Saturday afternoons are all about creative play for folks of all ages at the Campbell River Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library.
Angela Gunther, librarian for children and youth, takes great pleasure in facilitating Family Makerspace, a crafting get-together many locals have come to love.
“The goal of it,” she explained, “is to have the caregiver or parent doing the craft with the child.
“It’s not about leaving your kids with us to do the crafts – it’s a family thing.”
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The activity is perfect for weekends when parents want to get out of the house.
“There are things to do at the rec centre, but that’s more boisterous,” Gunther opined.
“I’ve got some mellow music going on, and it’s meant to be a low-key opportunity for parents to socialize while their kids are busy doing things.”
A group of four children were deep in concentration making a variety of crafts.
“Kids love running that button maker,” Gunther pointed out.
“I have to put a two buttons per-child-limit on it. The thrill of pulling that lever and making the thing is huge right?
Some children were putting together some colourful bendy people with pipe cleaners.
“You can put a magnet on their back and hang it on the fridge,” the librarian said.
Others were making felt cupcakes with all the trimmings, which involved another favourite of the kids: glitter glue.
“For half the kids, it’s just as exciting as the button maker,” Gunther said.
“No matter how many glitter glue bottles I fill, the kids will squeeze them dry by the end.”
The three different crafts are designed for three different ages, she explained.
“But the kids seem to wind up doing all three no matter what their ages are anyway.”
ronan.odoherty@campbellrivermirror.com
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