A Super Summer: Controlled Chaos at the Library

Caitlin Durham
C & C Home School, Class of 2006
San Jose, California

"Super Readers equal Super Heroes!" shouts the theme for this summer's reading program at the local library. The sign-up table is crowded with brochures for programs to celebrate summer and reading (Make your own super hero costume! Paint your own book bag) and contest alerts. The rules, simple and basic, are printed in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Teens such as myself, volunteer their time at the table, signing people up, and, my favorite part, handing out prizes to those that have completed the required parts of their reading logs.

In the afternoons, when another group of teens has switched shifts with us, many of us volunteer at whatever program is scheduled for the day. I've helped kids make the NASA-inspired "ice cream comets" out of cream, milk, ice, rock salt, and however many goodies of candy and cookies they could put in. Their enthusiasm seems boundless, as they race across the sunny grass, playing catch with the ice cold pack of goodies, to keep it moving as the instructions said to do. Their good will is unbroken, even when their bag breaks and we have to rush to get another.

   Instructions from NASA:
  Make a Comet and Eat It!
 

We had a little more difficulty with the make-your-own costume program. Apparently, craft glue, scissors, scraps of fabric and ribbon have a much greater appeal than making your own ice cream with cookies and candy. Kids showed up early and left late. The program was loud, noisy chaos. Once the kids saw the tables piled high with the supplies, there was no stopping them, even during the librarian's examples of making super hero costumes. They were off, gluing and cutting like crazy. We ran out of everything I think, except for the colored braids of fake hair. The kids, though, proved not nearly as possessive of the goodies to be had, as their parents did. They were bound and determined that their child should get lots of everything.

I enjoyed seeing how much fun the kids have, and how they can be so creative with the limited supplies available to them. This year, for the entire summer reading program the librarian only had $350. That seems to have little effect on the good time had by all, both volunteers and participants.



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