Ah, summer at last. Lazy afternoons. Fun at the beach. The sound of bees, baby birds and … “Mom, I’m BORED!”
Yes, now that school is out and the young’uns are no longer confined to school desks and homework, that familiar summer nemesis of productively filling endless daylight hours can bring moms and dads to the brink.
What’s a parent to do when chores are done, outdoor play is exhausted and numerous pleading eyes gaze at you, begging for the miracle cure to summer doldrums?
My friends, I am happy to report I have a fix for the summer-time blahs. Pack up the kiddos and head to your local library.
Many decades ago, come summer vacation time, my mother took charge. We hopped into the car and soon thereafter entered the looming, multi-storied neo-classical building known as the public library. There I enrolled in the summer reading program. As elementary students, if we read a required number of books and gave an oral report of each over the three-month school break, in September our names would appear in the local newspaper.
As you can imagine, there was epic reading going on during those long-ago summer days. To have your actual name in the paper was about the coolest thing that could happen to a kid. This was, of course, before the Internet came along, allowing everybody his or her modicum of fame.
Thinking back on it now, I pity the poor librarian. As a kid I imagined she was on the edge of her seat listening to my breathtaking account of each exciting book. What would happen next? How would the story end? I couldn’t wait to tell her! That patient lady endured hundreds of book reports each summer, and she did it with a smile for every child.
So when I visited the local library recently with my two granddaughters, it was like entering a bygone era, albeit the Morgan Hill library is light-years more modern and inviting than the old library in my childhood hometown. Yet the modern library, like the libraries of yesteryear, still radiate that comfortable vibe—something like pulling on a pair of your old, favorite jeans.
My granddaughters Gracie, 7, and Emily, 5, were already signed up for the 2014 Summer Reading Club at the library, thanks to their alert mommy. They had by now discovered “Reading Buddies at the Library”—a program for first- through fourth-grade children that allows them to practice reading aloud to a “furry friend.” There my girls honed their skills while reading to a small therapy dog who was at the same time enjoying a nice tummy rub.
Wow! Things have definitely changed for the better at the library.
I helped myself to a schedule of activities. So many things await kids at the library. I settled on a comfy ottoman in the children’s reading section and perused the calendar of events. There are story times for toddlers and preschoolers—even a bilingual story time.
Kids can keep up with science and technology at the library all summer. For example, at the Gilroy Library will showcase five of the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose’s “most popular hands-on science projects for children” June 25. This promises family fun for everyone.
In Morgan Hill on Wednesday afternoons, enjoy everything from feature puppets, “mad science” and magic shows.
Find out—while summer is still young—what our local libraries offer kids and adults. In Morgan Hill, visit the library at 660 W. Main Ave. (408-779-3196). In Gilroy, the library is located at 350 W. Sixth St. (408-842-8207). Check out the Hollister Library at 470 Fifth St. (831-636-4107) and in San Juan Bautista, the library resides at 801 Second St. (831-623-4687).
Another nice thing about your library? It’s QUIET! Heaven knows we can all use a little of that in the summertime. Granted, some little ones aren’t as attuned to the notion of quiet time, but what better place to learn?
So visit your library soon. You’ll feel like you’ve pulled on your favorite pair of soft, comfortable jeans. I guarantee it.
