If you keep on the lookout for what’s going on in the Youth Services Department at A.K. Smiley Public Library, you’ll know that we now have Spirit Days every last Thursday of the month! We promote these through posters and announcements via Instagram. Every Thursday is also Baby and Toddler Storytime day, so our last Thursdays have gotten to be so much excitement and fun lately!! It’s awesome seeing people participate in our special days. Here’s the lowdown on the spirit days we’ve celebrated so far.
Our first spirit day for January had us starting out the year with “Wear a Cowboy Hat Day.” All of the Youth Services crew (minus Miss Dawn.. we missed you, Miss Dawn – on each of these days!) was decked out in red light-up cowboy hats, plus some extra cowboy gear just for fun. Miss Kristina and I each read a couple of cowboy themed books to our baby, toddler, and adult friends in attendance at storytime.
February brought “Dress Like a Spy Day.” We gave away spy kits complete with spy sunglasses, name tags, mustache disguises, and more. This was so fun! Trench coats, hats, and all black dominated our looks. Spy books are very popular in the YRR – most notably, the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs, many of which are now also available to check out as graphic novels.
March was “Rainbow Color Day.” Each of us in the Youth Services Crew chose our own color – Miss Pamela was green, Miss Bella was blue, Miss Kristina was purple, and I (Miss Emily) was red. Dressing up made the storytime rainbow scarf songs extra fun on this day! A fun fact about our Smiley Library storytimes – we have a kind of signature. Miss Pamela, Miss Kristina, and I all sing a series of songs featuring rainbow scarves during our storytimes, two of which are nearly always The Rainbow Song and Popcorn Kernels. They’re Smiley crowd favorites!
Next up for April will be “Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character Day!” At the time that I’m writing this, it still hasn’t happened yet, but there should be a photo posted to our Instagram at the time that you’re reading this. I’ve heard some cool ideas from patrons and staff who are excited to dress up: Junie B. Jones, Maisy, Paddington, Frog and Toad, multiple Waldos, even (mysteriously) one knight. If you know me, you know that I’m a big fan of the Kevin Henkes mice… I’ll most likely be dressed as one of his many sweet and stylish characters. Of the spirit days we’ve celebrated so far, this is the one that I’m most excited about.
Keep our upcoming spirit days on your radar! I personally can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings! The Youth Services Department has a few ideas for May through December, but if you have your own suggestion, we would absolutely love to hear it. We love serving this community, and spirit days are one way for us all to feel this connection in action.
Emily Windver is a library specialist in the Youth Services Department at A.K. Smiley Public Library. She enjoys dressing up, and especially goes all-out for a theme.