Thanks to the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries grant, Baxter Memorial Library received funding that allowed us to reinvigorate the children’s area, adding lots of great new nonfiction books, as well as themed learning kits, new games, comfy furnishings, and charming decor.  

It’s taken quite a bit of work, but (drumroll, please)… the themed learning kits are finally ready for checkout – along with lots of new games and puzzles!  What’s a themed learning kit, you ask?  Let’s say your kids want to go birdwatching.  You can check out the Birding Kit which contains binoculars, a field guide, a CD of birdsongs, and a few children’s books about birds.  Or maybe your kiddos love to tell stories.  Check out the Storytelling Kit with two decks of story cards, a set of story dice, printouts of comic panels & story writing/drawing paper, and (of course) a few books on storytelling.  

Each kit is available for a two-week checkout.  They aren’t easy to find in the online catalog, so if you’re interested in borrowing one, just send an email to sharonbaxterlibrary@gmail.com or call the library at 802-763-2875. 

Available Kits

Birding (binoculars, bird songs CD, field guide, books)
Cells (animal & plant cell models and books)
Dinosaurs (write & wipe dino sheets, dino puppets, books)
Electricity (Snap Circuits Jr. set and books)
Gardening (gardening tools, seed pack, books) We’re looking for donations of seed packets to include in this kit
Insects & Spiders (bug hut, magnifying glass, books)
Juggling (juggling balls and books)
Mindfulness (mindfulness cards, books)
Money (play money, Exact Change game, books)
Music (musical instruments and books)
Shapes (shape game and books)
Stargazing (home planetarium, star chart, books)
Steel Tongue Drum (drum and songbooks)
Storytelling (story cards, story dicce, comic panel and story writing printouts, books)
Telling Time (learning clock with activities and books)
Yoga (yoga mat, yoga pose cards, book)

But wait!  Don’t forget the games!  Baxter Memorial Library also has lots of games available for lending. (If you’re looking for a fun way to incorporate math into everyday life, games are a must!)

Available Games

Zeus on the Loose
Fracto
Fraction War 
Addition & Subtraction War
Multiplication War
Division War
Pass the Pigs
Fluxx
SET
Sleeping Queens
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
LCR (dice game)
Zingo
Bird Bingo
Shut-the-Box
Uno
Boggle
Yahtzee
Scrabble
Connect 4
I Never Forget a Face (matching game)
Dr. Seuss Matching Game
Pop! the Pig
Multiple decks of playing cards

We’re still looking for donations of interesting puzzles to add to our lendable puzzle collection (both for kids and adults), but we’ve already gotten some dandies that are ready to check out.  Stop by and take a look – and stay tuned for news about our upcoming makerspace!