Library Winter Programs and Events

Kamloops, BC—December 21, 2020 — From early literacy programs for babies and toddlers to nation-wide book clubs, there will be lots to keep library users of all ages busy this winter in the lineup of programs and events from the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library.

Early Literacy

Parent-Child Mother Goose returns virtually, along with a weekly Tiny Tunes and a new weekly Storytime program, all through Zoom. Each program is a half hour long, and will introduce families to songs, rhymes, fingerplays, and stories that they can use together in their daily lives to help build literacy skills.

For those wanting to access early literacy programming on their own schedule, a virtual Storytime will continue to post to Facebook every Friday morning, accompanied by a craft post from the TNRL Blog. Each Facebook Storytime will remain accessible up until the following Friday when a new program is shared, so families can tune in when it suits them or watch favourite programs multiple times.

Crafts

For children ages 6-12, the popular Take & Make Craft program will be expanded. Sessions will be offered every two weeks on Saturday mornings. Families can pick up their craft supplies ahead of time from the library, and then join a library facilitator and other families on Zoom to assemble the craft together. On February 27th, rather than doing a craft, children will have the opportunity to learn how to draw the moon from a local astronomer, Bill Burnyeat from Canadian Planetariums, as well as hear some facts about local astronomy and a moon story.

Unplug & Play

The TNRL will once again be taking part in Interior Savings Unplug & Play Family Literacy Week. “Unplug and Play Week is going to look a bit different this year,” says Meg Ross, Coordinator of Children’s and Youth Services, “but we’re going to do our best to offer families activities that will help them unplug and spend quality time together.” One of these activities is the Songwalks at both the Kamloops and North Kamloops Library which will be available for the duration of Unplug and Play week.

“Similar to a Storywalk, we’ve taken pieces of familiar songs and spread them out through the library”, says Ross. “Families can take their time walking through the library, finding each piece of the song, and hopefully singing and acting it out as they go!” The Songwalk at the Kamloops Library will be the classic, “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”, while the North Kamloops Library will have the favourite, “Slippery Fish”.

Other activities during the week are a Pyjama Storytime on Tuesday the 26th over Zoom, and a DIY Wind Chimes Take & Make Craft, which families can do on their own at any time or together over Zoom with a library facilitator on Saturday the 30th. “With things as they are,” says Ross, “We can’t move away fully from virtual programming, but we hope to prioritize engagement and activity for families in these programs rather than encouraging passive screen time.”

Cute as a Button

Unplug and Play isn’t the only exciting event in January though. Following the example of the Vancouver Island Regional Library, the TNRL will be offering the Cute as a Button program throughout the month. Since so many cute faces are hidden behind masks right now, families can send in a picture of their child’s face through the TNRL website and have it made into a button for their child to wear.

Tweens and Teens

Tweens and teens can look forward this winter to Dungeons & Dragons and Nintendo Switch video game tournaments, all being run virtually. D&D will be held on Tuesday nights for tweens and Wednesday nights for teens. Gamers can face off against each other in both Super Mario Smash Brothers and Mario Kart tournaments, on select Tuesday nights and Friday afternoons through the winter. Players will be separated by ability level into different brackets for the tournaments.

Adults

There are many programs for adults to look forward to as well. For the month of January, the TNRL will be taking part in the bilingual virtual book club: One eRead Canada. The January title is Vi by Kim Thúy and can be downloaded from the TNRL website for free. For those looking for a more relaxed book club, Books & Brews, the book club where you can read anything that ties in to the monthly theme, will be continuing to meet online in the winter. Computer classes are resuming with topics ranging from how to use tablets and smartphones to how to effectively search the internet. Patrons will also be able to book one-on-one sessions for their in-depth technology questions.

Freedom to Read Week

Throughout the month of February in celebration of Freedom to Read Week, the TNRL challenges residents to read books that have been banned or challenged in Canada. Every completed book is an entry into a prize draw! “Freedom to Read Week is an annual celebration for Canadian libraries that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom,” says Catherine Schmidt, Coordinator of Adult Services. “Generally when people look at the list of books that have been banned or challenged in Canada, they’re surprised by how many they know! We hope that by reading a banned book (or two) participants will be reminded of how important it is to protect our right to read diversely.” For recommendations, ask your local library staff or check out the list at freedomtoread.ca. Open to all ages.

Registration

Registration for all winter programs running in January, February, and March is now open. For more information and updates check out tnrl.ca, tnrlblog.ca, or contact the library at questions@tnrd.ca.

Media contacts:
Catherine Schmidt, Coordinator, Adult Services
cschmidt@tnrd.ca

Meg Ross, Coordinator, Children & Youth Services
mross@tnrd.ca

Joey da Costa, Coordinator, Digital Literacy & Teen Services
jdacosta@tnrd.ca

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