Storytime

It's school holidays (well here in Victoria it is) and it has been interesting thinking back on the programs I've run. Everything has involved massive use of imagination for the children. One of the definitions of imagination I like is....   :a creation of the mind, especially an idealised or poetic creation. Sometimes though we expect our imagination to just burst forth on demand. Sometimes it takes time. A warm up, stretch or two.  During the holidays we had our Lego Club. I had the kids making Lego cars propelled by balloons. We also had to make catapults....both of these inventions had to work. The cars had to travel, the catapults had to....well...pult. So the children had to think, then try, then re-think. Consider why their car wasn't moving...perhaps too heavy, balloon too close to the wheels. Catapults had to work (I had lollies flying everywhere). It was interesting to see so many different options...once the kids got going. Another progra...

It's that time of the year when we have over indulged on chocolate and hot cross bun, and we can put another Easter firmly behind us. But oh the chocolate...and yum to those buns. Which of course means it's school holidays. With the library closed for four days (public holidays) the first day we are open is...busy. Yep, let's just say busy. Not only do all the regulars come in, starved of books, eager to claim more to take home. Because it is school holidays we have the families coming in.  Parents who already have children stating 'I'm bored.' DVD's zoom out the door. Console games are played endlessly. Some school projects are begun, not many but a few. There are some that get away. Take a few days off, a week off...even the whole holidays off. Get out and about and do something. Anything. Other half and I had the four days of Easter off. First day we gardened...mowed...weeded...tidied up. Second day... we adopted George. T...

Yes. Once again the school holidays are done and dusted. Once again we were busy--crazy busy. (which of course is excellent for the library, just hard physically...and mentally... on those that work there). So many people came to borrow, to read, to take home DVD's, to play console games. Dare I talk about console games? Lovely sunny days, warm days, and the console games were booked solid from morning to night. And at any mention of 'it's a beautiful day out there, wouldn't you rather be playing in it?' ...was met with a blank stare. From children...and their parents. What was encouraging were the numbers of children borrowing books. Lots of books ...piles of books...bags of books. Simply to get them through the next few weeks. Great sight. It was also nice to see everyone's creativity with the school holiday program. There were budding pirates complete with parrots---big machines, diggers and tractors, being created---live entertainment with st...

School holidays mean more work. Not because I have school aged children that need to be entertained and amused (been there done that got the T-shirt ) but because in the library school holidays mean a lot more folks through the door. More children, more adults, more programs to run. And it is nice to have something to do other than repeatedly telling children to 'please don't climb on that it's a bookcase, don't walk on chairs, get down from the table, that is a window climb down, pick up all the books you've just thrown onto the floor, inside voices, don't run in the library' etc etc (but that is so for another blog). It's the programs we run. Lots of fun and we do go that extra mile....more involved activities, and if we can dress up we dress up. Or maybe that's just me? Anyway last week I ran the 'it's the big bad...' I wore a red cape, carried a basket of goodies (in this case books to read) and skipped through the library...