Libraries are such wonderful spaces. They hold so much knowledge, wisdom and experience within their walls, and call me weird, but I feel all that in the air inside. When we found out that Seattle public library had a summer reading program and tons of activities for the kids, there was no way I was going to let the kids miss out on an experience like that.
Here are some photos of the Children’s section of the main branch of Seattle Public Library.
In the month of July, we came here as often as we could. Kids, mother, grandmother, water bottles, snacks and sometimes even lunch! The main library had a story time for pre-schoolers every Thursday, which we tried to attend.
In addition, they had special programs every week.
Firefighter story time
As with most kids his age, Daksh is fascinated by fire trucks and firefighters. So attending this was was a given. The firefighter story time in the Central Library, which is closest to Athena and Arjun’s home, was during the time we were traveling to Iceland. So I made Rahul drive us to one of the branches of the library, so Daksh wouldn’t miss it. One of the firefighters read a fire-safety themed story to the children. Another one donned his full firefighting gear in front of the children. They said this was so the kids don’t get scared looking at the firefighters in the event of an actual fire, and that made a lot of sense. Finally, the kids (and their grandmas) were allowed to climb onto the fire truck and check out the equipment in it. What a thrill for a firefighter obsessed 4 year old!
Bam, Boom, Shake the Room!
Eli Rosenblatt is a performer and composer based in Seattle, and he did a series of musical events for Seattle Public Library called Bam, Boom, Shake the Room! He incorporated music from all over the world in his performance, and the songs were a mix of fun and learning for the kids.
Stellaluna puppet show
The Capitol Hill branch of Seattle Public Library was also near our home in Seattle. We missed the date when this puppet show was happening in the main library, so we went to the Capitol Hill branch. It so happened that we tried to go to a story time in this branch, but could not because the room was at full capacity, though we arrived almost 10 minutes early. Daksh was really disappointed but we made up by reading a few books in the library. I didn’t want to miss this puppet show, so true to my form, I got the kids ready and out of the house one hour before the scheduled time, made Rahul drive us there so I wouldn’t be late, and ended up reaching even before the doors were open. Yes, that’s me :-). But the kids loved it, and I was so glad I didn’t miss it. It was performed by a lady from Tears of Joy Theater, based in Portland, and what fun it was. It was not like the traditional puppet shows, but I liked this new avatar of it.
Professor Ficklestein’s Energy Extravaganza
This was the last event we attended at the library. Daksh didn’t really understand most of it but had fun nevertheless. The prof spoke about different forms of energy and how one form of energy can transform to another, not really Daksh’s level of material, but he still throws out some words that he caught at this event like he knows what he’s talking about! Very apt that the energy extravaganza was explained by an Einstein-ish prof?
Lovely write up. I love the opportunities of attending such events when we travel. It reminds me of when A was younger. Looks like you had a brilliant summer.
This is what true education is all about. Learning about life through experiences. Hats off to all the mothers who spend time thought and energy to make every learning experience a pleasant one. This is from a grandma who wishes she had done all this for her own children.
Hi Anusha, sounds like a super duper vacation. The pictures are lovely. Looks like you all enjoyed a lot.