Holiday Train Display

Before winter break ended, we headed to the main library in downtown Columbus for the annual holiday train display. Atticus was enthralled and especially enjoyed going to the second floor to watch the trains from above.

Duckling Day 2017

Photo Friday: Library Sillies

Feb. 1, 2017

Monarch Butterfly Day at the Library

The few faithful followers of this blog know that we often attend events at the library branch a short distance from our house. It's not unusual for at least one member of our household to be there at least three times a week. The most likely combinations: me and the kids, or Paul and Edith.

But on Saturday, it was just Edith and me for the library's butterfly day. Paul said something to the effect that butterflies are just moths with colorful jackets, so he stayed home with Atticus. It was just Edith and I who went to the library and into the tent set up on the library's front lawn that held about a half-dozen monarchs.

The butterflies flitted around inside and onto the netting. A lady inside helped Edith hold one and showed us the butterfly's long, thin tongue. Later, we returned inside the library where Edith did some butterfly crafts -- a special treat since Mommy doesn't usually let her use markers! She was also surprisingly adept at stringing beads onto a pipe cleaner to make a caterpillar.

The butterfly activities made up only one hour of a busy summer, but it's events like this that make me glad we chose the neighborhood we did. I have a feeling that both Edith and Atticus will feel the same way.

Clintonville's Duckling Day 2015

The Whetstone branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library hosts many events, but one sticks out above all others: Duckling Day. We attended the annual event in Clintonville this past Saturday, and Edith had a great time.

Hundreds of kids dressed up as ducks march alongside or around the library, and the morning is filled with special events. Outside the library are live ducks to look at, and toy ones in kid pools. (Edith definitely preferred the latter.) Inside are duck-themed crafts, a puppet show and music. And the kiddos go home with goody bags that include a duck-based book, which I think I was commanded to read six times before I finally put Edith down for her nap yesterday.

Atticus had a duck costume, too -
over his carrier!

This was Edith's second Duckling Day. (Here's a run-down of her first.) Atticus attended his first this year, although he slept against my chest in my Moby carrier the entire time. Not so memorable for him, perhaps, but I hope it was for Edith.

Duckling Day at Whetstone Library

Imagine hundreds of babies and toddlers, all dressed up as ducklings on one fine spring morning. That's Duckling Day, and we weren't going to miss it.

Duckling Day is evidently a long-time annual tradition at the Whetstone branch of the Columbus library system, stretching back decades. During this year's event on Saturday, there were live ducks, plenty of fake ducks in plastic pools for the kids to play with, duck-themed crafts, a puppet show, and of course the duck parade.

A fraction of the parade.

The library gives away costume packs for weeks beforehand -- basically a brown paper bag, orange and yellow construction paper and directions on how to fashion it into a mask and body. Some kids wear more elaborate Halloween-type duckling costumes, but I was surprised at just how creative those paper costumes could be.

None of that this year, however. Edith screamed bloody murder when I tried to slip on that paper bag with holes cut out for her head and arms. So she wore a yellow shirt and shorts, the mask around her neck, and orange paper webbed feet around her shoes.

She seemed to have a fine time, but let's be honest -- this year was mainly for us. I'm curious to see just how much more she'll really enjoy it next year.

Main Library Playtime in Downtown Columbus

 
Columbus is blessed with one of the best library systems in the country. We use it a lot -- both to check out books and for our local branch's story times.

What I didn't realize until we moved back here, however, is that the library also doubles as an indoor playground. In fact, the main library downtown has a large play area that I spied when we visited the holiday train display in December.

On Friday I decided that Edith and I would check it out for real. I'm glad we did. We went alone, but most of the time there were other kids for her to play with. And even by herself, she seemed to have fun exploring.

The miniature kitchen was just her size, and the light table also captured her attention. The large area also included a puppet show station, blocks, a train table and magnetic games. Toward the entrance was a large castle-like structure that you could climb -- I'm sure that will be a hit as she grows older.

I would say that the library's play area is like a miniature COSI, but less crowded and with more convenient parking. (The library has an attached garage that is free for the first hour and 50 cents for the second hour. We were there about 90 minutes.) We shall return.

Holiday Train at the Columbus Metropolitan Library

I might have pretended to go to the holiday train display at the Columbus Metropolitan Library for Edith, but it was really for me.

Let's be honest. She wouldn't have known if we had skipped out on the multistory display featuring 280 feet of track, tunnels and bridges. And did she really appreciate the old-timey homes or waterfall?

No, but I did. And I like to think she enjoyed it just a little, too.

Merry Christmas! The blog will return next Monday, Dec. 30.

Find Paul and Edith!

Brooklyn: Not very book-smart

I always thought New York City was probably one of the most advanced places in the world. But just because you can hang a few shiny bulbs in Times Square evidently doesn't mean you're at the technological forefront-- or any other forefront, for that matter. I mean, in what other city do you still regularly find pay phones?

I know I've ranted before about how backward the Brooklyn Public Library seems compared to that in Columbus. Maybe it's not a fair comparison- Columbus has one of the best library systems in the country. But still, couldn't my local branch at least install a book drop?

Well now my local branch has gone one step further and CLOSED for two years for renovations. The branch itself was nothing special, but the location was extremely convenient. It's right by Paul's gym, so I could recruit him to drop off my books or pick up my reserves. Now I'll have to either go to a branch further away in our neighborhood and off the subway line or one on the line on my way home from work. I'm inclined toward the latter, but that will mean lugging my library books all the way to work on the train.

Sometimes I really miss driving.