Kids in Orrington love monthly Lego club at public library
Laughter and fun is always allowed there thanks to Librarian Kelly Brooks
ORRINGTON, Maine (WABI) - Lego Club is a hit with Orrington students who get to spend a few hours after school creating things from scratch together.
“This is their club and they’re using their minds and their creative arts,” says Librarian Kelly Brooks.
After they come up with a theme, it’s up to them to see where the Legos take them.
Thanks to volunteers like Dan Weaver, the club has an adult to oversee construction.
“I’m a parent of one of the kids. We started last year, only had a minimal amount of Legos and then a generous donation of some more and now we have lots,” says Weaver.
Since then, it’s given the kids a place to explore their creative sides and find joy in the simple things.
That’s really the mission of the Orrington Public Library -- to be a place for everyone in the community.
“We definitely hold this place dear to our hearts,” says Weaver.
“This was my library,” says Brooks.
About six years ago she came full-circle when this author and social worker was approached to run the library.
“Community is very important to me,” she says.
This library is where she learned a lot herself as a kid from her librarian.
“She still lives here right in town and she’ll come in and visit. and so I learned how to read and write and be creative here. And I became an author because I love to read and write in this library. So you have to learn somewhere. And so library is very important to me,” says Brooks.
And that’s why she’s offering more than just a place to check out books -- and laughing is allowed in this library which works out well for the Lego Club.
“Oh, laughter, loudness, we don’t shush them. They are being kids here for sure,” she says.
Kids building more than just really cool things out of these blocks -- building a foundation of life lessons they can take with them as they grow -- no matter how small they may seem.
“We the heart and soul of community,” says Brooks.
The club is full but Brooks says they hope the club can grow in the future.
She encourages other libraries to consider starting Lego clubs of their own.
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