Creepy, Crawly Crazies

            The Calhoun County Library hosted the Critter Keeper as the final performer for the summer reading program last Thursday.

            The Critter Keeper visited the Calhoun County Library on Thursday, July 21, 2022, with an abundance of live animals. Among those were scorpions, tarantulas, lizards, and snakes. As he was showing off these animals, the Critter Keeper shared interesting facts about them and emphasized that he learned a lot of his information from books. At the age of only five years old, he even learned what a Jacobson organ was because he read it in a book. (Do you know what a Jacobson organ is?)

            As he showed off each animal, the crowd of more than 120 people filled the room with ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs.’ There were occasional screams as well, but the Critter Keeper emphasized how important it is to face your fears and to control how you react to those fears.

            Each new animal allowed an opportunity for the crowd to interact. At the very end of the show, a few brave guests were chosen to help lift up one of the biggest snakes in the world: a Burmese python. Named Julius Squeezer, this snake needed seven people to hold him up, but our patrons, including toddlers, did it!

            The Calhoun County Library had the max capacity of viewers for each of the two shows, and all attendees had a blast. While the animals weren't as cuddly as dogs or cats, the patrons still loved seeing and learning about them.

            One piece of advice from the Critter Keeper is, “always be aware of what you say because the only animal that can hurt you with their tongue is another human being.”

            We hope you all had a great time participating in the 2022 Summer Reading Program at the Calhoun County Library! Let us know what you thought of the programs this year so we can continue to grow and meet the needs of our community next summer.

            This project is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the South Carolina State Library. Thank you to Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Funding received will support our summer reading program. Special thanks to Save the Children.

STEM Program and AUTHOR MEET & GREET

            The Calhoun County Library held STEM and STEM, Jr. programs last Thursday that taught children aged 5 - 12 about local vegetation.

            The young scientists of the Calhoun County Library visited on Thursday, July 21, 2022 to learn about local plants, leaves, and stems. Plants have a very important role in the world, and we want to educate all of our children about them. Our biologists had to identify what kind of plant it was, label the parts of a plant, and what each needs to thrive in our community. Doctor Lesa Rice-Jackson conducted this program specifically for students to understand more about our local vegetation as it is very important in Calhoun County’s agricultural landscape.

            Join us for the next STEM and STEM, Jr. programs taught by Doctor Lesa Rice-Jackson on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM. Our scientists will be learning about geometry with simple shapes. Following that program, we will be having a pizza party for all participants. At 1 PM, local author Monica Roe will be doing a meet and greet. You may be the lucky winner of a copy of her newest release, Air. You can also purchase books, have them signed, and ask her any questions you may have about her books, her life in Alaska, and writing. You won’t regret coming to the library on Thursday, August 4, 2022!

            The STEM programs are made possible by an awarded grant from Save the Children to encourage learning and understanding of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Waves of Fun

            We had a magical time with humorist and magician, Tim Sonefelt, on Thursday, June 14, at the Calhoun County Library. Tim travels throughout North and South Carolina as a children’s magician, an author, and a lecturer. In fact, he was the first to be named as South Carolina’s Magician of the Year!

            Children anticipated being amazed with magic tricks, and they were not disappointed! Tim Sonefelt entertained a packed house at the library with astounding tricks and whimsical tales. His performance included one-of-a-kind silks that he used with his magical act. His approach to performing magic in schools, libraries, and churches is to not only entertain, but also to teach life lessons through magic.

            One of the best parts of his performance for us was the fact that he incorporated multiple books into his act. He took a moment to showcase several books that went along with his narrative while he introduced valuable skills for children and adults! Tim Sonefelt was able to capture and hold the attention of an audience of all ages! Children were laughing and squealing with delight at his tricks while parents and grandparents were chuckling at his funny puns. Audience participation was also key to his performance, and children anxiously waited to hear him say, “I need a volunteer!” His programs were intentionally written for preschool audiences, keeping their attention spans in mind, but he also threw in many hilarious puns and jokes that were tailored for the adults in the crowd. 

            The audience most definitely enjoyed Tim’s educational and amazing magic show while also being  motivated to read throughout the program. 

            Join us Thursday, July 21, for the Critter Keeper who will be doing two performances. Reservations are required, and the only seats left are for the 1:30 PM show. Call to reserve your spot for the 1:30 PM program, 803-874-3389.

            Thank you to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation; the funding received will support our summer reading program! Special thanks for support from Save the Children!

Tub Troubles

            The Calhoun County Library welcomed Grey Seal Puppets who performed for the Summer Reading Program on Thursday, June 30, 2022, with a packed house!

            Grey Seal Puppets performed Bathtub Pirates and had kids in awe with their unusual puppet stage. Instead of a typical puppet show on a stationary stage, Grey Seal Puppets had a moving stage. With a harness, the performer could walk around and make the bathtub move all about. Even the adults were amazed by the creativity involved with all of the moving parts.

            The puppet show featured a boy taking a bubble bath as pirates suddenly came through the bathtub drain to take over. Blackbeard the pirate needed this tub to continue his travels and that is exactly what he did. With a shower massager as a rudder, soap on a rope as an anchor, and guest towels as sails, the group made an excursion with the Jolly Roger flag blowing in the wind.

            A detail that the children thought was cool was that all of the puppets used in the Grey Seal Puppets’ show were crafted using common household items that could be found in the bathroom.

            Join us at the Calhoun County Library next week for a fan-favorite, Critter Keeper! He will be here with creepy crawlers. Are you brave enough to face them? Come find out! On Thursday, July 21, 2022, there will be two programs. The first is at 10:30 AM and the second is at 1:30 PM .Registration is required for these programs. Call us at 803-874-3389 or visit the library to register for one of the viewings.

            Plan to let you kids stay for STEM and STEM, Jr between the two shows, Children ages 5 - 12 will be learning about local plants, leaves, and stems from 11:45 AM - 12 PM. This program is immediately following the first Critter Keeper show. so children can attend both Critter Keeper and the STEM and STEM, Jr. program without having to leave the library!

            This project is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the South Carolina State Library. Thank you to Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Funding received will support our summer reading program! Special thanks to Save the Children!

Red Clay Saves the Day

            The Calhoun County Library held a STEM Science Camp June 27 through July 1 to educate children about the amazing properties of local red clay.

            Everyone here at the Calhoun County Library had a terrific time at Science Camp. It was a huge success, and all of our STEM students had a blast while learning about their own environment. This was definitely one of the Calhoun County Library’s biggest successes with hands-on measuring, calculating, and analyzing - all while using test tubes, beakers, and gloves. Students also kept a lab journal to record results of their experiments. The camp was open to children ages 7 - 12 and lasted one hour for four days last week.

            Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson, former chemist, created the curriculum for the entire week of Science Camp and provided instruction along the way. The week was packed with fun activities to do every day.

            Day one was the science of red clay. This was the local red clay that we are all familiar with in Calhoun County, and our scientists performed acid and base experiments based on the pH of water and water combined with red clay.

            Day two was the technology of red clay. The technologists created red clay robots and made animations in five different positions.

            Day three was a skip day. Students did not come into the library on this day, but they did have a take-home experiment to conduct. This project incorporated engineering principles using projectile objects.

            Day four was arts and mathematics with red clay. Our artists painted with red clay, and our mathematicians explored geometric figures with red clay.

            Day five was the science expo where everyone got to display the week’s projects, awards, and recognitions. Everyone won a prize based on interviews with the student scientists and the physical clay robot each had made.

            “The air we breathe, the water we drink, the vegetation we see around us, all of that is important, and all of that adds to the betterment of our lives," commented Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson about the importance of STEM Science. We certainly appreciate her sharing her expertise and enthusiasm with our area children.

            If you missed Science Camp, don’t worry! The Calhoun County Library will be hosting STEM and STEM, Jr. on Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 11:45 AM. The topic is local plants, leaves, and stems taught by Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson. It is open to ages 5 - 12, and no registration is required.

            We want to extend a HUGE thank you to Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson. We are very lucky to have her in our community and so are all of our STEM students. This project is made possible by an awarded grant from Save the Children to support early childhood literacy particularly in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).