For a little background, the classrooms in the college library that I work in are being used all summer by a summer camp for smarties. These kids are supposed to be gifted young things who run from the art room to the science room to the computer room all day until someone has the sense to take them outside to run on the grass. For a while we had a camper incident of the day, the most exciting one was The Great Goldfish Explosion (crackers, not real fish). Recently, happily, we've moved on to camper cute quotes of the day.
Yesterday's quote came after the teenagers who chaperone the kids around campus lost a 5yr old. His best friend found him hiding behind a plant here in the library. Here is their conversation on the way out.
Friend: Why did you hide?
Hiding Kid: Because I just wanted to stay here.
Friend: Why?
Hiding Kid: It's so nice in here.
These kids are five.
Today's quote came early this morning. On their way out of the building a group of maybe 7-8yr olds were talking about their schedule for next week. We overheard:
"And on Monday we get computer class first! It's like a dweam come twue!"
Of course, the kid who can't say his r's yelled it out, making it that much cuter to all of us folks who only get to deal with stressed out grad students all summer.
What happens between when these kids stop going to camp (they have kids as old as 12 and the helpers start around 13 or 14) and when they enroll in college? Why can't we even entice them to come into the library with free food? The idea that kids magically stop needing programming when they hit 18 or when they become college students is clearly hurting us here. Have more ideas on the subject? Bring them to the new YALSA interest group for Serving New Adults. I know that I will be.
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