Recap of Recaps: December 20–December 30

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Here are some featured recaps from system-wide programming that took place between December 20–December 30:

Families snuggle in to read after hours during Family Fort Night

Learning about Winter Solstice during Winter Storytime & Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf

Participants act out tales during Family Stories from Around the World with Carolina Quiroga

Winter Storytime & Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf at Cumming Library 

50 children, 34 adults

"Starting off the program with a storytime, I read Winter Is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer and did the “Ten Warm Mittens” counting flannel. We then read Winter Is Here by Kelsey Gross and waved scarves together whenever I read the line "I can help to shine the light." We held onto our scarves for the “Cozy Night Rhyme”, and then we finished up with Time for Sleep by Denise Fleming (with flannels) and “The Snowman Song.” Meanwhile, VolunTeens Izzy and Isha set up the mini golf course. Then I gave patrons instructions for mini golf and the penguin paper craft and turned out the lights (the emergency lights were still on so it wasn't too dark). For part two, patrons played mini golf and made penguin handprint paper crafts. We passed out glow-in-the-dark bracelets, which were a huge hit. We also had scorecards and mini pencils. I received many compliments from parents about how they enjoyed the program and thought it was unique. My favorite part was seeing the excitement of children who were just visiting the library and drawn into an unexpected game of mini golf. I also had one young patron proudly show me how her score improved when she played the course a second time." –hosted by Alexa Martin

Family Stories from Around the World at Hampton Park Library

25 children, 16 adults

"Today's storyteller, Carolina Quiroga, shared two stories with our audience, one from the Amazon Rainforest and one from Peru. She brought along some fun props and involved the audience in both tales. We had both parents and children come up to be a part of the story and they all seemed to enjoy playing their part. Many came up to speak with her afterwards and gather information about her website and her published book. Our patrons were very appreciative of the fun program that was offered today.” –hosted by LeAnne Craig

Family Fort Night - An After-Hours Read-Together Program at Post Road Library

9 children, 10 adults

”We didn't know what to expect for our after-hours Family Fort Night program. I was a little anxious- would anyone show up? Just before 5:15 p.m., I saw the first family enter with a pile of blankets from home and all my anxiety faded. Four more families came into the branch before closing and we all gathered in the meeting room. While we waited for the librarians to close up the branch, I talked with families and handed out glow sticks to children. I loved seeing families chatting with each other and reading books to each other's children during this time! Once the branch was closed, I had everyone gather in and I read Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. I hammed up the Pigeon voice and the families helped me tell him "No!" when he begged to stay up. It was fun! After that, I gave simple instructions, families gathered supplies and books and headed into the branch to build forts. It was really sweet to see them reading together under the blankets; they really seemed to enjoy it. I provided some camping lanterns, but one family brought their own plastic campfire light! This was lots of fun. I'd love to do it again.” –hosted by Jane Elizabeth Sewell

Teen Winter Crafting at Sharon Forks Library

20 children

"Teens could choose from four different crafts for Teen Winter Crafting: rope coasters, no-sew fleece scarves, washer stamped keyrings, and card making. Most of the teens did two to three crafts. The teens shared with others what worked best with the stamping for the keyrings. Teens also went beyond the basic project and embellished the coasters and scarves.” –hosted by Page James

Outreach Storytime Visit to Therapeutic Recreation 

14 children/teens, 7 adults

“We had a great time presenting our Wintertales/New Year's Storytime at Therapeutic Recreation Day Camp. One of our friends that is usually asleep for the whole storytime was awake, and had a great time! We always start with our "Hello Song" and today we read Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner - there were lots of giggles. We learned the ASL signs for “snow”, “winter” and “ice/freeze” and read Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport. We talked about how food is important on New Year's for different cultures and learned the ASL sign for “Happy New Year” - they really liked that! We finished up with a bunch of "cool" jokes (there were lots of guesses and giggles) and a craft: 2024 glasses for the New Year! They loved them!” –contributed by Christine Conroy