What Is First Grade Round Up?

As March rolls in, you may notice a rather substantial number of school groups visiting the library. Maybe you see school buses pulling up and depositing droves of youngsters, accompanied by their teachers and chaperones, or perhaps you have come around a corner and momentarily been caught in a flood of 1st graders as they are led through the building.

This influx of kids is standard March mayhem at Canton Public Library, as the library welcomes local classes for First Grade Round Up.

First Grade Round Up is an opportunity for students to visit the library and get a sense of what the library has to offer them and their families. Each year, both public and private schools are invited by CPL to schedule a field trip, and many schools take advantage of this opportunity to connect with the library.

During a First Grade Round Up visit, 1st graders engage in multiple activities that promote a love of reading and help them connect with the library. They receive a tour of the Children’s Library, hear a story from one of the books in the children’s collection, decorate a bookmark (which they get to keep) and watch a puppet show performed by library staff.

Visiting classes can request that library cards be set up for students prior to their visit, and for kids whose parents have completed the appropriate paperwork, a brand-new library card will be waiting for them to sign. As part of the visit, 1st graders may check out one book using either their new card or a previously established card if parents have identified an existing library account.

Even if a student does not live in Canton, if they attend a Canton school, a parent can sign them up for a library card. It’s as easy as stopping by the library during operating hours with proof of the student’s enrollment in a Canton school, such as a recent report card.

Our library staff looks forward to First Grade Round Up each year, and we enjoy the 1st-grade energy and smiling faces as kids walk away with brand-new library cards and selections from the library collections.

It can be a little boisterous when 20, 50 or more 1st graders descend on the library, but it’s a fun time, whether you are a touring 1st grader or a patron watching the visit unfold. Yee-haw, for First Grade Round Up!