks Library

1500 children, 300 adults

"We had so much fun exploring the Ice Age during the Prehistory Era this month! Patrons were greeted by five large animal paintings representing five animals that went extinct during the last ice age. Many patrons simply visited the animals, reading the information provided, while 200+ enjoyed the challenge of the crossword puzzle that could be completed. We enjoyed watching patrons stage photos with the animals chasing them! During week two we constructed a cave that patrons could enter throughout the month, and we found many happy readers curled up inside! The cave invited patrons to think about the need for shelter, food and clothing during the Ice Age. The back wall of the cave had several cave drawings, replicas of some of the drawings in the Lascaux and Chauvet caves in France and Altamira in Spain, inspiring patrons young and old to try making their own cave drawings. It was really cool to see families drawing together and really taking their time. We covered the front of the Ask Us desk and one whole side of the alcove by the little door with some of the artwork! The final highlight featured the smallest tool that Ice Age humans used: the needle. Scientists believe the needle and the ability to make close-fitting clothing contributed greatly to the ability of humans to survive such a harsh environment. Patrons were invited to try stitching the sides of a faux animal skin tunic. It was so much fun to see patrons working on this, often together with a caregiver! I had a sweet conversation with a young patron who "loves" sewing and was so excited about finishing the task!" –contributed by Stephanie Gardner

Becoming a Global Citizen: The Conflict in Ukraine at Sharon Forks Library

19 adults

"Our final session of this series focused on the conflict in Ukraine with UNG professors Dr. Greathouse and Dr. Price co-presenting. After a caveat stating that the information on the slides is out of date due to the continuous fighting and the resulting changes, Greathouse explained that this war is "Russia's doom" because Russia doesn't have the manufacturing capabilities to restore damaged equipment, and they are killing off their population drivers. Russia was already in a population decline due to high mortality rate of their men, with suicide and alcohol poisoning being the two main killers. With 120,000 soldiers killed in the current conflict so far combined with higher numbers of Russians fleeing the country to avoid the draft, Russia will see a steep decline in the next generation. Putin's goal is to wait out the West and their support of Russia. Dr. Price showed us the Kiel Institute Ukraine Support Tracker which is updated monthly to display the military and financial support of international governments to Ukraine. They discussed Russia's "information confrontation" strategy to weaken the West (aka hybrid warfare), which involves hacking, leaks, fake news and disinformation. Dr. Price explained that in the past few years, Russia has been sending (paid) migrants to their European borders to create domestic instability in the West. There were a lot of great questions during the hour-long Q&A. Dr. Price told us that he loves doing programs at the library because the audience always asks questions and engages in discussions unlike his classes full of quiet, tired freshmen." –hosted by Jessica Doss

Outreach Visit to Cumming Nursing and Rehab

10 adults

“The Golden Hour this month is a reminisce program all about holiday music. We go back in time, all the way to the 1200's, to talk about the song "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", then to the 1600's and beyond! We listen and sing along to songs by some of our favorite Christmas crooners: Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Rober Goulet, just to name a few. We also go over some fun Christmas trivia. One of our German residents was so excited to hear the facts about holiday customs that started in Germany hundreds of years ago that we still do today! The residents also enjoyed the music, and even if they could not actively sing they were tapping their feet and fingers. Jeanine and I felt like Santa Claus with our wagon full of book deliveries too. After the program, we delivered nine bags of books to residents’ rooms on the nursing home side of the facility. While we were there, the activities director inquired about the Golden Hour program for the residents in her building, so we have made arrangements to present an additional Golden Hour there beginning in January. ” –contributed by Christine Conroy