Summer is just around the corner, and Perry Memorial Library staff is planning a host of programs to keep youngsters occupied while they’re enjoying their time away from school.
Youth Services Director Melody Peters said the library will be a cool spot to visit over the summer, and not just for the air conditioning.
“It’s free – all summer long,” she told WIZS’s Bill Harris during the library’s recurring segment of The Local Skinny!
A new space for teens is being created just outside the Maker Space, Peters said. They’ve ordered some new “cool” furniture for the spot, which will be geared to young people in middle and high school. Teens that take part in the summer reading program will get coupons that they can turn in for sweet summer treats.
The reading program isn’t just for teens, however. There are a variety of ways to track progress – from time spent reading to chapters completed, and participants can come to the library each week to track their progress and get prizes.
“We want everybody to join us,” Peters said. The reading challenge kicks off at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13.
The N.C. Cooperative Extension is offering a Lunch and Learn program on Wednesdays for students in grades 6-8. The first session will be Wednesday, June 14, Peters said, and participants will be cooking and making different recipes each week.
And although the Mother Goose storytime is taking a break in May, Peters said the time slot – Thursdays at 11 a.m. – is still a great time for young children to come and take part in some “make and take” craft projects.
“It really is for all ages,” she said, adding that there’s a theme for each week’s projects through the month.
Peters said craft activities are really important ways for youngsters to develop skills that they need at school. “I was hearing from teachers that kids really missed out on some of those skills with scissors, painting“ during the pandemic. “Kids really lost two years of using scissors, using glue – those fine motor skills really do matter.”
Another way young people can use their imagination and develop those fine motor skills at the same time is by coming to the Lego Club. The Club begins June 15 at 4:30 p.m. in the children’s storytime area.
Participants will have the option of “free-build” or they can accept a challenge, Peters said.
“We’re going to try to have challenges and then say, ‘show us what you did,’” she added.
Contact the library at 252.438.3316 to learn more about any of the programs the library offers. Peters’s extention is 226. Or you can visit www.perrylibrary.org or follow the library on Facebook or Instagram.
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