LLC Loves libraries! In celebration of National Library Week we’re giving you a look inside some of our favorite libraries. Going beyond the books to the amenities, programs, and features that make them our favorite places.
Aspen Drive Library in Vernon Hills, part of the Cook Memorial Public Library District, is the perfect place to spend a quiet afternoon with the kiddos. The bright, spacious library offers plenty of activities for tots through teens–and for parents, there is plenty of quiet space, such as meeting areas and a reading room stocked with magazines.
Here are some of the highlights of this lovely community library.
Expansive Children’s Programming
Aspen Drive Library offers a variety of classes and activities for children on almost every day of the week. Baby Time introduces little ones to simple songs and activities, while Not Naptime Hullabaloo incorporates stories and music-making for tots who would rather dance than nap. Specialized classes, such as Lego Adventure and Shaving Cream Art (which is taught by an art therapist), will inspire creativity in your budding architects and artists. There are plenty of classes for your tween as well, such as Tween Art Explorers, Minecraft Mania and book discussions.
Play Areas
The Aspen Drive Library encourages play and activity. In the children’s area, kids can write a letter or color a picture and drop it off in a kid-sized mailbox. The librarians will respond to the letters and tack them to a bulletin board, encouraging early literacy skills while teaching children the art of letter writing.
A wooden dollhouse and puppet theatre encourage imaginative play, while various puzzles, games and literacy activities are available for patrons to play with at the library or check out for home use. Two desktop computers and numerous iPads offer younger children an opportunity to play educational games while lounging on the library’s comfy couches and chairs. Little ones will love searching for Nemo in the library’s large fish tank, which is adjacent to the play area.
On Saturdays, the library hosts the Family Play and Learn Center in its largest meeting space, where families can gather to play with a variety of toys and games and interact with one another. Check the library’s website for full details.
Activities for Teens
While the library offers traditional services for teens, such as study spaces and homework help, it also provides several unique offerings, such as fun, education programming and free online tutoring. Teens can take classes in photo or video conversion, or meet with friends to play board games such as King of Tokyo, Apples to Apples and Risk.
Is your teen a budding cinematographer? Or does she need access to video equipment for a class project? The library is home to a digital studio lab, where patrons can learn graphic design skills, try 3D modeling, record a podcast, or create digital film projects. A variety of equipment can be checked out for use at home, too, such as a GoPro HERO camera, camcorder, portable hard drive, selfie stick or MacBook Air laptop.
And of course, there are thousands of books, reference materials, CDs, DVDs and other materials available for checkout, as well as opportunities to meet local authors through the library’s visiting authors series, Authors Out Loud.
The library is a quiet space to relax with your family almost any time of the day–but if you want to avoid the after-school rush on weekdays, come before 3 p.m. or after 5 p.m.
Aspen Drive Library
701 Aspen Drive | Vernon Hills | (847) 362-2330
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What’s your favorite children’s program at the Aspen Drive Library in Vernon Hills? Let us know in a comment below.
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