We're building literacy and community one brick at a time at the Chinatown Branch!
Children and their families sure are enjoying the BIG addition to our children's area. Tucked into a small corner of the children's area, the new building blocks are popular with all ages and have been used to build a bakery, a homework castle, a robot and countless houses. On a recent Saturday, some children participated in an impromptu design game, building favorite vehicles, animals and parts of our fair city. We have even seen a version of the Chinatown Gate!
Once built, huge pretend scenes develop around these structures. Checker cookies are pulled fresh from the oven. Monsters attack the castle, and the robot answers questions about space. Through this kind of play, children learn about their world, acquire new vocabulary and work on important social skills.
What a fun way to learn and discover in your library!
Grownups, are you wondering what all the noise is about? Take a look at the purpose behind the play in Sue McCleaf Nespeca's white paper The Importance of Play, Particularly Constructive Play, in Public Library Programming, which was written for the Association of Library Service for Children, a division of the American Library Association.
