Today was easily the hardest days work I’ve done at the library since I started. When I first got the job I was warned about the ‘summer reading game’ in hushed tones. In much the same way as I’d been warned about Christmas at Clinton Cards, January Sale at Bhs, 10% off for over 60s on a Wednesday at B&Q…. Last summer I had only been there six months and wasn’t really working on the enquiry desk so although I did a few stints on the Summer Reading Game (henceforth called SRG for my blog) dedicated table it was towards the end of the time and didn’t see that hard.
But today was the first day of the school summer holidays for most children round here so they ALL descended to the library to sign up for the SRG. Except for those who were early and had already joined before today, because they came in with their first two books already read to tell us all about them.
At 930am when we opened I happily welcomed the first couple of children. I explained the SRG to them, talked about how they might want to make their books choices, went through the bronze, silver and gold awards and little prizes at every step of the way, chatted to them about their favourite authors and other authors they might like to try, encouraged them to choose a good wide selection of books, gave out their first challenge of spotting SRG characters hidden around the library for a prize draw, praised their writing, laughed with them about how all the local schools have done some sort of merging and renaming thing so even the children not changing schools in September will be going back to a school with a different name.
By 10am by patter was sounding tired even to my own ears.
By 11am I had signed up 7 children all called Chloe (sorry Michelle! I really like the name Chloe but having been one of 5 Nicolas most of the way through school I have an aversion to names that are really popular) and discovered 3 ways of spelling Callum that I’d not known about before. I’d been ‘treated’ to the story of a 7 year old born 4 months premature – amazing yes, miracle child yes, struggling to feign interest in her ‘telling the lady how big you were when you were born Chloe’ prompted by her mother – YES.
By midday I had mastered signing ’em up in record time and suspect I had the manner of an air hostess performing the safety procedure talk at the start of a flight with a crazed grin and a clear script.
I’d also began to talk to children who had returned with their first two books to tell me all about them. This varied wildly from the ones who wanted to basically retell me the entire story to those who I had to drag monosyllabic answers from about who’s this then? when I could just read the bloody book for myself if I cared!
Just before 1pm an 11 year old With Attitude came in to say she’d already read all six books after signing up on Monday. I wordlessly printed out her ‘well done’ certificate, gave her her bookmark and stickers (what is it with 11 year olds – aren’t they supposed to be binge drinking alcopops and cultivating eating disorders anyway, not collecting stickers for reading books!).
At 1pm I went for lunch and sat in the staff room seriously contemplating quite how I’ve ended up in a job where I sing Incy Wincy Spider to a roomful of under 2s once a fortnight and sit trapped behind a desk coaxing children to tell me what their favourite bit of a Rainbow Fairy story was. I’m fairly certain this was not my calling! 😆
The afternoon was quieter with altogether more adults than childen coming in but it was exceptionally hot and I am not officially bored with summer and would quite like it to cool down again please actually. Not rain, but just be cooler.
Meanwhile back at the ranch Ady was home in the morning and he and the children went on a sandpit sand purchasing pilgrimage so we can now recreate that just back from the beach effect on our hall carpet whenever we like without stepping out of our own front garden.
My Mum was here in the afternoon and she took Davies and Scarlett (without suncream!!!!) to the park for a bit and then they played in the garden with the chickens. When I pulled up there were two double glazing men waiting for me as they’d seen Mum in the garden with a chicken and wanted to find out more about them and ask about buying some :shock:. I took them round to the back garden where Davies and Scarlett mostly talked to them about them, insisted that they both held a chicken (the one interested in them was well up for it, the other looked frankly terrified!). He fell in love with the speckledy hens of Toms but only wants hens so he’s coming back in a couple of weeks to talk prices and I’ve said we might be able to breed for him at a price :). I felt all knowledgable talking about them and realised how much I actually do know about chickens now :).
Mum stayed awhile and the children made their own pizzas (Ady had put the dough on before he left so they did shaping, spreading puree and grating cheese) before adding the ingredients for the next batch for Ady and I’s dinnner later. We also chatted about just how the breadmaker worked too. They had dinner and went back to play outside.
Ady came home, Mum left, the children had showers and I read them several stories then they went to bed.
totally with you on the being bored of summer, it’s been far too hot and i am feeling terribly guilty for being a bad mummy and letting my poor boy get sunburned 😳 🙁
i’m ignoring the comment about 11 year olds.. thats only a couple of years away! 😯
Comment by Liza — 25 July 2008 @ 8:34 am
Bored?!?!?!? We’ve only had about a week of sun!
Comment by Roslyn — 25 July 2008 @ 11:20 am
Yeah, I’m just starting to get into it, could do with a few more weeks of not wondering whether to take a coat every time I leave the house.
Comment by Alison — 26 July 2008 @ 12:56 am
I am quietly pleased that our eleven year old, and eight year old come to that, will soon be too old for the summer reading thing. It’s one of those things that I don’t like and so they always want to do it – every year. I’ m afraid they have already got to gold and will be collecting their final bits of tat this week. Honestly, reading books as a race, I ask you…
Comment by Allie — 26 July 2008 @ 8:49 pm
That’s where all the Chloes are! We only know of 2 others and one is 14yo and the other 5yo. I thought they were all in Stevenage or some other classy town.
She didn’t have a name for 2 days as we tried to resist the most popular name for 5 years. But couldn’t find anything we liked. Actually, if memory serves me correctly, Marcus didn’t like any other name. In truth I don’t remember being bothered what she was called. Hey ho. She can change it if she likes.
When my mum first moved into their house there was a Marcus and Michelle living opposite. That was weird. Lots of Michelles out there too. But only one like me 🙂
Comment by Michelle — 26 July 2008 @ 10:50 pm
yep never move down here then Michelle 🙂 I used to know loads of Nicolas but actually I don’t know any any more. I do know three couples called Chris and Helen. When Scarlett was 3 she was at home ed group with another Scarlett and Tumble tots with yet another one – and one of my criteria for children’s names was unusualness. At work there are 3 Sarahs and 3 of us are married to someone called Ady / Adrian :).
I think there are plusses and minusses to popular / obscure names actually – when we were children my brother was always really envious that I could get keyrings / mugs / door name plates with my name but he never could (he’s called Frazer) whereas I was always envious of him having a name he didn’t have to use his surname with at all times to distinguish him from the other 5 children in the class all with the same first name.
Comment by Nic — 26 July 2008 @ 10:57 pm
I remembered what I wanted to call her – Emma. So I could sign cards “M, M and Em”
Mum wanted her to be called Robin.
Comment by Michelle — 27 July 2008 @ 9:50 pm