MEDIA RELEASE
29 October 2009
Taupo Public Library held the final school holiday programme for the year earlier this month, attracting high numbers of children.
The team at Taupo Public Library delivered another well received school holiday programme at the start of October, with a record 860 kids taking advantage of the 14 free events on offer, the highest number yet for the new library building. The programmes are run free of charge and cover different ages including toddlers.
The library was filled with mermaids one day and puppet shows the next. Children designed their own castles, delved into the wonders of sailing, met Guide Dogs, and acted out ‘Goldilocks and the Three bears’, amongst many other activities.
“We also held a special event just for children with Aspergers Syndrome during the programme,” said Children’s Librarian Kevin Collins.
The events were topped off with the “World Seeker II” treasure hunt, a hunt spanning the entire two week programme to find the famous Excalibur sword that was hidden in the library. “It’s a game of dedication and library orientation,” says Mr Collins.
“The programme was a great success and much is owed to those who assisted their time, including the talent of Mitch Baker, Mike Keys, Sue Brown, guide dogs Floss and Obi, and the Friends of the Library,” said Mr Collins.
Taupo Library has big plans for next year, with the possibility of a Mad Hatter's tea-party to coincide with the release of a new Alice in Wonderland movie. “But we hope to have more characters visiting us from the pages of books,” said Mr Collins.
The library is also hosting the ‘Summer E.C Reading Programme’ at the end of the year, intended to keep children's reading levels up over the Christmas holidays.
Childrens Librarian Kevin Collins with some of the kids at the School Holiday Programme