Kids sharpen their creativity at Eston Library
By Joan Janzen
Eston Library had a busy summer, and the evidence is on display at 218 Main Street, but only for a short time. “We had three days of summer programming every week in July and August,” librarian Cassie Stocks explained. “Every Friday was cardboard city day.”
The kids’ carefully crafted and engineered cardboard city encompassed approximately eight feet of space as they began building upwards when they ran out of space. Once a week, between four and seventeen children, ages 5 to 13, were busy building for an hour and a half. “Sometimes they pushed it to two hours,” Cassie chuckled. “The kids enjoyed it so much they didn’t want to stop! There was almost no noise,” she added because the kids were concentrating on their project.
A bunch of creative children got together at Eston Library for a couple of hours every Friday during the summer and constructed a cardboard city. Submitted Photo
The building material consisted of paper towel rolls, remnants of cardboard, odds and ends from the craft cupboard, tape and glue. It required little supervision, with the exception of watching over the use of a hot glue gun.
Other activities included making treasure boxes, domino rallies and participating in a program called Notice Nature. “We had a whole table of kids learning how to whistle with a blade of grass,” Cassie said.
“Tuesday and Thursday, we have quiet reading days. Some come and hang out and read,” she explained. For every book they read, the children get to pick a polished gemstone from a crystal bowl. “They loved it. It would take them half an hour to pick a rock” since there were eight or nine different kinds to choose from. “And when the kids get tired of them, their parents can throw them on the driveway,” she chuckled.
A Lego club will be ongoing throughout the year. “I just let them lead with what they want to build,” Cassie said. “They just love making stuff!”
But the Eston Library isn’t just for kids; everyone is welcome. There’s also a free food pantry housed in the library, which anyone can access.
“Libraries are about more than just books,” Cassie explained. “They fill gaps in the community by providing services.”