Celebration time! It was a party in Kids’ World on Monday, January 8, where more than 530 people showed up to celebrate the new and improved Kids’ World, which has been reimagined and refreshed for the new year after an extensive, three-month makeover.
Families who attended the Kids’ World Celebration were happy with the latest updates.
“We kind of saw the updates during construction, but this is the first time the LED archway was working, and it was all finished up,” said Randy Kaempen, who attended the party with his 2-year-old grandson Artie, who enjoyed the new floor projection system. “Artie really likes the bubbles that you step on; he likes to stomp on them and then he sits down and lets them wave over him.”
The floor projection is a part of Kids’ World’s new Interactive Family Area, which provides space for children of all ages and their families to play and learn together. Also in this area is the Everbright wall, which reimagines the Lite Brite and offers interactive play opportunities for all ages.
Throughout the event, families were able to check out the updates, create their own tote bags in the Lindsey Room, enjoy live music, meet Clifford the Big Red Dog and more.
“We just kind of happened upon [the celebration] because there’s no school today, so we ended up here and wow, it looks good!” said Erika Eng who was with her daughter, Abbie. “She’s loving this little floor thing and she liked taking a picture with Clifford, too. And I really like how the layout is with the seating and everything; it seems nice for families and grandparents to sit down and chill out.”
In addition to the Interactive Family Area, other changes to Kids’ World include a refreshed Lindsey Room with new flooring, paint colors and a sink, an updated Imagination Station, a new Baby Garden for infants and crawling babies, an all-gender bathroom and a Wellness Room.
There is also a brand-new Tween Space dedicated entirely for tweens in grades 4-6.
“I’ve been coming here since my granddaughter Avery was a baby for storytime and then as a toddler,” attendee Diane O’Sullivan said. “[And] now here she is a tween with her friend; they’re 9 years old and now they can enjoy their own space, which is just so awesome.”
“All I can say is I’m very grateful to everyone who has donated and to the [Friends and] Foundation for making this happen, and the wonderful people that work here that are so helpful to help them create these designs,” she said. “They made pins today; they’re making a [craft too]. It’s a fun thing to do because they go back to school tomorrow, so today they can enjoy all these activities and we’re very grateful for that.”
Thank you to the Friends of the Library, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library Foundation and the family of Jeffrey Moroney for their generous contributions to the library's Kids’ World renovations.
Click here to see more photos from the Kids' World Celebration on the library's Facebook page.