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For whatever reason, kindergarten students at our school are not allowed to check out books from the library. This disappointed me because I remember how much fun library day was each week when I was in school. We have a nearby public library, which we used to visit quite a bit. With school, however, we just haven't had time.
The other day I mentioned the possibility of going to the library since school is out all this week. My girls were thrilled. Then I decided to capitalize on their excitement. Want to go to the library? Your rooms have to be clean.
It worked like a charm. They cleaned their rooms without complaint. They purged the stuffed animals from their beds (one of them had at least 20 toys on her bed) and even crawled under their beds to retrieve books and more toys. Then one of the girls said "I bet we have to clean the entire downstairs, too, if we want to go to the library." They were game, so the house is in decent shape!
We'll be heading to the library soon to find some books and movies to keep all of us occupied this week.
My daughters love to read. I'm glad they enjoy a good book, because I am an avid reader, too. These days, though, my reading is usually done on my 30 minute lunch break at work.
When my daughters were about a year and a half, I took them to a local library. They enjoyed being surrounded by books, even though the librarian kept trying to steer them toward board books and away from the picture books on the shelves. For the most part, I didn't see the library as a necessity. My mom was an elementary school teacher and we have hundreds of her books. I'm not exaggerating. When my mom died, my dad had me go through all of her books and set aside books for myself and my sister. It's quite nice to curl up with my girls on our "book couch" and read books to them that I remember my mom reading to me.
Then one day, I was taking my daughters somewhere and they asked me about a construction site we had just passed. I told them it was going to be a library. They asked if we could go when it opened and I agreed. It took a loooong time for the library to be built. I received a "back seat update" on the construction every time we passed the site. It's fairly close to our house, but it's not on a route we travel often. So imagine my surprise when we drove by just a few weeks ago and the parking lot was packed with cars. It was time to plan our library trip.
We ended up going on a Tuesday. We returned that same week on Friday and have made Friday our "Library Day." All of the girls have fun looking at the books in the children's section and picking out a book of her own. They also enjoy exploring the library and sitting in every single chair they pass. (You think I'm joking, don't you?) There is a sitting area with a fireplace, so I've already promised when can sit there for awhile when the fire is lit. Their only complaint is that they don't have their very own library card. I'll have to ask how old they will need to be to get one.
The library has been a nice teaching tool. On our visits, my girls are learning to be quiet and respect the grown ups who are there working. They're learning how to share and they're learning that just because you want a certain book that doesn't mean it will be there. (Sue Sue desperately wants to check out Pinkalicious, so I finally put my name on the waiting list. We're second in line, so I'm hoping it becomes available soon!) So if you need to find us on a Friday afternoon, chances are we're at the library.
