Recap of Recaps: April 3–April 8

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Spring Break offerings were just tremendous which made narrowing it down difficult! Here are a few recaps from programs that took place systemwide between April 3–April 8.

Lounging on the lawn and enjoying a front-row seat to the eclipse

Ania Bartelmus, aka "La Candela" ("flame" in Spanish),
performs for an amazed audience

Outreach has the approval of this camper at Therapeutic Recreation

Solar Eclipse Viewing Celebration! at Cumming Library 

102 children, 149 adults

“There was a lot of build up and excitement for this program. All weekend and the morning of the program,

the phone was ringing off the hook as people searched for eclipse glasses. We began the program with a warm welcome and asked "What makes a solar eclipse happen?" Then we played a National Geographic video about the types of eclipses there are and reminding people to not look at the sun without glasses! We gave instructions, handed out one pair of eclipse glasses per family, and led everyone outside behind the library. It was so fun to watch the families “ooh” and “ahh” as they watched the eclipse. Lots of people shared glasses with each other and some brought their own glasses and came so that they could share this moment with other people in the community. When we ran out of glasses we noticed patrons sharing their extra glasses with others. After the peak of the eclipse, some people came back inside for crafts and trivia and others stayed out longer to enjoy the sunshine. Those who answered trivia questions got to pick out a solar eclipse sticker and families made a craft model of the eclipse they had just witnessed.” –hosted by Melissa Gunter and Sariah Homan

How to Draw Manga and other Exciting Comics at Sharon Forks Library

35 children, 10 adults

"(Ages 6–11) Kyle Puttkammer, author and illustrator of the “Hero Cats” series and owner of local comic shop Galactic Quest, talked about his process of creating comics and shared drawing tips. While he was talking, he directed them to draw, moving forward, not erasing, just moving on. He discussed how artists draw countless sketches of their characters. He also explained the process of how he would write a story. He or someone else would draw the thumbnails, then the black and white sketches of each page, and finally a colorist brings them to life. All of the children went home with a free comic book.

(Ages 12–18) Kyle had a smaller group of eight teens, which turned out to be a special treat for those that attended. Kyle engaged with them discussing their favorite graphic novels. Teens were drawing as he talked, and he gave them one on one feedback. He answered questions about drawing. One teen shared the difficulty of drawing hands, and Kyle gave a mini-class on approaching hands as shapes and then practicing, practicing, practicing. One superfan of Kyle's books stayed after to talk with him and mentioned and had enjoyed a similar program of Kyle’s when he was younger.” –hosted by Page James

Outreach Visit to Therapeutic Recreation Camp

15 children, 5 adults

“What a precious group of teens! We started out with the biography Before She was Harriet by Lisa Cline-Ransome because we did not get to do last month's program with them. I really wanted to do a little women's history, even though it was last month. A lot of them knew who Harriet Tubman was, and we discussed her heroic life and the fact that you cannot own another person. We moved on to the subject of birds to help us celebrate spring! I had the sound of birds singing playing through the whole program. We discussed how the sound of bird song helps to calm us, helps us to focus, and lifts depression. Then we moved on to Warbler Wave by April Pulley Sayre, a non-fiction book to stimulate discussion. They were very attentive and amazed that warblers fly up to 4,000 miles to get to their destinations! They laughed at Nerdy Birdy by Aaron Reynolds, but it was sympathetic laughter, since many of us admitted that we are nerds! Of course, getting up and dancing is always a favorite. They were moving to the groove, and there was lots of laughter!” –contributed by Jeanine Thompson

Wings of Fire Festival at Post Road Library

50 children, 27 adults

"The Wings of Fire fans showed UP to our Festival today! We gave out 500 Books Before Middle School stickers and bookmarks with event passes before we opened the doors. A young girl asked me if it was ok to attend the event if she hadn’t read the series and I told her I hadn’t read them yet either and I was glad she was here! I asked kids who had read one or more of the books to raise their hands and about half of the group did. Two boys said they had read every single chapter book and all the graphic novels, and another one exclaimed, "I even read books about the books!" We played a quick trivia game, and afterward when I asked if anybody had any questions, one boy raised his hand and asked if we could do some more trivia. Since we had finished all my questions, another boy volunteered to write some more for me for the next program. Of all the games and activities we offered, the pool noodle dragons and slime-making centers were extremely popular. All three of our VolunTEENS enjoyed helping at the slime-making center. Children were very proud of their creations and one boy drew a magnificent scaly dragon for his book cover. A teen who brought her two little sisters told us they had been looking forward to the program for weeks. Everyone had a great time!” –hosted by Jane Elizabeth Sewell

Fast Feet - A Flamenco Performance by La Candela Flamenco at Hampton Park Library

28 children, 33 adults

"Patrons of all ages joined us for a wonderful flamenco performance by Ania Bartelmus of La Candela Flamenco! Ania goes by "La Candela," which means the flame in Spanish. She began with a beautiful dance with castanets, then explained how she uses them efficiently in her performance. Ania continued to outline the specific props used in flamenco, including shawls and shoes with tiny nails in the bottom. Halfway through the program, Ania had patrons stand up and learn how to move their arms and feet to the rhythm before we all danced to music together. Towards the end, a few young dancers joined Ania on her wooden stage to show off their moves! Many patrons left telling us how thankful they were for this program.” –hosted by Kayla Bolton