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Library offers affordable summertime entertainment
By Michelle Alaimo
The Sunnyvale Public Library is offering parents a way to entertain children of all ages all summer long without breaking the bank.
With the Summer Escapes at the Library program, kids, ages 3 and up, can participate in a variety of programs meant to entertain and spur their imagination.
"We want to show kids that the library is a gateway to entertainment and imagination," said Nancy Jackson, supervising librarian for Children Services.
The Thursday summer programs begin June 22 and run through August 10. Each session lasts 30 to 45 minutes with two sessions scheduled on most days. Jackson said the series are a very popular summer staple with 60 to 100 children participating in each day's event. She adds that all the libraries in the Santa Clara County Library System offer some kind of summer program with each library choosing what types and how many sessions to offer.
The first event in Sunnyvale begins on June 22, with programs at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Dubbed Soar into Space, the program promises to entertain children with space stories and a theme craft project to go along with the story. Other upcoming programs include Scrapbooking for Kids, Stories with a Sense of Magic, a puppet show, and a magic show.
Most programs involve making a craft because, Jackson said, one of the library's goals--besides teaching children to read for pleasure--is to show kids they can be creative without having prepackaged toys.
The library also has other fun story times planned. Kids, ages 6 months to 5 years old, can partake in a storytime geared toward their age group on Tuesdays, beginning June 20 and ending August 15. Mother Goose Rhyme Time for babies 6 months to 16 months runs once a month on June 19, July 10 and August 7.
Those who can't make it to the library for storytimes can take part in the Stories in the Shade program for children of all ages. A list of times and places of off-site storytimes is available from the library.
A bilingual storytime program is also available on Tuesdays, from July 25 through August 29, at the Riviera Apartments, across from the Columbia Neighborhood Center. Jackson said it is the first time the library has held the storytime in a residential building.
The library also begins registration on June 17, for its annual summer reading program where children, ages 3 and up, can earn a free paperback book for reading 10 or more Sunnyvale Library books by September 10. Jackson said between 800 and 1,000 children sign up for the incentive program each year, with about half reaching the 10-book goal by the deadline.
All the free books and the outside summertime programs are sponsored by the Sunnyvale Friends of the Library group. For a complete listing of summertime library events, call 408.730.7292, or visit www.ci.sunnyvale.ca.us/library/summer.htm for a partial listing.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
