Harry Potter Literacy Night

            Have you ever wanted to experience what it is like to graduate from a magical school? That is exactly what happened last week when the Calhoun County Library partnered with the Calhoun County High School to support their special literacy night.

            On Thursday, November 16, 2023, from 6 PM – 7:30 PM, CCHS hosted a Harry Potter Escape Room Literacy Engagement Night. This event involved students coming into the school’s library and participating in a digital escape room. The objective was to graduate from Hogwarts, and puzzles were difficult and encrypted. With answers being such things as the core of Harry Potter’s wand, I think we were all thinking it was going to be easier than it was. Although no one was able to finish this digital escape room and graduate, the good news is that everyone is able to continue their journey, for free, whenever they want.

            In addition to the activity, there was a catered Harry Potter Hogwarts-inspired meal. Accio food! We had Gilly Water and homemade Butterbeer (does not have alcohol) to drink. For dinner, there was baked chicken, mashed potatoes, fried zucchini straws, vegetables, and rolls. No meal would be complete without dessert and we had brownies and fresh fruit.

            The Calhoun County Library gave out many copies of J.K. Rowling’s book The Ickabog and other fantasy related works of fiction thanks to the generous donations from Save the Children.

            We would like to thank the Calhoun County High School for inviting us to this very fun event and for everyone who came out to escape with us. Let’s give it up to the graduating Hogwarts class of 2023!

A Squirmy Boo Bash!

            The Calhoun County Library had a very busy Boo Bash! on Halloween night, full of excitement, games, and treats.

On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, from 5 PM – 7 PM, the library held its annual Boo Bash! for the county trick-or-treaters to come have some indoor fun. There were a little over half a dozen games to play, including Toss Dem Bones, Pin the Spider on the Web, Eyeball Toss, and more. We went through many prizes, books, and sticks of freshly spun cotton candy, thanks to Twisted Sugar.

The highlight of the night was certainly when the Glover family gained the courage to test their wits in the Sensory Squirm right as the event was coming to a close. However, our friendly ghost went to shake their hands and the Glovers got spooked and almost took out the doorway! It was the perfect way to end the night.

In total, the library saw a few shy of 700 trick-or-treaters. It was an all-time high for the library and every person should be proud. With that, we would like to thank every single person who made this possible. Without every volunteer, staff member, adult, and child who came out to make this night special, we couldn’t make it one to remember.

Teen Night is Back with a Bang

            Need a spare tire put on your car? Call one of our teens from Teen Night at the library! Lee Hollingsworth of Hutto's Transmission came to speak at Calhoun County Library’s Teen Night about car care.

On Tuesday, October 17, 2023, Lee Hollingsworth presented a hands-on approach to learning about how a car works and how to maintain it during Teen Night at the library. Hollingsworth taught the teens many important aspects about a car including:

1.      Where the radiator is located and how to check the water in it (do not check it when the engine is hot).

2.      Where the oil well is located and how to use the dipstick to check oil.

3.      Where the washer fluid tank is located and what to put in it (do not use soap because it will leave a soap residue on the windshield).

4.      Where the battery is located and how to use jumper cables to jumpstart a car.

5.      Where the spare tire and jack are located in a car, truck, and Jeep.

6.      How to use the jack and chock the wheels of the car.

7.      How to check the air in a tire with a tire gauge.

8.      How to put air in a tire.

After instructing teens about each aspect, Hollingsworth put them to the test. The teens actually removed the lug nuts with a lug wrench and then took the tires off, rotated them, and put them back on. After that, they checked the air pressure in the tires and put more air in the ones that were low. They engaged in other hands-on activities with the car as well and many said they learned a lot from this experience.

We appreciate all of the teens that came with the mindset to learn important skills. The Calhoun County Library appreciates Lee Hollingsworth for teaching and for his time.

Join us for Teen Night on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 5 PM from October through May. This program is for teens ages 12 – 17 and open to all teens in our county.

We are so happy that Teen Night is back and we’re learning important life skills!

Boo!

            We want to see you on Halloween Night! The Calhoun County Library is holding a fun Halloween event for everyone to come play some games and get a sweet treat.

Come visit the library on Halloween night from 5 PM – 7 PM. There will be games, prizes, Halloween books, and more. There will be Bat Bullseye, Ring ‘dem Bones, and many more games to keep everyone laughing and having fun. Also, if you ever wanted to feel how some monster organs feel, stick your hand into our Sensory Squirm. Adults, don’t worry; it’s harmless! Touch some vampire veins, witch’s fingers, eerie eyeballs, and so on.

This event will be a “boo-tiful” night for all ages. Stop by for a little bit while trick or treating to have some fun at the library. After playing the games and winning prizes, every child will get a Halloween book of their choice and some yummy cotton candy from Twisted Sugar!. The best part about this spooky evening is that everything is entirely FREE!

We look forward to seeing all of our creative people in their unique costumes. Join us at the Boo Bash!

An Evening with the Author

            The community had a chance to meet an award-winning local author last week at the Calhoun County Library.

On Thursday, October 12, 2023, C. Hope Clark visited the Calhoun County Library to discuss her Edisto Island Mysteries series. Hope was born and raised in the South, from Mississippi to South Carolina with a few stints in Alabama and Georgia. The granddaughter of a Mississippi cotton farmer, Hope holds a B.S. in Agriculture with honors from Clemson University and 25 years’ experience with the U. S. Department of Agriculture to include awards for her management, all of which enable her to talk the talk of Carolina Slade, the protagonist in her first series. Her love of writing, however, carried her up the ranks to the ability to retire young, and she left USDA to pen her stories and freelance. Clark is the author of The Carolina Slade Mysteries, The Edisto Island Mysteries, and The Craven County Mysteries. She’s the editor of FundsforWriters, one of the Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers, and published in The Writer Magazine, Writer’s Digest, Guide to Literary Agents, Writer’s Market, and other trade and online publications. C. Hope Clark’s Edisto Island Mystery Series is set entirely at Edisto Beach, South Carolina, her home away from home. Murder on Edisto, the first book in the series, was chosen to represent the state of South Carolina.

Patrons enjoyed sandwiches and cookies as they were intrigued by the author’s engaging stories of how she came up with characters such as female sleuths, and plots that kept readers turning pages. We were enlightened by the fact that her website, FundsforWriters.com, featured weekly publications that reached over 35,000 readers. It was a wonderful event and we were fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Hope.

We are currently planning a local author fair for the spring, so keep an eye out for more information to follow!

We would like to extend our appreciation to C. Hope Clark and the Friends of the Calhoun County Library who made this event possible.

A Busy Baby

            The Calhoun County Library held a very successful Community Baby Shower on the last Sunday in September to celebrate all of the new parents in our county.

We had a fantastic turnout for our Community Baby Shower on Sunday, September 24, 2023. We had 70 people total, which included 30 mothers! That’s incredible. Babies are such a joy and we want a happy community with healthy babies. The Calhoun County Library and supporting partners throughout our county want to make sure every child is welcomed home with all the necessities. Therefore, we gifted each family with diapers, wipes, a bib, a pacifier and clip, a onesie, a welcome baby box, and five brand-new board books to start the baby’s home library. Parents also received a handmade baby blanket, thanks to the hel;pful hands of the Friends of the library and staff members.

Not only do we want to provide some necessary items, but we also want to connect our parents with the many resources we have in our community. Our partners, DHEC, First Steps, Family Health Center, MUSC Orangeburg, Natural Teacher, and OCAB Head Start, are valuable assets to these families, and this shower is the first time many of these parents are learning about each organization’s wealth of knowledge and support. Attendees enjoyed a lunch followed by cupcakes while listening and learning about newborns with various professionals from our community. After partners introduced themselves, we held a raffle, and thanks to community members’ donations, some lucky parents won wonderful prizes such as a bassinet, baby swings, Bumbo seat, hand crocheted blankets, and rocking baby seats. 

Parents had the opportunity to sign up for the library’s 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program and for First Steps’ Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. These two programs expose infants and toddlers to books and the love of reading by celebrating reading milestones and by providing a free book delivered to each child’s home every month. In addition to those programs, we gave the opportunity to sign up for library cards, for both parents and babies. With our new library cards, children can get their very first card as  infants!

Thank you to our partners, volunteers, and donors for our Community Baby Shower. It was a huge success and many parents received valuable information along with some great gifts and goodies. Thank you to our partners, our volunteers, and the Friends of the Calhoun County Library who helped prep bags and blankets before the event. Thank you DHEC/WIC St. Matthews for the beautiful crochet blankets. Thank you community members who donated baby items. You made some community members very happy! Without all of your help, this event would not be possible. We appreciate you!

Read 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

            At the Calhoun County Library, our program called 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten  promotes the importance of reading 1,000 books to your toddler before they start school. This may seem like a daunting task,but you’d be surprised how easily it can be accomplished. Bedtime stories, reading in the car, and even reading the same book over and over counts towards your 1,000 books!

            Reading at an early age promotes positive brain functionality and cognitive behaviors. As an incentive for our community of infants and toddlers, we have implemented 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. Whether your child wants to read 1,000 different books or the same book 1,000 times, it counts! There's no better time to start reading than now! If you read just one book a night, you will have read 365 books in a year. That's 730 books in 2 years and 1095 books in 3 years!

            To sign up for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, come visit the library to receive your reading log and have your child’s picture taken for our milestone walls. For every 100 books your child reads, he will be able to come into the library, enjoy a confetti party, get a treat, and move his picture up on the milestone walls.. If you cannot make it into the library to register, you can sign up online at https://calhouncountylibrary.beanstack.org/reader365.

            We look forward to celebrating every 100 books with your child and moving his picture on the milestone walls throughout the library. When your child reaches 1,000 books, we will display his picture on the 1,000 Books wall at the front desk so that everyone can see his accomplishment!

Need Homework Help?

            If you need help with your homework at level, the Calhoun County Library may be able to point you in the right direction!

            Discus provides all South Carolinians with free access to an electronic library of essential information resources. This set of core resources is made available to every citizen through South Carolina's schools, colleges, and public libraries. Discus ensures equal access to information and learning resources regardless of race or socio-economic status. Discus may require a username or password which you can obtain by either calling the library at 803-874-3389  or by coming by the library to pick up a bookmark with this year’s login information. Find the Discus website at: https://www.scdiscus.org/.

            Discus also offers information that is dedicated to kids with articles written on child-friendly reading levels.  Discus Kids has resources that include Britannica School, Animal Kingdom, Tumblebooks and Tumblemath, DK Eyewitness Books, StudySC for South Carolina History,and other great resources that can keep kids entertained while they learn. Don’t forget about Tutor.com for real-time tutoring with homework.  Find the Discus Kids website at: https://www.scdiscus.org/discus-kids.

            Discus now offers free access to Tutor.com for South Carolina residents - free, real-time tutoring, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in English and Spanish. Connect with a tutor on a variety of subjects or parent coaching. The K-12 Student Center includes Live Homework Help, WriteTutor Center, Test Prep Center, and a SkillsCenter Resource Library. Tutors are available with no appointment needed! Find the Tutor website at: https://lhh.tutor.com/.

            Calhoun County Library wants everyone to make good grades and not be stressed out this school year. Take advantage of these resources!

Get Those Babies Dancin’

            The Calhoun County Library has two children’s events that babies and toddlers can enjoy as they grow while learning about the importance of the library.

Mother Goose on the Loose

            Mother Goose on the Loose takes place EVERY Wednesday at 10:30 AM. It is an award-winning early literacy program led by an amazing member of our community, Mrs. Mary Jo Springs. Everyone just calls her “Mother Goose” and kids love her and look forward to seeing her every week. Children tend to form a special bond with teachers from their early years, and Mary Jo is no exception. The kids know the songs by heart, and so do the caretakers!. And don’t forget the bubbles! Mother Goose on the Loose is a , “fun-filled thirty-minute interactive session that uses rhymes, songs, puppets, musical instruments and more to stimulate the learning process of babies and toddlers.” This program is for infants and toddlers ages 0-3 and their caretakers. Each 30 minute program includes 10 engaging activities that are repeated every week  because children learn best through repetition and routines. When 30 minutes are up, our Mother Goose brings out the bubbles which are a huge hit with all ages. Every week each child leaves with a free book to add to their home library. Join us for Mother Goose on the Loose every Wednesday at 10:30 AM to dance, sing, and read. 

Music & Movement

            If you need something fun to do with your babies or toddlers on Saturdays, then Music & Movement is for you! It takes place on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month at 11:00 AM. It’s our newest toddler program and has been well-received in our community. Ready to get up, get going, and get groovin’? Celeste Smith from Move with Celeste brings her jam box, tambourines, shakers, and scarves for dancing and shaking. Celeste reads aloud the spotlight book, and each child gets a book to take home for his home library. Along with a free book, each child gets a pack of diapers and wipes to take home at every program. We get our groove on while getting our blood pumping to some great music. Music ignites every area of a child’s development including literacy and language skills, motor skills, and social or emotional skills. It nurtures the relationship between the body and the mind. You’ll notice that even babies will move to the beat of a song or recognize a rhythm. Music & Movement is for infants and toddlers ages 0-5 and their caretakers.

            The best part? Both of these programs are completely FREE!

            If you have an infant, baby, or toddler, come to the library for our children’s programs and come have some fun!

Oh, Baby!

            The Calhoun County Library is having its annual Community Baby Shower at the end of September to celebrate new parents in our county.

            If you or someone you know, who is a Calhoun County resident and is expecting, adopting, or has an infant under 12 months old, please come to the Community Baby Shower! It is entirely free and you will walk away with some great goodies and information for your little one. Every parent will receive diapers, wipes, a pacifier, a onesie, board books to start your home library, and more! Register for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library while you learn about library programs such as Mother Goose on the Loose and Music & Movement. Engage with local professionals as they speak about health and wellness, early literacy, infant safety, and more.

            This event will take place at the Calhoun County Library on Sunday, September 24, 2023 from 3 PM - 4 PM.

            If you would like to donate your gently used or new baby items such as strollers, high chairs, play mats, bouncy seats, Bumbos, etc., we would greatly appreciate your contribution. Please bring these items during the Calhoun County Library’s hours of operation before Friday, September 22, 2023. These items will be used as door prizes for some lucky parents.

            This free event does require registration. Give us a call at 803-874-3389, if the above stipulations apply to you, and grab a spot for this Community Baby Shower. The only requirement is that you are a Calhoun County resident. All we need is your name, your phone number, and how many people will be attending this event with you - limit of 3 including parent. That’s it!

            We would like to thank the Friends of the Calhoun County Library for their time over the past weeks as they helped us prepare for this event. We would also like to thank all the speakers and sponsors as they help us put on this event for Calhoun County residents to enjoy each year. Welcome to parenthood!

            We look forward to seeing you all!

Save the Children Appreciation

 

We would like to send the biggest thank you to Save the Children! They generously donated so many books and Raddish Kids kits for us to give out to our community. We are grateful for Save the Children. Everyone, help us thank them!

Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

            The Calhoun County Library held a volunteer appreciation luncheon following the Summer Reading Program finale on July 27.

It is no secret that we could not hold specialty events and programs without the help of our dedicated volunteers. After a busy summer filled with summer reading programs and Science Camp, we wanted to express our gratitude to every member of our community who volunteered and donated their time to help us out. These wonderful community members did everything from passing out snacks and giveaway books to helping with crafts and managing crowds. They greeted patrons and kept a count of how many people came to the library for all of the programs, and they assisted with summer reading registrations and prize distributions for reaching milestones. They were also wonderful advocates for spreading the word about all the great programs we have here at the library. We rely on our volunteers and appreciate their giving of their time and talents. They are a vital part of our Programs and Outreach Department here at the library.

Our volunteer appreciation luncheon took place immediately after our summer reading program finale. Everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch and dessert while we were able to relax and talk about the success of the summer reading program. It was nice to unwind and relay our gratitude to our steadfast volunteers. We continue to thank them for helping our library be the best it can be!

Summer Reading Finale

            The Calhoun County Library celebrated the end of the Summer Reading Program with a local performance, an awards ceremony, ice cream, and the distribution of the grand prizes.

Celebrating Summer Reading is something that the Calhoun County Library looks forward to every year. It’s a fun-filled time of learning, laughing, and reading, and participants even get prizes for their efforts. Every summer is filled with excellent programs that are entertaining and educational, and they always focus on literacy. We pull books for display after each weekly program so that children can check out books about what they have just seen.  This year we had a great turnout with over 120 registered readers and in total we logged well over 32,000 minutes of reading. That’s a lot of reading!

The finale took place on Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 10:30 AM. For the first 20 minutes, we had the pleasure of having the Ukaloonies perform interactive songs such as “B-I-N-G-O,” “Rockin’ Robin,” and “Calendar Girl.” Both children and adults were dancing and singing along while our local group of rock stars made beautiful music for us all to enjoy.

After that engaging performance, it was time to give out certificates and brag tags to everyone who participated in our Summer Reading All Together Now Program. We even had a few patrons that completed the entire challenge, meaning they read and logged 600 or more minutes throughout the summer, and they received medals during the finale. The names are as follows: Aria Coble, Elena Coble, Jessie Coble, Hannah Nelson, Joanna Nelson, Sarah Nelson, Matiaz Serrano, Monica Serrano, Rita Serrano, and Isaac Williams.

Following the certificate presentation, the grand prize winners were announced. These winners were randomly and digitally selected from all those who logged at least 60 minutes of reading. The winners of the two early literacy tricycles were Aaliyah Edmond and Tilly Hair. The four winners of the children’s bicycles were Matiaz Serrano, Angela Griffin, Cailin Shirer, and Rita Serrano. The two teen Kindle winners were James Prickett and Miryam Gutierrez. The two adult Kindle winners were Jean Miller and Stephanie Burnette.

What a great time we had all summer long from watching puppet shows to making origami animals to holding tarantulas! It was all because we love to read! Thank you to our sponsors, the State Library for providing funding for our programs and Save the Children for providing our giveaway books. They made it possible for this summer reading program to be such a success!

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.