I am fortunate enough to work in the children's room of an urban library, and most weekdays we have afternoon programs for the local kids to participate in when they get out of school. Many of the children who live near the library come to the library immediately after school and stay until dinner time, because they have nothing else to do and, often, nowhere else to go. We try to provide fun programs for them, because it's much better for these kids to have a safe place that they enjoy going to than it is for them to be running around on the streets. 

One of the programs that the kids, especially the boys, love is Lego Club. We hold this every Monday from 5-6pm for kids ages 5-12, and the kids are able to drop in and play with Legos. We then display their creations behind the children's circulation desk for the remainder of the week, and the kids love showing them off to their friends and their parents. We have a theme each week, but the kids are allowed to make other stuff if they would rather do that instead. Today, our youth services manager (aka children's librarian), who is my boss, was unable to be around for Lego Club, and instead of cancelling it, she allowed me to run it. I was SO excited! Read on to see more about my pirates themed Lego Club.