The following article was submitted by Lynn Christiansen, a Youth Services Associate at the Manitowoc Public Library.
You never know what might happen when you come into Manitowoc Public Library’s Youth Department on a Tuesday night. You might meet folks dressed up as pirates, unicorns, or lumber jacks. You might see families playing mini golf or reading in blanket forts. You might even be invited to a dance party.
What do these activities all have in common? They are things we’ve done as part of Family Activity Night, or FAN as we like to call it. Family Activity Night takes place twice a month on Tuesday nights, typically from 6:30-7:15 PM. Programming is usually geared for school-aged children, but we welcome younger siblings to participate as well. All we ask is that any child under the age of 8 have an adult with them at all times.
Many of the activities that we offer are planned in-house by our staff. For example, we kicked off our Summer Reading Program with a hugely successful tie-dye t-shirt event. We also partner with other organizations and presenters, such as Glaze & Paint and Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
Our next FAN program is all about calf care and will be presented by staff from Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center. This event will take place on the Library Lawn on Tuesday, August 23, at 6:30 PM. This program will take place rain or shine, and no registration required.
Lynn Christiansen
September programming kicks off with Shrinky Dink Shenanigans! For those unfamiliar with Shrinky Dinks, they are a craft item, originally created right here in Wisconsin in 1973. With Shrinky Dinks, one draws/colors on a sheet of polystyrene plastic that is then cut out and put into a hot oven to “shrink.” Participants will be able to create items such as necklaces, rings, and key chains. Shrinky Dink Shenanigans takes place on Tuesday, September 6, at 6:30 PM and once again, no registration is required.
Our second September program is Petticoats & Parlor Games. Staff from Pinecrest Historical Village will be bringing clothing in the style of the 1800s for participants to try on. We will have our green screen set up to take photos, as well. They will also bring along an assortment of Victorian Era parlor games for families to try out. Petticoats & Parlor Games will take place on Tuesday, September 27, at 6:30 PM and you guessed it—no registration is required!
Looking ahead to October, we will welcome local author Alyssa Schmidt on Tuesday, October 18, to read her recently published children’s book, Theodore Edward Makes a New Friend. In addition to reading her book, Alyssa will answer questions from the audience and sign copies of her book (which she will have available for purchase that evening). This event starts at 6:30 PM. No registration is required.
We will also be hosting our popular “Trunk or Treat” event on Tuesday, October 25, which will start at 5:30 PM. On addition to this, our Teen Team will be creating a family-friendly haunted house inside of the library. Watch our website (www.manitowoclibrary.org) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/manitowoclibrary) for more details.
In addition to these awesome fall FAN activities, we welcome our four-legged friends back in September! Our “Read to Certified Therapy Dogs” program allows children to practice their oral reading skills without fear of making mistakes by reading aloud to a canine companion. Due to the limited number of dogs, registration is required for these programs. Registration for the September 13 program opens on Tuesday, August 27, at 5:00 PM. Please call the Youth Department at 920-686-3030 to reserve your spot.
Check out our website—www.manitowoclibrary.org—or our Facebook page for information on all of our upcoming programs. We hope that you, too, will be a FAN of Manitowoc Public Library!
