Monthly Activities at the Sandy Library Ideal for All Ages

By Kelly Cannon | [email protected]

Sandy - Every month, the Sandy Library offers a plethora of activities suited for different age groups and interests. These activities are hosted by the library and have the goal of bringing residents into the library to discover the resources available.

From 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. then again from 11:30 a.m. to noon every Thursday is Toddler Time. Designed for pre-kindergarten children, the goal of Toddler Time is promote early literacy. The toddlers sing songs, play games and engage with their parent or the librarian. Story time is also incorporated into the activity.  

“We want people to come who can benefit from it who are in different developmental stages,” Liz Sollis, the marketing and community relations manager at the Sandy Library, said. 

At 4 p.m. the first Thursday of every month is LEGO Club. While it is geared toward elementary-aged children, it is open to all ages. 

“Children can come and they can build whatever they want,” Kara Pearson, the youth services librarian at the Sandy Library, said.

Pearson offers a challenge every month for the children to accomplish. There are also several games the kids can play, including LEGO matching, LEGO go fish and LEGO bowling.

“The kids also make LEGO mazes and race marbles through them,” Pearson said. 

The second Thursday every month is Afternoon at the Movies. Starting at 4 p.m. the library shows a different movie the whole family can enjoy. Pearson explained they try to show new releases as much as possible. Movies are typically family friendly and are rated G or PG. In the past, movies shown have included “Pan,” “Minions” and “Shaun the Sheep.”

At 7 p.m. on the third Thursday is Thursday Book Group. Designed as book club for adults, the group reads either a non-fiction or fiction book each month and then gets together to discuss it. While the program is held at the library, the book club is run by a group of volunteers. To find out which book is being read and discussed, interested parties can either call the library at (801) 943-4636, or they can drop by the library.

Every third Saturday is a special event called Read to Dogs. At 10:30 a.m., licensed therapy dogs that are specially trained to be around children are available to be read to either by kids or by their parents. 

“The kids really love it,” Pearson said. 

The program is so popular, sign-up beforehand is required.

A program specifically geared toward young girls ages 7 to 12 is Great Reads for Girls. Held at 7 p.m. the last Wednesday of every month, young girls come in with their moms to discuss a book they read the previous month. After a brief discussion, the group does different activities associated with the book such as trivia or a game. The event ends with a craft also tied to the book.

While Great Reads for Girls is for girls, Hero Adventure Time is geared toward boys. From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the last Friday of each month, the group gets together to discuss a book. The group then plays games or does experiments based off the book. The group is for boys ages 7 to 11 years old.

For more information about these activities and other soffered by the Sandy Library, call 801-943-4636 or visit http://www.slcolibrary.org/gl/glal/librarysandy.htm.