From dinosaurs and STEM projects to toddler art and storytime, the library has spent the summer building a steady calendar of activities for local families
GRANTS, N.M. – Summer may be winding down, but the Grants Public Library has hardly been quiet.
Children gathered around tables again last week for another round of hands-on activities, continuing a summer that has mixed books, crafts, science, art and community partnerships inside one of Grants’ most accessible public spaces.
On Sept. 1, Wildflower Circle returned to the library, where children transformed ordinary rocks into colorful “rock pets,” complete with paint, googly eyes and plenty of personality.
Two days later, horses took center stage during Tot and Me. Families listened to Horses and Rowdy’s Big Win before children created horseshoe wind chimes decorated with beads and other craft materials.
Those activities followed a summer filled with programming for young readers and their families.
The library’s Summer Reading Program stretched across nine weeks this year, with themes ranging from paleontology and archaeology to prehistoric life. Weekly activities included dinosaur games, crafts, storytimes, coloring pages and food-themed projects. The library also hosted visits from National Park Service rangers and the Wonders on Wheels traveling museum.
The programs have not been limited to traditional reading activities.
Wildflower Circle recently brought a STEM day to the library, where older children constructed mechanical grabbers, tested their designs and made adjustments to improve how they worked. Younger participants made coffee-filter butterflies.
The Therapy Academy has also become part of the library’s growing lineup of community partnerships.
Its Picasso Babies program brings toddler art and sensory play to Grants, giving young children another opportunity to create and explore alongside their families. Therapy Academy Executive Director Kendra Biava told the Citizen that the organization approached the library after developing similar programs in McKinley County.
Biava said library staff welcomed the partnership and made space available not only for Picasso Babies but also for Therapy Academy sessions with local families.
The Academy is now serving Cibola County with free early-intervention services for eligible children from birth through age 3, and Biava said the organization hopes to bring additional programs such as toddler taekwondo and swimming- based activities to the county.
That combination of services helps illustrate what the Grants Public Library has increasingly become over the past year: not simply a place to check out books, but a gathering place for children, parents and community organizations.
The library continues to offer study areas, computers and internet access alongside its children’s programming, while Tot and Me has maintained a regular schedule of stories and simple early-learning activities throughout the year.
Grants Public Library has spent the last several months creating opportunities for local children to read, build, experiment, create and spend time learning with their families close to home.
Children at the Grants Public Library turned ordinary rocks into colorful “pets” during a Sept. 1 Wildflower Circle activity, adding paint, googly eyes and plenty of imagination.