by kellie abrahamson
While quiet is still strongly suggested, even the youngest of readers can find something at the Jacksonville Public Library. The love of reading and good clean fun are married with free programs for kids and teens, allowing them to see that the library isn’t just some boring place where they keep the books. Take a look at just some of the events happening at the Main Library in June and see for yourself.
On Saturdays at 4 pm, 20 lucky kids get their chance at seeing if a career as a visual artist is in their future. Children ages 6 to 12 will explore their creative talents while experimenting with different media.
On Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 11:45 am, families can spend some quality time together making art worthy of any refrigerator. Kids up to age 12 can participate with their parents.
If you’re afraid to let your toddler play with paints at your brand new kitchen table (who could blame you?), let them unleash their creative energy at the library. On Saturdays at 10:30 am and Thursdays at 11 and 11:30 am, kids ages 18-36 months and their brave caregivers can experiment with art and someone else gets to clean it up.
Dora the Explorer isn’t the only one that can teach your child some Spanish. The folks over at the Main Library spend some time every Wednesday at 11 am to share a story or two in español and ingles (if you don’t know what that says, this storytime is for you). Kids up to age 5 and their caregivers are invited to enjoy this muy bien program.
Small daycare groups are invited to take a fieldtrip to the library to hear some stories, sing some songs and have a lot of fun. This fun program takes place on Mondays at 10:30 am and is designed for kids up to age 5. Daycare providers should pre-register.
Little readers can enjoy a morning of books, songs and dancing during Mother Goose Storytime. Designed for babies up to 18 months, this drool-worthy program occurs every Friday at 9:30 am. Space is limited to 10 babies (who could handle more than that?) and their caregivers, so show up early!
Thanks to Pokemon, Sailor Moon and Hello Kitty, anime in all its forms is more popular than ever. Meeting the third Saturday of each month at 3 pm, teens can share their love for the genre by watching anime films and showing off their Manga drawings.
On Saturday, June 23 at 11 am local bands will have a rock-off at the library’s 2nd annual Battle of the Bands. The winning band will get a chance to go to the studio and lay down some tracks.
Who says you have to choose between reading a book and playing video games? Apparently, the library thinks otherwise. Play a little PS2 and kick someone’s butt at Monopoly on the fourth Monday of each month at 5:30 pm.
All of these terrific programs are free to the public, but most are first-come-first-served so be sure to sign up early. If the Main branch is simply too far for you to travel every week, why not check out what’s happening in your neighborhood library. Events just like these happen at branches all over the city, so take advantage of them and help encourage a love of reading in your kids.
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