PFL Team News - Vol. 1

Every Friday from 1:30 - 3:30 pm a group of children get together to write articles and take pictures for the Pawling Press to review various events happening at the Pawling Free Library. The young reporters are sent to the programs to ask questions, take photos and experience the fun. The larger programs such as "Wave Riders" require two children, while for the smaller programs, two students might overwhelm the kids. After reporting, we gather in the conference room upstairs in the Library Annex for two hours, working frantically to meet our deadline.

One writer believes that Team News is "a great way to practice journalism for the future," while another said it was a "fun and exciting experience." Next week, I am looking forward to reporting on the "Creative Craft Closet" session!



Sea Shore Splashers is a young group at the Pawling Library. Participants who are three and four years old come to enjoy three wonderful stations.

At station 1, they listen as books are read. This week they were read the Sea Serpent and Me. It's an amazing tale about a seas serpent and a young girl. One child said "I LOVED it!" Kids also do funny dances at this station and pick out books.

At the games station children can do a variety of different activities. One activity is called "Playing in a Sandbox." They could also bottle search and play tic-tac-toe. The favorite game was Scavenger hunt. One child said, :Scavenger hunt (is) Fun!" Another said "This has been (the) best game."

At the art station kids made clay star fish. They were decorated with beads and other trinkets. "This was fun" said one kid. One participant was an independent thinker and made a hot dog instead!

These youngsters were filled with energy. They ran like antelopes and were as wide eyed as red-eyed tree frogs. Children loved this program.



Mrs. Barker teaches a large group of girls about colonial clothing and how to write with a quill pen using self made ink in the American girl club. Twelve girl participated in sixty minutes of fun at The Pawling Library.





photo submitted by Aidan O'Sullivan

Deep Sea Divers is the program the Pawling Library created for children in Kindergarten and First grade. There were three stations for the participants' enjoyment.

First was a reading station with Mrs. Gajdosik from the Sunshine School. She read aloud "Big Al. This book is about a giant fish, Al, who has no friends because he is big and scary. Al saves the other fish from a net and then everyone likes him.

At the games station they played tic-tac-toe. They also liked to play save the cat. Save the cat is a fun-filled game where the children pretend the ground is lava and they throw a beach ball (the cat). When it hits the ground nine times the cat dies (cats have nine lives after all)

Kids loved naming the cat in this game. In fact it was their favorite part. One child said; "I want the cat to be Fred."

At the art station they made sea stars out of homemade play dough. All but one, who chose to make a dog instead, made sea stars with many different legs.

These kids had action packed morning of fun. All were eager to come back.



Books and Blocks II is for kids ages ten and up. Every week we read a book and we build with Legos based on the book. If you read a book about a plane, you will build a plane. Right now there are seven people in the class and no waiting list. You can get in immediately. I did and had a great a great time! This class is run by the Pawling Library. You can reach them at 855-3444.




The Pawling Free Library is offering an exciting art class called "Flying Fish." This class is a wonderful opportunity to create artistic fish sculptures using a variety of arts and crafts materials. These fish are creative and capture the beauty of the ocean.

The class is being taught at the Annex on Thursdays, and is for kids 8 and up. The students in the class are having a wondrous time making the sculptures. According to Aidan, age 11, the club "looked like an opportunity to use clay and have my work around the library. Noah, age 11, would recommend this class to all his friends because they would "definitely enjoy it."

If you are interested in joining the Flying Fish club, please call the Pawling Library at 845-855-3444.



On Tuesdays in Fun Zone you could play any board game from Avalanche, which was QUITE popular in the first class, to Castle Risk. While playing games and having a good time you can make new friends that are your age. This popular class already has people on the waiting list. For every child who does not arrive a child from the waiting list that shows up can play. Call the Pawling Library at 855-3444 if you cannot make a class that day. This isn't the only class. There are more classes such as Origami, Books and Blocks, and many more. While the kids are occupied adults can pick up a book at the Pawling Library.





Every Friday from 1:30 to 3:30 kids practice their reading skills and learn more at the Reading Buddies Program at the Pawling Library. This program is open to kids from kindergarten to 5th grade. They are coached by older interns. The kids were lively obedient, and willing to learn. The interns were friendly, considerate, and always helped with hard words when the kids struggled.

They read a variety of books in genres ranging from spooky, humor, fantasy, and realistic fiction and non-fiction. You could hear the giggling and laughing in joy as they read their funny books. Some enjoyed hilarious Dr. Seuss.

These brilliant kids and interns love to read!




In the origami class at the Pawling Library kids seven to nine years old learn how to make
origami figures. The teacher's name is Madeline Clemmons. There are seven people in the class an no waiting list. She taught the kids how to make a swan, a carp, a penguin, a sea gull and a canoe. In the beginning of the class kids asked for help but soon got the hang of it. The seagull had a lot of steps and a lot of questions. At the end the instructor let the kids draw little faces and what not on the origami figures. The class looked like fun.