Parenting, Stages, Uncategorized

Making Summer Plans? Don’t Forget the Library

By Jane LeGros and Kacy Helwick

With summer just around the corner, the New Orleans Public Library has families covered. Every June and July, the Library puts on Summer Fun, a program aimed at encouraging reading as a lifelong habit, maintaining reading skills that children and teens have achieved throughout the school year, and increasing interest in libraries. With events for all ages and reading & BINGO challenges, this year is sure to be a hit. More Summer Fun information will be announced soon, so make sure you sign up for e-news on nolalibrary.org. In addition to Summer Fun, the Library has more ways to keep your family entertained this summer.

Going on vacation? Here’s what we recommend for long drives or flights.

Young
Summer Camp Critter Jitters by John Jory & Liz Climo
Anxious animals are heading to summer camp, and get reassurances about heading to a new place.

Early Elementary
The Best Friend Plan by Stephanie Calmenson, Joanna Cole, & James Burks
Best friends Allie and Amy do everything together, and they make a bunch of plans for their summer, but then Allie is told she’s going to a sleepaway camp.

Middle Grade
Camp by Kayla Miller
Best friends Willow and Olive go to summer camp together, but their friendship is strained when Olive makes quick friends with other campers and Willow only wants to hang out with Olive. (This one is part of a very popular graphic novel series.)

Need something to do at home?
Get crafty with Creativebug workshops. Bake a cake with our cake pan collection. Watch a movie on Hoopla or Kanopy. Learn a new language with Pronunciator. Explore the world of early reading
with Bookflix. All you need to get started is your Library card.

Want to visit a Library?
Come on in! The New Orleans Public Library has wifi, air conditioning, and plenty of materials for you to browse. Pass the day wandering through the stacks, talking with our staff, listening to storytime, or just hanging out. We even have teen-only spaces in several locations, including the Best Buy Teen Tech Center at the Main Library.

The Best Buy Teen Tech Center is designed to be a safe, comfortable, and engaging space for teens to experiment and master various new technologies with help from their peers and adult mentors. The space has a music studio, a 3D printer, an Oculus Quest 2 VR system, and so much more.

Heads up: Members must complete a membership application and get signed permission from a parent or legal guardian to participate.

So, between travels, camps, and other summer plans, don’t forget the Library. We have everything you need to make this summer the best summer ever.

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