A Trip to the Library and Not a Single Book

Have you ever gone to the library and not even looked at the books? People generally go in, grab a book or a movie and leave. Today, we are here to discuss the massive list of other things you can do at your local library. To get started, lets take a sample from my county library’s calendar. This is the week of June 12-18, 2016:
Holy Crap! Healthy Recipe Roundup? Let us entertain you: Mermaid Princess? Beginning Indian Dance? Zootopia?? That’s just one week’s worth of events in Osceola County. There is something for all age groups. And it’s all free!
In the last 6 months my kids have met Darth Vader, taken a sewing class, learned how to make proper English tea, explored different decades based on the American Girl dolls who lived them, and most recently, taken a starter course in geocaching. At Halloween they trick-or-treated their way through the levels of the downtown library. In December they took a ballet class based on the Nutcracker. We’ve seen magicians and celebrated Harry Potter’s birthday. We’ve taken painting classes and built hanging gardens out of empty soda bottles. Our children’s librarian is constantly coming up with ideas that both entertain and engage kids.

Don’t be afraid to explore all the libraries in your area, rather you are eligible for a library card or not. We live in an area that encompasses 4 separate counties and have 6 libraries within a 30 minute drive. We only qualify for a library card at one of them but that has never been an issue. Most libraries don’t even need you to register for a library card to participate in activities (though some do require advanced registration).This post boils down to one key idea: visit the library! To paraphrase every episode of Reading Rainbow ever made, give a kid a library card and you give them endless adventures! So thanks LeVar Burton! Now go have an adventure!Here are the links to some libraries to get you started. Google is your best friend in finding you specific local library! Feel free to message me with questions!

Osceola County Library (FL)
Polk County Library (FL)
Orange County Library (FL)
Lake County Library (FL)
Onondaga County Library (NY)
Cayuga County/Finger Lakes Library (NY)