Library entertains kids with lizards and Leonardo

During the recent school holidays, Taupo Public Library hosted an entertaining and diverse holiday programme which was attended by almost 700 local children.

There was an array of free activities and subject categories to suit all ages from toddlers to teens. Children’s Librarian Kevin Collins says the aim was to see just what could be done in the library’s wonderful newly refurbished premises. “From dance productions and pet shows to digging for dinosaur bones, the community can be reassured that their library has few boundaries.”

Toddlers enjoyed ‘Thomas Tuesdays’ with Thomas the Tank Engine crafts and stories bubbling from the building; juniors learnt about constellations and town designs; and teenagers got to try their hand at being a librarian for 90 minutes.

The ‘Paws & Claws’ pet show welcomed everything from Persian cats to birds and lizards as guests of the library. “Young Zara even brought her pet mouse along – once the cats were gone, after the dog was gone and before the birds were released. There was an art of coordination there!” says Mr Collins.

During the ‘Age of the Dinosaurs’ activity, children created their own dinosaur, completed a list of beasts from A-Z, and dug for T-Rex bones which they reassembled into a skeleton now on display.

A ‘Dance Extravaganza’ entertained the crowd with a fantastic variety of styles including hip-hop, jazz and ballet.

There were many other activities scattered throughout the programme including some old classic story-telling. “Cinderella was a hit,” says Mr Collins. “It’s great to see the old classics still captivate an audience, enriched by the values and principles they contain within.”

The programme even went outside the library walls, with the Mobile Library Bus housing giant origami creations and pirate activities, and games of ‘Frisbee golf’ on Tongariro Domain.

Throughout the fortnight, children were also kept engaged by a puzzle to solve within the library itself. The ‘Leonardo Library Code’ took children on an adventure throughout the building, teaching them about the library layout and the life of da Vinci. Ten-year-old Elliot Whittleton was the overall winner, drawn from 21 correct entries.

“What the library will provide next will have to be waited for with anticipation,” says Mr Collins.