Home Living What a Brilliant Idea! The Kiwanis Kids Idea Studio Opens
What a Brilliant Idea! The Kiwanis Kids Idea Studio Opens
by Natalie Miller-Moore
The Kiwanis Kids Idea Studio Opens at the James City County Library Branch
If you haven't been following the evolution of libraries as closely as I have, here's one of the most exciting features: libraries are going beyond books, to be places where anyone can learn practically anything.
The transformation of the children's area at the James City County branch of Williamsburg Regional Library is a great example of a "play to learn" philosophy. (Full disclosure, I'm on the Board of Trustees for the library, a volunteer role I take seriously because libraries change lives, including mine.)
Betsy Fowler became the Library Director three years ago and brought some fresh perspective to library spaces.
"The JCC library is 25 years old and still has the original carpet, lighting and set up—we knew it could be a better space. After hosting wildly successful STEAM programs, we knew people enjoyed hands-on, intergenerational activities," Fowler said.
She noted that people came to events, but also scooped up books to learn more at home.
"It brought excitement to the library, and our librarians enjoyed offering different ways of learning," she said. "We thought, 'Why not design this new space with these elements to use all the time?'"
This "children's museum-style" library integration will be a reality this year and appears to be leading other libraries in the country. There will be several big installations, including an air tube machine, a Lego wall, a pixel peg wall, an interactive floor game projector and a magnetic gear wall along with some other hands-on science areas.
There will also be "big window seats for the whole family to read together" so the emphasis remains on family, fun and learning.
"Reading skills in young children are better with strong play experiences—we learn by doing. So having interactive space is a really good way to increase literacy," said Fowler.
The county covers the basic building renovations, but funding for all the extras comes from private donors, through the Friends of the Williamsburg Regional Library Foundation, created to support innovative library projects.
"We support the library's new ideas on how to distribute services to community in different ways," said Sam Sadler, the president of the Friends Foundation. "It was clear that the library was going to need private resources to match the public resources. We wanted to find people who were already committed to expanding educational opportunities for young people, and we naturally thought of Kiwanis International."
The three local Kiwanis clubs enthusiastically agreed to support this project, providing more than half of the funding.
"It's the first time all the clubs have funded something together, that's how excited they were about this. There's also a wow factor that we may be one of the first to create something this innovative for our community," Sadler said.
The rest of the project is funded by individuals and businesses, including sponsorships of the "preschool village" full of opportunities to play pretend. Publix Super Market will maintain the play grocery store with non-perishable products, Noah's Ark Veterinary Hospital (in nearby Norge) will supply X-rays for broken paws and the house is furnished by The Shops at Carolina Furniture of Williamsburg.
"They all believe in the power of activity like this to inspire learning in children. We can achieve much more this way, combining our resources for something magical," Sadler said.
Natalie can't wait to see the unveiling of this project, and her kids' eyes when they see it, too! The Idea Studio was scheduled to open March 21st and will open as soon as public health officials allow public buildings to reopen. The Kiwanis Idea Studio will be open the same hours as the library.
Interested in making a donation? wrl.org/give
Williamsburg Kids & Family Education & Learning