Do you take your children to the local library?

[Legacy]

We go most Wednesdays, and I'm always amazed by how few parents and children there seem to be there.

Libraries are such a fantastic FREE resource, I often wonder what it is that stops parents from going?
Is it

• habit (i.e. were never taken as a child)
• convenience
• location

??

I just love it, 'cos the children feel that they aere 'getting something new' each week without me having to pay for it, it's obviously good for their reading/ education, and you don't end up with trillions of books all over the house. (We still buy books, but more often it's after first finding a type/ author through the library).

Anyway, if you want to get into the habit, I picked up a leaflet about a summer reading challenge kicking off all over the country from next weekend for the summer holidays - it's called The Big Wild Read, and kids can register for it, aim to read 6 books over the summer hols, and then get some goodies/ prizes etc.

More info here: The Big Wild Read

i take both DCs (4 and 2) every 4 weeks or so (however long it is that you are allowed books for), i try and miss tuesdays and anytime in half term as my 2 like to get books and during those times its too busy

every monday morning - to change books ans we have half an hour of music and singing nursery rhymes, well i do, and ds crawls around

Yes. Dd has been a member since she was 6 months old.
We're actually members of the three nearest libraries (10 miles, 20 miles, and 30 miles away). Tbh it can be a pain if I forget to list the books as soon as I get home - up to 8 books each, from each library.
I dread to think exactly how much we've paid in fines over the years.

Lexcat - what's Book tracker? Sounds interesting?

yep. dd joined at 8 months there aren't any fines for late or damaged books so that was a huge incentive

Sorry I think it's call book track not tracker. Once they turn 6 they can start. They have to read 100 book with badges on the way. 10 books then 25,50 and 75 they get a badge then when they get to 100 they get a certifcate and a badge or medal. Our local library also get the childs picture in the local paper.
All the librarys round here do it so I would have though that all library do it. Your'll have to ask at your local library.

Here's why i don't really use mine

i have a busy life, I am also quite scatty. So I return books late and I am fined.

I have NO problem with this. I DO object to the lecture and sighing that goes with it. It really annoyed me and does put me off, if I am honest. I don't want to take books out in case I am fined and have to go through the whole sighing routine.

Also the librarians are very sighy when it comes to little kids running amok, touching books, etc.

I have 2 little kids who find libraries exciting

It would help if they had some play equipment or even toys there. And accepted that kids ARE noisy. I really don't like the idea of teaching kids that books are something different to be unusually respectful of. No, they are just normal, rather useful things.

I don't go to ours very much, even tho' dd1 joined at 8mo. It's quite small and we've had most of the books now, the story time thing clashes with nursery so we don't go to that either.

Oh, and half the books are on permanent loan to the Dr's waiting room which is great when you're in the Dr's but not so great when you're in the library.

Staff are very nice and very accommodating though.

I go to the same library as PY every week. We don't ever make it to the weekday storytime but we always go the arts and craft activities in holiday time.
The staff are really lovely and helpful and have never sniffed at my children - they even let them use the staff loo in emergencies.
Not loads of books but then we always order ones they don't have.

ds has already told me he wants to do the summer reading challenge - someone from the library comes to his school every year to tell them about it.

dd2 joined when she was a couple of weeks old.

we go every week when my daughter is at ballet, is usually pretty quiet, we sometimes have it to ourselves!
no fines for kids book either

yup - dd already has a card and she's 4 months on Fri . There are parent and child sessions at all the local libraries and no fines for children (which is good because I seem to average about eight quid each time I go). It so lovely for dd to have new books every 2 weeks.

No because they just tear around pulling books off the shelves...... All I end up doing is putting books back and chasing round after them.....

If you have really young children who can't yet understand the concept of looking at books (ideally with a parent at a young age) then I can understand that it might be a stressful environment, and is probably best avoided. However it's also good to get children used to the library environment from a young age.

To be honest, I think that children SHOULD be taught that books (in a library especially) ARE something to be respectful of? It drives me nuts when I see Mums ignoring their kids while they (the kids) scribble on, or rip apart books.

I think my two have been choosing their own books since they were about 3 or 4 years old?

Love the library and go often with all 3 boys.
I love seeing their choices,ds1 read a book about the effects of WW2 on Turkey last time,and has had Macmillan's memoirs too.
I have local library we use most of the time and in the school holidays we go to the big city library,a Big Day Out as far as the boys are concerned.
(Oh and no fines on childrens' tickets here either and if Im late with mine,and I usually have about 8 at a time, it's usually only pennies per day.)

Yes, every Tuesday without fail since he was 1ish.

We LURVE the library.

We had run out of our books at home...well read them all to death and we have bookshelves full so i wanted variety and to get out regularly with him.

He keeps getting "the dark dark wood" eevry time we go!

Not much recently. Am reading the Faraway Tree series to dd and at one chapter per night it is taking some time to plough through it.

Tend to use the library more during bad weather....

Do find the librarians at my local library a bunch of stoney faced gargoyles (although I am quite sure that this doesn't apply to all librarians)

Plus if his books are late back there is no fine for kids books so i can be as scatty as i am without feeling guilty!

Lexcat - thanks for the Book Track info - I'll check at our local one!

AND ours is in a huge seperate room from the main library....with a shutting door to keep his rowdyness in!
Tis fablious

i think books are tools

they are not to be respected particularly, any more than a spade should be respected. I can't get sentimental about them.

They are common property and should be looked after for that reason.

But a lot of libraries do not feel welcoming to kids. A few pictures of charlie and lola do not help overcome a gargoyle behind the desk tutting every time a child touches a book.

what is interesting is that if you go to waterstones, where you have to PAY for the books, suddenly kids noise isn't really an issue