They Broke Out!

Last week, the Dorris Van Doren Library hosted a Breakout EDU event for our weekly Teen Hangout group. The event was similar to the escape rooms that have recently popped up in major U.S. cities. In an escape room, participants are locked in a room and they have a certain amount of time in which to work together to unlock the door.

In our event, the teens were given a scenario and had 45 minutes to unlock two black boxes. The scenario required them to solve several puzzles. In order to solve these puzzles, our teens had to observe the room around them. They examined clues and researched information. In the end, it took them longer than their allotted 45 minutes to solve the puzzle, but they refused to give up until they solved it.

And they did!

Spooky Stuff at Dorris Van Doren

The Dorris Van Doren Library held our annual Fall Festival on Wednesday, October 25th. Children were invited to stop by the information desk to collect goodie bags to carry home their haul of treats and crafts. Then, they could visit the many game and craft stations located around the library. 

We had an amazing guest storyteller, who had the kids captivated with fun and fascinating stories.

Kids visited game stations to win yummy candy. There was a cookie decorating table in which kids could decorate delicious jack-o-lantern cookies with lots of orange and black icing. There were also numerous craft tables including one that allowed kids to decorate their own trick-or-treat safety lights. 

On Halloween day, staff members got into the holiday spirit by wearing fun and creative costumes!

All through October, we had a number of scary book and movie displays. The library was decorated with spiderwebs, cackling witches, and other spooky things. 

The teen area of the library was decorated for Dia de los Muertos with colorful paper flowers and painted calaveras.