How Freddy Roles

As I begin my last months before retirement, I find myself reflecting on my work, looking more carefully at each day, noticing work from a new perspective. It has been a privilege to work with dedicated people, creative people, incredibly brilliant people, but most of all, children. I have watched several families begin, grow, grow up, and start families of their own. I have been part of those lives, and believe me when I say, I take that part seriously. Sharing books, a love of reading, and creating an inviting  and comfortable atmosphere at the library is very, very important to me. I know I will be leaving my job in very capable hands. We have so many exciting new librarians in our library system and I cannot wait to watch them soar!

Freddy is our "Reading Dog" (he actually can read!). He serves the roles of comforter, listener, cuddler, and provides undivided attention for children. Jill brings Freddy every Monday for our reading program and they have quite a following. Jill is equally as wonderful as that angel of a dog, Freddy. She is such a light and really encourages and engages with children and their families. They were here at the library last night, and this morning I received this email:

Hi Georgia,
I just wanted to share with you something really wonderful that happened last night. There were a lot of families at the library last night, and it was great to see so many kids there. But something was a little different. When a child was waiting to read to Freddy, rather than just sitting and doing nothing, they picked up their books and started reading to their parent/s. And one child who read to Freddy didn't get to finish the entire book. So when her turn ended, she found a comfy corner in the library and read aloud (but quietly) to her mom and brother. It was inspiring to see the children so engaged in their books and interacting with their parents. In this day and age where kids and parents won't lift their eyes from their cell phones, iPads and video games, it was exciting to see such lively interactions. Thanks for allowing us to be part of the fun!

Isn't it great when you can actually witness something working ?

Deep Freeze

We are so fortunate to have an awesome intern this summer in our Youth Services Department! Misty has added her talent, experience, enthusiasm, and extensive knowledge of all things Disney, Marvel, and beyond. Turns out that Misty is a member of Daikon Cosplay, a group that models, acts, costumes, and participates in Cosplay events.
She is passionate about this fun part of her life and is thrilled to share her characters with children and adults. The costumes are made by hand and are beautiful. Lots of time and talent, not to mention creativity and expense, go into creating these costumes.

Look who came to the library yesterday!

Anna and Elsa shared stories and photo ops with 155 people and then proceeded to walk around the library and then have lunch (in costume) at DQ. Lots of happy kids!

Fairies will be coming to visit the library in August and Ariel will be coming in September. Character events go over really well at our library and the books that are related fly off the shelves. It is an affordable program that promotes books and has crowd appeal.

to contact Misty and Kissi:   facebook.com/daikoncosplay

Pop Up Library in the Park

Today Youth Services took some library fun to the park in New Richmond. Jessi, my assistant in Youth Services, and Misty, our summer intern, took chalk, books, and their creative and fun loving selves to Mary Park. They started at one end of the sidewalk path and used chalk to draw activities to do along the way. It ended with a suggestion to have an adult take you to the library. I thought this was so clever!

They shared stories with lots of families who were at the park and told them about the events we have coming up at the library. The weather was perfect and it was a fun way to make the library visible to people who may not have been to the library or are not aware of the events.

Yoga Mats and Downward Dogs

We had a new experience today at storytime. The theme was yoga and it was exciting to see the littles come in toting their very own yoga mats. We supplied some mats for those who did not bring their own. My friend Sandra was generous enough to come in and lead our class.

I read a couple of books after we tried some stretches and then Sandra went through some poses with the children.

The class concluded with teddies on tummies so the children could watch their own breathing .

I helped the children make Calming Bottles with glitter glue and water. The caps were then hot glued onto the bottles.

Everyone chose from a variety of yoga books and DVD's  to take home. It was really enjoyable to share this experience at the library with children. The parents seemed to appreciate the calm as well

 :  )

Snow Business Camp-in

Last night we set up camp at the library. Teen Tuesday activities included: pitching a tent, building a campfire, making snow, and putting together some yummy s'mores on a stick. The teens were having so much fun they just stayed for our family camp-in program!

The Snow in Seconds that I purchased on amazon was a huge hit that will be making another appearance this Friday for our Footloose Friday program. It is a powder that grows instantly into fluffy, cold, white snow. The powder expands 100x!!!

There were stories around the campfire........

while munching on S'more pops.

 Don't forget to catch some fish!

                                      

The teens had a great time and really enjoyed interacting with the families. Well done teens!