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Activity night brings kids to library Medford sessions offer games, skills, crafts By VICKI GUARINO Here's what's offered Jackson County Library offers weekly activities for kids in the children's library at the Medford headquarters branch. Sessions are designed for youngsters ages 6-10. The free programs are held every Monday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Activities for January are: Jan. 3 -- Game night. Bring your favorite board game to play with others. Jan. 10 -- Nature. Northwest Nature Shop, Ashland, presents information about bird feeders and houses. Jan. 17 -- Crafts. Arts projects using natural materials found during winter. Jan. 24 -- Scavenger hunt. Learn and test skills and knowledge of library resources. Jan. 31 -- Game night. Bring a favorite board game to play with others. The program is sponsored by the children's library. Additional information is available at the library, 774-8678. The public library becomes an indoor playground Monday nights for dozens of youngsters. Kids tie balloon animals, take up juggling and begin simple crafts projects in hourlong sessions. The program, Monday Night at the Library, is a change of pace for the Medford headquarters library children's department as well as for young patrons. Kids are even invited to bring in one of their favorite board games from home for "game night." The session can come in handy for youngsters who have too few friends around to fill positions on popular board games. Children's department librarian Pat Cowell encourages parents to stick around and play, too. Often they do. "You should have seen the dads learning to juggle," Cowell says. The idea behind the play period is to raise families' awareness of the children's library. Whatever the topic or activity, Cowell makes a point of setting out library books that relate to the subject and expand on it. The programs are designed for youngsters ages 6 to 10, but both younger and older siblings are drawn to the action. Cowell began playing host to the sessions in October, but didn't promote it much so that she would have time to develop activities without worrying about crowds. "It started out slow," she says. "We wanted to ease into it." Installation of a new computer system throughout the library further delayed publicity. On the first few Mondays, about a half dozen kids showed up. More recent sessions have drawn as many as 20. Medford elementary schools began announcing the program in newsletters to parents just in the past few weeks. The crowds have been larger than Cowell initially expected, but they confirm her suspicion that families are looking for activities. In just a few weeks, the program has cultivated a loyal core of participants. Cowell also has uncovered a rich supply of talented local volunteers to help her put on special sessions. A representative from the Northwest Nature Shop in Ashland is coming later this month. The husband of a library staff member supplied the expertise for the juggling program. With only an hour to spend, Cowell necessarily designs programs that are simple. Complicated crafts projects are out of the question. She also wants activities that are easy enough so younger brothers and sisters can play along. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA