Monday's Internet Edition, September 08, 2008.
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“We found that when children are about 12 or 13 years old, they enter the age range where they think that they’re to old to be involved with the children’s department,” said Sherrill Banks, who formerly worked in the children’s department at the Thomasville Public Library and now is the library’s young adult department coordinator.
“They’re not ready for the adult department at that age, and they often felt they had no place in the library. I think creating the young adult section has been very advantageous for those children.”
The young adult section is actually designed for children in the 12-17 age group, but as Banks and Lori Tart, the children’s department head, pointed out some children at age 12 aren’t ready for the young adult program, while some children under 12 already are.
For those who have picked up flyers at the library regarding its summer reading program, there have been some changes. A couple of important deadlines have been extended. The registration deadline for the Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales program for the child readers has been extended from June 23 (as stated on the flyer) to July 7. Also, the deadline for the art contest for the Teen Summer Reading Program has been moved back from June 26, as stated on the flyer to July 8.
These programs are free. The Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales program is holding a couple of field trips, where there is an admission charge to get in the trips’ destination points, but this is not payable to the library. On July 10, children, their parents and members of the library staff will meet at 9:45 a.m. at the Natural Science Center in Greensboro and on July 24 this group will meet at 9:45 a.m. at Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville. Transportation cannot be provided, for insurance reasons, but the staff member will be on hand.
Other than the admission fees at the Natural Science Center and Lazy 5 Ranch, transactions go in favor of the reading children. During their sessions, where they learn more about a certain group of animals, the children are given a project to do and are allowed to take the craft they make home. One recent example is when the group studied marsupials on June 29, each child made a kangaroo pouch, which he or she was allowed to keep.
“We want the children to have a solid art project to take home that reminds them of the things they learned in class,” Tart said.
Tart and others at the library liked the idea of exotic animals as a theme for their summer reading program this year because it had a potential for making learning fun for the children.
“A lot of our classes have been about pets, but this gives the children a chance to learn about exotic animals,” Tart said. “We’ve already talked about amphibians and we plan to have sessions on reptiles and wolves.”
The theme for the teenagers’ program this summer is “Get Graphic at Your Library.”
“I noticed a lot of teenagers were getting into the animated graphic models and the comic-book characters,” Banks said. “I thought that since this was our first program designed for their age group that this would be a neat thing to catch their attention.”
The winner of the Summer Teen Art Contest will be announced on July 15 by Ben Towle, an animator out of Winston-Salem, who will also give a presentation, which showcases his skills as an entertainer.
By reading, both the children, normally in the kindergarten through fifth grade age group, and the teenagers are rewarded for their participation. Tart awards the children “zoo dollars” for time spent reading and participating in the program, while Banks pays “crazy cash” to the teenagers. While this is not legal tender, the participants can spend it at the library’s “store” for candy and even more expensive items. Furthermore, Banks holds a drawing every week for her teenagers, and prizes include desirable items, such as CD players. But the real “pay” for this program goes beyond the prizes and reward items.
“By keeping up with their reading skills during the summer, children don’t lose the skills that they gained during the school year,” Tart said. “The average child, if not participating in a reading program, will lose from-two-to-three-months worth of information over the summer.”
Fortunately, that doesn’t have to happen to a child in Thomasville. And, there’s more.
“One thing that we’ve never done before is out theater arts class,” Tart said. “They are held Tuesdays at 2:30. We study things like improv acting, voice projection and tongue twisters. We’ll have classes in puppetry, costume and face painting.”
On Tuesday evenings, the library will be showing movies for the teenagers. Not only are they free, but refreshments, like pizza, are provided. There is a movie program, called “Page to Screen,” in which participants are encouraged to read a book and then see the movie version of the novel. These are also good for the library-store currency. The end of summer party comes on July 28, when the children are treated by the appearance of Donna Pruitt, also known as the "Balloon Lady." This has been moved to 2 p.m., despite the time that appears on the flyer. She has the ability to entertain children by telling stories and illustrate them by molding balloons into appropriate shapes. Those who participate will be given a T-shirt at the end of the summer with a logo designed by a former child-participant.
Even after the end of the summer program, the fun continues. The children’s and young adult departments will jointly participate in a birthday party for Harry Potter on July 31.
“We’re going to show all four Harry Potter movies on different dates in August,” Tart said. “At the party, the children will get to make magic wands and participate in other related activities. Of course, we’ll have a big birthday cake for Harry.”
If you are your children are interested, but not yet registered for these free, worthwhile programs, call the library at 472-2690.”
“We want the children of Thomasville to keep reading and keep developing their vocabulary,” Tart said. “That way, they’ll be more prepared for the next grade level.”
Staff Writer Kevin Reid can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 230, or reid@tvilletimes.com.