By Karen Mack, Youth Services Librarian
Sedona AZ (August 23, 2019) – Don’t miss out on all that Sedona Public Library offers for local and visiting youth. After a summer season packed with reading challenges and amazing library events, the youth services crew is now focusing on providing library services to families on a school schedule. Event calendars are available at the Library and are online at sedonalibrary.org. Take a look at the calendar and you will see that the Library is a wonderfully busy and inspirational place during the school year as well.
During the last school year, we hosted many programs that were engaging and well attended. To describe a few: When local schools had early-release days, we provided science kits, game boards, and extra laptop computers, as well as offering “maker day” activities for students. Out in the community, we presented 77 toddler and preschool story time sessions, and in the children’s room at the Library, staff engaged youngsters in around 140 story time sessions. During the last school year, children enjoyed after-school chess club, book club, and Pokémon club. They also enjoyed a visit by Jerry Pallotta, the author of many nonfiction children’s books, including the very popular series “Who Would Win?”
In the spring, middle and high schoolers, homeschoolers, and the general public were treated to a day of workshops at the Sedona Performing Arts Center with bilingual poet, performer, DJ, and educator Logan Phillips. Also for this age group, we created an online fall reading challenge. About 250 teens participated, writing hundreds of online comments about what they were reading. Through a Sedona Public Library connection, a homeschooler learned about the annual National Garden Club poetry contest and ended up winning third place in the nation! And did you hear about the Library’s time capsule? It’s now deep in the ground for the next 40 years and contains stories, poetry, and predictions of local youth who participated.
Looking ahead, the library calendar for the 2019 to 2020 school year is filling up with class visits, story times, guest presenters, and special events. Story time is again scheduled three mornings a week, and many sessions include bilingual stories, music, or sign language. Early-release drop-in activities are scheduled for Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., with the next activity being an Apple-Licious crafts program on September 4. Movies, rated G or PG, with popcorn, will be featured on the second Wednesday of each month. On Thursdays, we welcome back Dr. B for another year of after-school chess club! Once a month, Miss Annette brings traditional songs and beautiful music to the children’s room.
We are scheduling more “Fun with Math and Science” sessions for preschoolers and opportunities for older children to try out new tech. Family geology programs, author visits, writing workshops, special celebrations, and more are currently being coordinated and will soon be added to the calendar.
Do these activities interest you? Please put the library calendar on your fridge or bookmark it on your phone. Library events and services are free. See you at the Library!