This is a guest post from Anna Hazzard at Liberty Elementary in Big Lake. Find out more about our Extended Mini Grant Program.
First of all, I want to give a huge thank you to the CMLE for accepting my mini grant submission! I am beyond excited and thankful!
Here at Liberty we are a K-2 elementary school with over 700 students. Each one of our students has a weekly library time to check out books with their class. My vision as the media assistant at Liberty is to create excitement around books, reading, and the library experience. Why can’t the library be lively, fun, a little loud (sometimes), AND educational?
Every couple of months the Liberty library transforms into a newly decorated, interactive theme! This has been so successful and such an amazing way to create excitement around the different books we have in the library! The students have absolutely loved these various themes and always look forward to what’s next! Some of our past themes have been Rev Up with a Good Book, Camp Out, Once Upon a Time, Back to School with the Characters We Love, and Snowmen At Night.
With this mini grant we were able to purchase decorations, books, and activities to create our latest themed experience…Ms. Anna’s Gingerbread Land (as named by one of my students)! Not only will we enjoy these items now but they will also be reused for future events!!!
When students visit the library every week to check out books they also get to enjoy this interactive gingerbread theme! They are having a blast with the larger than life decorations to take pictures by, themed special events/activities, and of course BOOKS!!!
The joy that this grant has brought to the students of Liberty is one for the books! It’s really something you have to see on the faces of the students as they walk into the library!
It is truly magical!!! Thank you again CMLE!!!!