Library of the Year

We went to the library before swimming the other day when the weather was bad out. What a great place I tell you. The second floor is completely for kids, so awesome! The first thing my boys do is head to what they call "The Book Machine". It's really a hands on library. This is a good place for the kids to start. They grab a tile that has just come down the Lilly Pad shoot. They pick up the tile and move it to....

A little bench that is full of rollers and the tiles slide down the bench to get put through a slot. Notice my middle boy feels he must stack up an exorbitant amount of tiles. He pushes them through the slot and they go......

Down a set of rollers and then land in a little holding pen if you will.

Then my youngest takes a tile and puts it through another slot.

Now the tiles are loaded up to a conveyor belt that takes them up, up and away. My youngest is attempting to give the spinner all he has to get the conveyor belt up. Have no fear, a bigger kid will take over in no time. The older kids like to stack as many tiles in one spot on the belt so they all come down the Lilly Pads at the same time.

Then the tiles come down with a roar and my youngest is ecstatic! Then the tiles get to go through another course until they make it back to the start (though there is no "official" starting point). It really is a brilliant idea.

There is so much more too. My youngest is on the side of the bus here. The entire bus is covered with tactile, educational, fun and entertaining little activities.

He was having a real hard time grasping this idea here. He would grab for something and try with all his might to get it out of that box.

My middle son driving the bus. Just like him to make a friend. A friend with braids and pink all over.

More fun on the outside of the bus.

Here they are making words by spinning the chain around until the get the word they are after.

Those little mittens you see in the background are for measuring "hands", as in the height of a horse. And there are books and books stacked right there too. So clever!

So, are you wondering where my oldest is? Do I not care to take his picture? Well, here is where he was most of the time at the library.........

Seven year olds, I tell ya.

Oh, it really was the library of the year in 2008. The City of Cheyenne voted for an additional penny sales tax that went to pay for this project. The features of the library are incredible! You check your own books out, check them in, the books fly around on conveyor belts. It's really an incredible place to go!

The more that you read,
The more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
The more places you'll go

~~~~~Dr. Seuss