Since the library would be closed on the 25th, we had Chocolate Storytime on the 3rd Friday; and it was lots of fun. It was a cool and autumn afternoon. Once settled in, the kids chose 2 books to read.: “Lola Loves the Library” by Anna McQuinn and “Under and Over the Pond” by Kate Messner. The latter is a sweet story about a mother and son exploring the pond. It is an excellent way to get children familiarized with the names of the creatures that live inside and outside of the water.

After reading, the kids decorated a small pumpkin. To do this, they went on a 5 minute nature hunt with their parents to gather 5 natural elements. They were given location and gathering parameters (only gather items that have fallen, no picking from the trees or bushes…). Together with other embellishments, markers, and ink pastels, they created some really interesting masterpieces.

What a great group of parents we had. They helped with the hot glue station and assisted the kids with their ideas. There was a mom who took one of the crying babies (not her own) to the back wall to look at the art so the kids could enjoy the stories. Thank you to Barbara Lindsey for the pumpkin cupcakes, mint chocolate cookies, and M & Ms. Also, thank you to Ms. Lupita for the bejeweled pens that each person received! Our other librarian, Ms. Rosa, gave us some extra glue for the hot glue gun. And always a shout out to our security guard, Mr. Perez, who helps set up each month.