Holiday Youth Programs at the Public Library Are Offered

Fort Scott Public Library, National Avenue at 2nd Street.
Submitted by Valetta Cannon
Fort Scott Public Library
Youth Librarian & Assistant Director
 
 
 
For Kids: 
Teen party in 2019 at the library. Submitted photo.
Party: Meet Miss Val to pick up a holiday party-in-a-bag on December 17, 20, or 21. Miss Val will hand out bags to kids ages birth-5th grade from Noon to 5 pm on December 17 & 21 and from Noon to 4 pm on December 20. Come to the downstairs desk and ask for Miss Val! While supplies last; items are subject to availability. While there is no minimum age limit, the bags are designed primarily for kids ages 3-11. Each bag will contain:

Holiday Activities, Games, Gifts, and Treats. Kids can choose between a Cozy and a Chic party bag.

Letters to Santa: While picking up your holiday bag, write a letter to Santa and send it to the North Pole through the library’s Magic Mailbox.
Dec Our Walks: The library’s sidewalks (aside from the painted front walk) are bare. Bring them to life for the holidays! Ask for a chalk bucket at the downstairs desk and Dec the Walks. A laminated sheet of design ideas will be provided, and adult supervision is required.
Activities for ALL AGES: 
Go on a Candy Cane Hunt in the library! Now through the end of December, you may hunt for candy canes every day the library is open. Here’s how it works: Find a paper candy cane in a book from the children’s or young adult sections. Bring it to the front desk, along with the book so our staff can record which title was found. Get a real candy cane in exchange for the paper one! Limit 1 per day per person. No age limit.
 
Candy Guessing Contest:How many pieces of candy do you think are in this year’s Holiday Candy Jar? If your guess is the nearest to the correct number, you will win the whole jar! Share it with your loved ones or enjoy it all by yourself. In the event of a tie, the candy will be split evenly (as possible) between contestants. The contest will be open for entries from November 15 – December 15, 2021. Winner(s) will be notified within 2 days of the contest’s end. Entries missing critical information or made after the contest end date (Dec. 15 @ 11:59 pm) will be disqualified. Limit 1 entry per person. Must be able to pick up at the Fort Scott Public Library after the contest ends. Library staff and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate. Fill out this form to enter: https://forms.gle/4RgkLSZ32Ki9jM6VA
For 6th – 12th Graders: Our first indoor, in-person event at the library since March, 2020 will be this year’s Holiday Teen Party for middle and high school students!  The party will take place in the upstairs main room of the library on December 20, 4-5 pm. Pre-Registration is REQUIRED for all attendees. Go here to register: https://forms.gle/ms84YVtHAJLJMhAQ9 Due to covid concerns, we need to keep the crowd small, so registration will be capped at 25 people. Parents are encouraged to drop their teens off and pick them up at the end of the party, rather than stay in the party area for the whole event. MASKS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Activities:

Saran Wrap Ball Game
Gift Exchange Game (we provide the gifts)
Scavenger Hunt
Handmade Gift Wrap Craft
Pin the Nose on Rudolph
Enjoy free treats

Other Youth Services the Library Continues to Offer:
Book Bags:Miss Val compiles book bags on popular topics for easy curbside checkout. Each bag contains ten books, plus some stickers and/or a bookmark. The drawstring bag, bookmarks, and stickers are free for the patron to keep, while books check out for three weeks. You must be a card-holder in SeknFind with an unrestricted account in order to check out a book bag. There is no limit on how many bags you may check out at one time. Order your bag using this form: https://forms.gle/58aynMG1meWxH6dq5, ask for one at our downstairs desk, or call the library. 
Current topics: 
For ages Birth – 1st Grade: Boys’ General Interest, Girls’ General Interest, Christmas, Construction, Cozy Books, Early Readers Level 1, Early Readers Level 2, Farm, Mystery, Silly Stories, Snow, and Winter
For Grades 2nd – 5th: Early Readers Level 3
 
Maker Kits: Make something cool with Miss Val!

To order & participate:
1. Choose which maker kit you’d like. Currently you may select from:
Kit #1: Paper Weaving (Easy/Preschool)
Kit #2: Yarn Bowls (Intermediate/Elementary)
Kit #3: Paper Cup Towers (Easy STEM)
Kit #4: Straw Structures (Intermediate STEM)
Kit #5: Pipe Cleaner Challenge (Intermediate STEM)
Kit #6: Garden in a Cup (Easy/Preschool)

Kit #7: Recyclables Challenge (Intermediate STEM)
2. Contact the library to order yours by calling (620) 223-2882, filling out this form,
 or emailing [email protected].
3. You may order 1 kit PER CHILD at a time. Once you have finished with the kit, order the same one again or a different one. Available while supplies last. Caution: Some kit items are not safe for young children. Parental supervision is strongly advised for children ages 3 and under.
4. Go to the Maker Kits Playlist on YouTube
to watch the accompanying video so your child can use the items in their kits right along with Miss Val.

 
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten: The Library offers a free early literacy program called 1,000 Books Before Kindergartenfor children from birth through kindergarten. Each complete reading of a book that the child hears counts toward their 1,000 books, and participants receive rewards for reaching each 100-book milestone. You may choose to track your child’s readingthrough the 1,000 Booksor the Reader Zone app (contact us for the code), on regular paper, or whatever works for you. Email Miss Val or message the library on Facebook with each 100-book milestone you reach, along with a photo of your child holding a printed or handwritten sign showing the milestone and/or a book, for the library to share your child’s success on their Facebook page (optional)If you choose the photo option, we will post it in our program’s Facebook album and print a photo for you to keep. Either way, we will also give them the sticker for that milestone and a free book of choice from a reward book list (you may get them through our curbside or in-library pickup). We do allow children below kindergarten age to continue on beyond 1,000 books for additional rewards. Visit this link: 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Signup Form to sign your child up online, or email Miss Val at [email protected].
 
Storytime: Order your bags for the remainder of December, and then join Miss Val online each week for another themed storytime! Watch the videos weekly on your schedule while enjoying the snack, and then create the accompanying craft with instructions from Miss Val. Current & upcoming themes: Holiday Music, Star Bright & Winter Lights, and New Year’s. To order, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/eGp6fLqStaCYL3Fd8  Near the end of each month, we distribute the bags for the following month, so keep an eye on the library’s Facebook page or other social media for updates.
 
6-12th Grade Group: The self-named Dragon’s Nest Teen Group meets on Wednesdays at 4:30 pm. Most meetings are held online via Google Meet, but this week will be a hybrid Book Discussion meeting, held both in person at the Keyhole AND online on Google Meet. To register for December meeting bags, fill out this form. If your middle or high schooler would like to join the in-person meeting, they may show up at the Keyhole at 4:30, Wed., December 15 ready to discuss books. Next week’s (online only) activities will be Word Games and Creative Writing/Drawing, and the following week, we will create our own versions of “Wreck This Journal” for the new year. Necessary supplies are provided in the bags. ear the end of each month, we distribute the bags for the following month, so keep an eye on the library’s Facebook page or other social media for our new month’s registration form.

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