By Alice Stevens | Operations and Development Associate
We’re nearing the end of the school year and vacation is around the corner. We are also moving into the winter months, and there is a nip in the air and fires are blazing. Winter vacation is an opportunity to take advantage of our library members’ free time to introduce our month-long Reading Adventures Literacy Programming. Thanks to your generous and crucial support, our library is able to cope with increasing numbers, and implement new and creative ways to encourage literacy and learning.
Reading Adventures started this week and will encourage students to read, develop their vocabulary, and improve their Spanish. It also offers our members a fun and social environment to spend the chilly winter months. The community of Chajul speak the unusual and beautiful language of Ixil. However, it is important that youth learn Spanish for schooling and employment opportunities. Our librarians are all bilingual (or trilingual) and engage students using Spanish and Ixil (and sometimes Quiché).
Each Monday, the participants are separated by skill level and divided into three rooms with our three librarians. Groups of avid readers read aloud with help and instruction. The librarians have come up with innovative ways to engage library members and facilitate learning. At the ‘wall of words’, children stick new words they have learned under each letter of the alphabet. Our staff also employs animal sound games, dinámicas or ice-breakers, board games, and songs to create a fun and interactive learning environment.
Tuesdays and Thursdays will be dedicated to this year’s vacation theme: music and dance. This theme will also incorporate creativity, art, and environmental awareness as library users will use recycled materials to create their own instruments.
Our musical menagerie of recycled instruments will include homemade drums, maracas, other makeshift percussion instruments, and flutes. Our multi-talented librarians will give classes to the students on singing, dancing, and instruments. Eduardo Rey, who plays guitar, drums, and flute, and featured prominently in the Independence Day marching band, will instruct the library members on how to play their instruments. Marilú will give classes on a range of different dances including merengue, salsa, bachata, and Zumba. David will be coaching our eager users in singing.
As always, Wednesday will continue with our ever-popular bilingual story hour. Each week per month we rotate different story hour themes: art, theatre, board games, and cultural story hour. Our library users are currently adding colour to a wall mural that depicts a delightful ‘world of books’ that was sketched by a recent volunteer (see pictures!).
This year has been one of growth and our vacation programming is a wonderful example of the services and activities we can provide with this organizational growth. Our three accomplished librarians bring different skills and strengths to the table, and provide individualized attention and support to even more children. Thank you for your continued support in creating a place of creativity and learning in Chajul!
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