Smith
Spring break has changed a lot since I was a kid.
I usually spent the entire extra five days (because that’s all we got) as a couch potato. I’d watch all the daytime talk shows and soap operas that I missed out on during the school day, or if I was lucky I might find a TV marathon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Spike. We didn’t have streaming, so we couldn’t spend the days with Netflix asking if we were still watching. Or I might go to my local bookstore and browse to fill in my Nancy Drew collection or Harlequin Silhouette romances. If it was warm out, I could stretch out on the front porch and immerse myself in a new story.
I went to the bookstore because I didn’t have a library nearby where I grew up. The nearest library was a good twenty minutes away, and we had to pay to get a library card because we didn’t live in the taxing district. Even if we decided to go that far, the library didn’t really have any interesting programs at the time, or really any programs at all. We definitely didn’t have anything cool like the Greenwood Public Library has going on – no matter your age, your interests, your crafting abilities – GPL is THE DESTINATION for your Spring Break 2022.
Get out of bed early for storytimes – Jump Start (birth-35 months) and Smart Start (3-5 years) will be available at various morning times for singing, reading, and engaging in physical and mental developmental skills. Exploration Stations and our new Sensory Room will be available for drop-ins in the Kids departments for all to enjoy. Kids can also challenge themselves to make a pom-pom shooter, or join Full STEAM Ahead to become a brick master in a Lego Challenge, and Beat the Clock as you test your skills in a series of minute-to-win-it challenges.
We have challenges for patrons of all ages. Stop in and grab a Code Breakers packet from our second floor help desk and challenge yourself to crack the codes on a self-guided mystery around the library. While you’re here, the whole family should definitely stop in for one of our Thursday Family Movie Marathons, get some popcorn and participate with fun crafts and interactives and watch some of your favorite Pixar films and book adaptations. Speaking of crafts, kids and their parents are also invited to The Studio Kids YouTube Along, where we’ll watch crafting videos and give our best attempts at making what we see. Make sure you come together, since it’s a family program.
You might have noticed a theme to our spring break programs. We’re all about getting you to Challenge Yourself this spring at GPL. Everyone is invited to participate in our spring challenge on Beanstack. We’re challenging you to grow, learn, and explore in six different areas. To earn one of the badges- Read, Parks, Try, Health, Learn, and Calm – you simply need to complete any five of the activities listed. Participating in library programs will help you win. Once you earn a badge, you can stop by the library to pick up a pin.
Phew. That was a lot. I told you we have a crazy amount of activities happening at GPL this spring break, and I couldn’t even include everything. So make sure you take a little time out of your vacation to come say hello to your favorite librarians, check out a book or five, and Challenge Yourself to have some fun. Greenwood Public Library is a great place to start.
