BLAINE, Minn. – Local Anoka County Libraries are a hub of activity all summer long. One new and unique program has kids teaching kids. Area teenagers are leading science experiments for young children. The program is designed to be fun for the children while giving the teenagers life skills. Becky Walpole, the creator of the program, has a deep commitment to working with teens. “It’s been a passion of mine to help teens feel comfortable here and at other library branches,” explains Walpole.
The teen science program is running at several library branches this summer. The program is designed to be a drop in event, meaning that parents can bring their kids anytime during the 90-minute program period and it will take about 20 minutes for the kids to learn and complete the experiment. Before the start of the program, Walpole put all the teens through training to help them prepare for the 8-week program. “The teens have all gone through training, so they learned about the different science concepts and how to help the kids think like scientists and how to ask open-ended questions.”
All the summer programs are designed to bring more families into the libraries. When they do visit they discover that the library is not just a place for books anymore. Walpole explains the wide variety of media library-goers have to choose from: “We’ve got eBooks, and we’ve got magazines and we’ve got all these wonderful activities– we’ve got story times, a lot of the libraries are doing book clubs and book programs.” Arts and crafts are also among many of the libraries’ activities.
While being educational in nature it is also important to Walpole that each activity at the library has some element of fun attached. Walpole has already witnessed the fun of an experiment turn into a learning experience for a young child. “The kids were making kites,” she recalls, “and then one of the kids went to the shelf and said, ‘Oh look! Here’s a book about kites!’ and then they wanted to know if we had any videos on how to build kites, and we were able to help him find stuff.” Walpole takes great pride in the value of the libraries’ programs. “You know, that excitement and passion that helps them get excited about learning new things is what I love about my job.”
