Submitted by Joanie Goforth
Back by popular demand, FCPL’s second annual Where’s Loanie? community scavenger hunt proved to be quite popular this summer with locals in search of some free summer fun.
Each Friday during the month of June about 40 visitors found Loanie and engaging activities, and we did not disappoint! Visitors who solved the clues earned an exclusive “I Found Loanie” button at each stop along with a special stamp for their passport as a reward. Okay…we may have given some of these rewards to folks that wandered in as well, but no regrets!
Week 1: Fire Station #15 Firetruck Fun (Katie L. & Brooke W.)
For our first stop, Loanie seekers were invited to find a place with “a hose and a ladder” and successfully found us at the new Fire Station #15 on Trammel Road.
In addition to a hilarious clothing relay race, a put-out-the-fire beanbag toss game, and a fun fire truck craft, 42 visitors got to tour the station and trucks, including a photo opportunity with the fire trucks and, of course, the firefighters!Week 2: Sawnee Mountain Preserve Beekeeper Visit (Sariah H. & Jeanine T.)
Week two of the scavenger hunt saw 37 visitors who braved a bit of rainy weather to come out to Sawnee Mountain Preserve for a fascinating and educational presentation about bees, presented by the knowledgeable beekeeper Bill Dunn. Mr. Dunn shared a LOT of good information about bee behavior and beekeeping. He really made it fun for all ages, and one lucky volunteer even got the chance to try on the hood of a bee suit!
Attendees also enjoyed dancing a bee dance together, made light-up fireflies using tea lights and plastic eggs, and used Cheeto dust and little ‘bees’ with pipe cleaner legs to simulate pollination.
Week 3: YMCA Puppet Pandemonium (Joanie G. & Brooke W.)
Brooke made her puppeteering debut in the sizzling summer heat at the YMCA, and kept her cool like a champ! Our audience enjoyed 4 puppet shows, boogied to a freeze dance version of “Crocodile Rock” and a shaky egg rendition of “I Know a Chicken.” They customized a unique hand puppet made of felt to take with them for at-home performances. One mom shared a touching story about how summer reading really opened up her son (rising kindergarten) to reading books rather than just guessing at what the words might be. He was super enthusiastic about earning buttons for his lanyard, and she was truly grateful that we were offering the program.
Week 4: Matt Park Splatter Paint & Color Mixing (Jeanine T. & Brooke W.)
If you could figure out the Dr. Seuss rhyming clue, you had your ticket to our Where’s Loanie finale at Matt Park. Kids and adults alike had loads of fun throwing paint balls at a canvas to make a giant piece of community art together.
Patrons also enjoyed the color-themed stations: making watercolor coffee filter suncatchers and butterflies, a color wheel lesson and activity about how combining colors makes brand new ones, and a 3D bookmobile paper craft to color, fold and put together.
Each week was a new adventure, and we are looking forward to finding some even better hiding places for next summer!
So fun! Outreach is a treasure to our community. That photo of Christine cracks me up every time I see it!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that Where's Loanie is going to come back next summer!
ReplyDeleteIt warmed my heart to read about this summer's Where's Loanie adventures. The location that were chosen were perfect! Great job Outreach :)
ReplyDeleteWe had families come to our elementary programs, double check the location from the clues and then head out to find Loanie each time. They loved it!
ReplyDelete