The Library's Young People’s Department is ready for the new year

For our young ones, our Storytime program has started back up. Every Tuesday at 10:00 am we will hold the program for children ages 0 months to 8 years. Storytime is great opportunity for children to develop and promote social skills, listening comprehension, and foundations of early literacy. Each program is full of great stories, crafts, and enjoyment of the company that joins us.

The Young People’s staff is excited to announce a Stuffed Animal Sleepover at the Library. On Wednesday, March 15, 2023, children can bring in a stuffed animal to spend the night in the library. We will kick off at 5:00 pm with Storytime and crafts with the children and their stuffies.

The stuffies will then stay the night and join in on all the usual sleepover shenanigans. We will be telling ghost stories, watching movies and eating popcorn, eating food to our hearts content, dancing to music but we may also have fun on the book shelves. Make sure that your stuffed animal gets signed up by March 8 in the Young People’s Department. It will be a time to remember!

Kansas entered the Union as the 34th state on January 29, 1861. The Young People’s Department is putting together different Kansas Day crafts each day for kids to enjoy from January 29 through February 3. We will have projects ranging from the state sunflower to the box turtle to making a salamander key chain. Stop by the library each day to pick up a new craft. Numbers of each craft are limited so stop by while they last to pick yours up.

March 2, 2023 is National Read Across America Day in honor of Dr. Seuss. This spring we will join in with a special Storytime of Dr. Seuss on February 28. The Young People’s Department will have a limited number of crafts for the children to pick up when they come to visit the library.

For our teens we have our first Friday Night Live on January 27 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. It will be a fun filled night with painting and friendship. The theme for this Friday Night Live is A King Speaks. Let Dr. King’s words and vision for peace inspire you to showcase your creativity while honoring his legacy.

All levels of teenage artists are welcome to sign up in the Young People’s Department for this special event. The library is also hosting a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. poster and poetry contest. Ask any of our staff on how to sign up.

New to our spring programing is our game night. Game night welcomes all who are in grades 6th through 12th grades and enjoy a relaxing night playing games in good company. We will have loads of fun playing board games, card games or even video games. We may even break out a great game of Twister. Music and snacks will be apart of our game night! Come join in on the fun, friendship, and laughter!

Teens: do you like reading? How about watching the movie of books you have read? Book 2 Movie is a great place to be for you! We have many great books and films planned for you. Authors have put their hearts onto the pages for us to read, and movie directors have put their heart into making those books come to life on the big screen.

However, there are the differences between the written word and the motion picture. Does it work when directors leave a part out? Let’s discuss. Join in the fun with other book and movie lovers.

Our February Book 2 Movie is Discovering Wes Moore by Wes Moore. Stop by the Young People’s Department to sign up and pick up your book. We look forward to seeing you.