It’s a New Year at Perry Library and staff have planned some exciting programs to offset winter’s cold – from gluten-free volcano construction to Wii games in the teens’ Maker Space.

Youth Services Director Melody Peters said that in addition to the return of program staples like Mother Goose Story Time for youngsters 0-5 years at 11 a.m. on Thursdays, library patrons can take part in First Fridays for preschool groups beginning this Friday, Jan. 10.

Technically, Jan. 10 is the second Friday, but Peters told WIZS’s Bill Harris that the New Year’s holiday created a slight scheduling wrinkle.

The initial First Friday activity targets children ages 3-5 involves making a volcano, Peters said, using baking soda, almond flour (so it’s gluten-free) and vinegar. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. and lasts about a half hour, and Peters said it covers all the bases for engaging preschoolers in hands-on activities while exposing them to science – on this case, the chemical reaction created by mixing baking soda and vinegar.

The Lego STEAM club and gaming club meet on Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and it’s a time for children to get their imaginations flowing as they creatively build with those iconic colorful plastic bricks. Teens gather in the Maker Space for games on the Nintendo Wii.  But for the younger kids, there’s the “regular, good old-fashioned” board games – “Don’t Break the Ice!” is a particular favorite, Peters said. The library also has a Pokémon game for young people to join in the fun of collecting those still-popular trading cards first introduced in the mid 1990’s.

Find out more at https://www.perrylibrary.org/.