Friends of the Columbus Metropolitan LibraryLibrary makes connections
Last week was a good time for making connections with our kids at Parsons during different SRC programs. “Farmer Jane” had our kids help make soup during Monday’s program, while on Tuesday Stephen Knight showed a captive audience the magic of reading. Thursday’s teen program was especially positive. Russell Merritt presented about manga and cartooning and made a special connection with Jamie, one of our teens who is a budding artist. Russell’s presentation was obviously very inspirational for Jamie and he encouraged her in her art, even offering to look at her portfolio when he comes back to the library at the end of the month. It was inspiring to see a performer make such an impact on one of our younger customers.
Turtle Lady draws a crowd
Parsons staff were able to really see the impact the library has on kids through three fun programs the week of June 22. Monday saw the Turtle Lady draw in 47 people who loved seeing all of her reptile friends, big and little. On Tuesday twenty kids got creative and made their own little creatures with the Monster Mash program. Thursday we finished up the week with over a dozen kids enjoying teen gaming in the meeting room. It was nice to see people taking advantage of all the free programs and entertainment that the library provides!
Parsons scores with puzzles, mystery maps and Wii
Summer Reading Club
On June 11, we hosted Renuka Bhatt and the whole branch enjoyed getting henna tattoos – even the staff got in on the fun! Displaying our henna designs to the patrons was a very effective way to advertise the program, and many kids said they’d be back later in the summer when Renuka comes to visit us again.
First graders visit Parsons branch
Buckeye Middle School learns about Summer Reading Club
With the school year winding down, this can only mean one thing: SUMMER READING CLUB! Tuesday, the Parsons Branch HHC Coordinator Megan Engelhardt and South High’s Teen LA Shawn Ellis paid a visit to the fifth graders of Buckeye Middle School. The visit included a book discussion of some of Megan’s favorite books as well as an introduction to the Teen Summer Reading Club at CML from Shawn. The visit left more than 90 Buckeye Middle School fifth graders excited about some of the new teen books that CML has to offer and not to mention a great desire to join the Summer Reading Club!
Local students create art for Summer Reading Club
fun programs this summer.
Parsons branch holds art show reception
A Children’s Art Show Reception was held at the Parsons branch on April 6. The show of support from parents and teachers for the young artists of the Parsons community was just wonderful. Due to the generosity of FOL we were able to purchase an enormous cake and refreshments for the 100+ people that showed up.
Have you seen the Parsons window seat?
. He was so thrilled to discover something new to play with, that he happily posed for pictures! He was very reluctant to leave.
And Kathy Shahbodaghi stopped in yesterday and shared this: “I spent a delightful 15 minutes on the floor playing with a 4 year old and the manipulatives. She was interested in them, but wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to do (her older sibling wasn’t paying any attention). She didn’t know her colors, except red, or her letters. Without any effort at all, she knew 3 new colors by the time we were done and the letter B. In fact, she was so proud of her new found knowledge that she spontaneously started pointing out colors–in the bench and on the stained glass in the window. When I left, she was happily telling herself more stories (from the spinning stories)!”
Friends support teen lock-in
The South High Branch and Friends of the Library helped celebrate the end of Teen Tech Week with its annual spring lock-in. Twenty-four teens enjoyed a typical lock-in evening of food, video games, unlimited computer use and even a little bit of reading. They also enjoyed a surprise presentation from the Columbus Police Department. They were given an in-depth look at the daily routine of a Columbus Police Officer as presented by the South High area’s community liaison, Officer Brad White. At the end of the presentation, Officer White opened the floor for questions and said there was only one thing that the teens could not ask: “Why do cops always eat donuts?” Everyone had a wonderful time and this was such a great way for the South High teens to cap off Teen Tech Week!
