Sarah Pruys
Just because school is out doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do here.
The Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre, for instance, has programs going on throughout the summer for kids of all ages.
On Tuesdays at 10 a.m., “Toddler and Baby Time” is for children and their parents or caregivers to enjoy songs and activities together.
Meanwhile, each Wednesday at 10 a.m. is “Story Time” for youngsters aged three and older. It consists of a fun-filled half-hour of songs, stories, and activities.
“We get a good turnout, sometimes upwards of 30 people,” noted children’s librarian Andrea Avis.
Also for kids three and up is the annual summer reading club, which will begin July 3.
Following the theme “Imagine: A Reading Adventure,” children can read books (or have books read to them if they are too young to read) and then report on them at the library.
Prizes are awarded for every five books read.
Those who read 10 or more are invited to the celebration party at the end of August while those who read 20 or more will receive a grand prize.
Children can report on up to three books a day.
“The TD Bank sponsors the reading program, and the Kiwanis Club sponsors the prizes and activities that support the program,” noted Avis.
“We’re fortunate that we have two sponsors, otherwise there wouldn’t be prizes and a party,” she stressed.
“We have our staff ready to go,” Avis added. “We’ve moved one of our ‘SmartBoards’ into the children’s department so that we can have things be more interactive with some of the programs we’ve created.”
Also coming up is the annual “Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” which will be held this Friday (June 29) starting at 11 a.m. at the library (rain or shine).
The event, which costs $3 to attend, will include children’s entertainer Jake Chenier performing at noon.
Those attending are reminded to bring along a blanket, a picnic lunch, and, of course, your teddy bear.
“We really enjoy the ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic,’ and we think it’s a good way to kick off the summer in the community and at the library,” Avis said.
New this summer is the “Cool Science Caravan,” which will be arriving in town in late July.
“It’s from Science North [and] they are coming on July 26 from 4-7 p.m.,” noted Avis.
“They have hand-on activities and they put on a show,” she added, noting a small charge will be charged.
For older children, or “tweens,” there will be four “Tween Thursdays” at the local library throughout the summer.
For just $3, the tweens will have an opportunity to partake in different workshops and theme days.
“The first one is neat. It’s a one-stroke painting technique workshop,” enthused Avis, which costs $10 to attend because an instructor has been hired to teach the kids.
“They make a beautiful flowerpot, which is completely painted,” she explained.
It will be held Thursday, July 5 at 2 p.m.
“The ‘London Olympics’ is going to have Olympic-like challenges, like a three-legged race, and maybe take a funny spin on it,” added Avis.
“We may also have some food that would be typical to London.
“For our sushi day [‘Sushi Rock ’n Roll’], we’re going to have Japanese things, so we might have some origami and we will be learning to make sushi,” she noted.
“It will be a Japanese-flavoured day.”
And “Mexican Fiesta” day will be similar to the “Sushi” day in terms of focusing on that culture.
Registration for these events is now open, with the activities scheduled for July 19, Aug. 2, and Aug. 16.
For teens (i.e., entering Grade 7 and older), the “Top Teen Novel 2012” currently is going on, with weekly voting on the four books beginning July 30.
Each vote enters your name into a draw to win a pair of Skullcandy Headphones, sponsored by the Fort Frances Kiwanis Club.
Avis also said they’ve just gotten notification that they are going to have a special showing of “The Hunger Games” on Friday, July 6 at 2 p.m.
This activity is free for teens.
Meanwhile, the next computer class is slated for Tuesday, July 3 entitled “Using the Library’s Catalogue.”
Then on July 9, there will be a class on ‘Skype: Talk to friends and family over the Internet,” followed by a class on “Navigating Google Maps” on July 23.
In addition to the family movie events scheduled for July 13, July 27, Aug. 10, and Aug. 24, Avis said movies showcasing or about senior citizens also will be shown July 20 and Aug. 17 at 2 p.m.
