The Children’s Place of the Wood County District Public Library’s is adding two new monthly
programs."We had so much fun with our weekly STEM program this summer and saw how much the kids loved
and learned from hands-on construction activities that we decided to experiment with additional
offerings," said Maria Simon, head of youth services.Families are invited to Legopalooza one Sunday
each month, where the Children’s Place will share its expanding Lego collection along with building books
and ideas. Creations will be displayed. The first Legopalooza will be Sept. 15 from 2 to 3 p.m.The
Children’s Place also has a new partnership with Home Depot."We hear stories and read biographies about
engineers and inventors and understand how as kids, they loved to take things apart and recreate, so we are
designing a new program called ‘Break It & Make It with Home Depot,’" Simon said.One Saturday a
month, youth ages 10 and older are invited to join members of Team Depot, an associate-led volunteer program
from the Bowling Green store. They will supply support, tools and safety equipment for breaking and
disassembling various items. The first "Break It & Make It" will be Sept. 21 from 2 to 3
p.m. in the Children’s Place.Ongoing Children’s Place programs include: Preschool Storytime on Tuesdays at
10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. The Baby and Toddler with Caregivers Storytime is Thursdays at 10 a.m. The library
started opening at 9 a.m. this week. The extra hour makes an earlier start for the Thursday storytime
possible."Paws for Reading," Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m., offers school-age youth, fun supportive
read aloud practice with a older buddy, or Ben, a registered therapy dog.Puppet Pals, a free homework
help/tutoring partnership between the library and the Bowling Green State University Martha Gesling Weber
Reading Center, begins on Monday. Trained tutors from BGSU will be available to students,
kindergarten-fourth grade, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 6 and 8 p.m. and Thursdays between 4
and 6 p.m. Drop-ins are welcome, however, the Children’s Place prefers a signup.The Children’s Place is
resuming the early literacy workshop, Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library, for parents and caregivers
with young children, newborn-preschool. Staff will share practices and strategies, as well as books that
nurture children’s pre-reading skills. Each family will receive a free book. The next workshop is Sept. 26
at 7 p.m. in the Children’s Place.The Children’s Place continues a partnership with WBGU-TV with several
PBS-Kids Family Workshops this fall. The first one will be Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. in the Children’s Place.Novel
Chit Chats, a monthly book discussion for adults and youth, will meet on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. Multiple copies
of "Sideways Stories from Wayside School," along with copies of the audio recording, also by Louis
Sachar, are now available for check out at the Children’s Place desk.One-time monthly programs include:
Everlasting Herbs, another partnership with BG Park and Rec, meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Simpson
Garden Park, 1291 Conneaut Ave. Families are invited to a Talk Like a Pirate program on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.
in the Children’s Place. Pirate costumes are encouraged.
