FIELD DAY AT THE LIBRARY
WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A.
by Tam Moore, Northeast Regional Library in Raleigh, North Carolina
I hosted a Field Day at Northeast Regional Library in Wake County in July 2021. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, and a few asked when we’d be doing something like this again.
The program was organized as follows: I had yoga games, table hockey, limbo, soft frisbees, bowling, and different types of games set up. I had activities outside the library, in the conference room, in the library’s program room, and on the floor of the library. The two-hour event was aimed at children in elementary school and their families. For children who played the games and checked out books we gave out slap bracelets for a prize.
Editorial note: A program like this one is very similar to what are sometimes called Play Streets. Learn more about how to bring this type of program to your community in the free Rural Play Streets Guide.
Lessons learned: Utilize all available spaces, including outdoor spaces.
Think creatively about how to encourage free play. Sometimes all you need is to put out some equipment into stations and let kids be kids!
Play and fun times at the library builds lifelong love of libraries and librarians.