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Library guests learn Smart Money
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .During the Poland library's Aug. 16 "Smart Money" story time, librarian Amanda Kollar took an imaginary trip to Ireland with her guests. While "visiting" Ireland, Kollar shared a traditional Irish folk-tale.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .During the "Smart Money" program, the guests saved enough currency to talk a trip through a Kenyan safari in Africa. Librarian Linda Kucalaba (left) acted as safari guide and taught her guests the Swahili words for different safari animals.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .At the close of the Aug. 16 story time, young guests recieved a Russian nesting doll craft, a set of play "puppy dollars," and a scary shark hat. Dominic Cross (center) modeled his shrak hat after coloring in a few shark teeth.
By SARAH FOOR
For the closing event of its summer reading program, the Poland library decided to leave its guests with some common “cents” that would last far beyond the summer months.
During the Aug. 16 “Smart Money” program, librarians Amanda Kollar and Linda Kucalaba took an imaginary trip around the world while also teaching guests responsible spending habits.
The group began with $180 worth of fake money and the choice to use planes, cars, boats, trains and submarines to travel between countries all over the world.
“It’s all about making smart choices with our money,” explained Kucalaba. “During our trip, we’ll be faced with choices to spend money or save, which we hope will teach you about the value of money and where it is best used.”
After choosing a form a transportation, the groups ‘traveled’ to each locale to hear stories and play games based on the culture of each country. In its journey around the world, the group heard folktales from Ireland, went on a Kenyan safari and learned Swahili words, celebrated Chinese New Year, hunted crocodiles in Australia, tried out the penguin hokey-pokey in Antartica and played bingo with Brazilian landmarks.
During craft time, Kollar and Kucalaba continued to mix cultural education with smart finances.
The story time guests created Russian nesting dolls and were also given their own set of “puppy dollars” currency to learn how to manage money.
As the last story time of the summer season, Kollar reflected on what the library’s “One World, Many Stories” theme offered to the readers at the Poland library.
“We hope they’ve become aware of a wealth of unique cultures. There are billions of people in the world, but at the heart of it, we’re all very much alike,” Kollar said.