The Library Effect

The summer break seems interminable for some children. The heat and the chores of the day are broken by the library opening time. Look outs watch for the team as either a bike or a car or van from Bookworm pull into the lane.

Languid young boys struggling to grow up fast into men, watch our young library educators as they make their way to the library room – passing comments about ‘style’, driving ability and maybe books !  I show up on a hot Saturday afternoon to assist in the library and the same boys shout ‘good evening miss’ or ‘hello miss’ deferring to my age and bulk. I urge them to come, to return to the library and someone says, “vaaz yeta “, “we are bored”. I feel we have lost them, because to combat this very boredom of existence, the perfect antidote is reading !

The girls however, are all in the library room. They chant ‘good evening miss’ , some more peep in and within a few minutes the room is full of voices, chatter and questions. I realise that for many girls in this community, the library is a refuge on a hot evening. It is a space they can come to and be ensured something stimulating to do for a few hours.

Our library educators had prepared well as they are want to do. The children have a host of exciting choices and they select what they want to do with determination. As I think of the evening, I realise that the children spent two hours in a fascinating space of play and learning.

There was quiet reading

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Poetry Writing

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Pretend Play

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Read Alouds

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Games

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Craft

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Certificate awards

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Book lending

We closed the library room and returned to our vehicles. The same group of boys grown wearier by the heat barely squeaked out good byes while the girls full of life and light cheerily wished us a good evening and skipped off home.

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