Enjoying A Scavenger Hunt and Meeting New Friends At Dunlap Branch
By: Krystal Keagle
Winter can be tough on families with toddlers, between bad weather and the seemingly never-ending coughs and illnesses that keep you stuck inside.
Our family certainly had our share of sick days this season. Thankfully, we had a few illness-free weekends to continue our tour of Elkhart Public Library branches. This time? The cozy Dunlap branch.
Maya spotted the blue roof of Dunlap branch as soon as we pulled into the parking lot on C.R. 13. When you walk in, book displays surround a gorgeous fireplace. It was lit on the chilly winter day of our visit. The vibes were very cozy!
Maya darted straight to the large children’s section left of the fireplace. She immediately spotted the puzzles, grabbed one, and marched it to a table. She is deep in the “I do it myself” phase of toddlerhood, so she insisted on getting on the chair herself to play with it.
After puzzles, Maya colored activity sheets then explored the other toys. She particularly loved the bead maze and whiteboard with dry-erase markers. We practiced identifying numbers and letters that I wrote on the board. As a parent, I love how each library branch offers similar core features while still providing unique play options. Each branch is so fun!
Soon enough, Maya dragged one of the plastic egg chairs to her absolute favorite library feature: the LEGO table. Dunlap’s collection included both LEGO DUPLO and MEGA BLOKS. When she saw the BLOKS, Maya shouted, “These are huge LEGOs, Mommy!”
Another 2-year-old girl and her dad joined Maya at the LEGO table. The girls built their own towers while occasionally sharing blocks with each other—such a sweet interaction!
While the girls played, her dad told me about Dunlap’s weekly scavenger hunt. The librarians choose a coloring page, cut it into nine pieces, and hide them throughout the library. Kids who find all the pieces earn a candy treat and a small toy like a sticker. Librarians offer hints if you get stuck.
I grabbed a scavenger hunt sheet from the front desk as Maya finished playing with the LEGOs. She was very excited about the hunt. Luckily, there was an obvious puzzle piece nearby, so she quickly understood what we were doing — and then she ran off to find more.
We spent about 30 minutes looking around the library for each part of the image. Some pieces were located close together, so we got a few quick wins together. Others required serious detective work — peeking behind books, underneath shelves, and within displays. We asked for a couple of hints to help us along the way. It was a great challenge that Maya loved while allowing us to explore the entire library. We went through each section diligently to find them all.
During the scavenger hunt, Maya discovered the jumbo checkers on a table in one of the gathering rooms. After we found all the pieces, she played with the checkers pieces with a little boy while I picked out books to check out. After all, we are still working on the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program.
That’s another thing we love about going to the library. There are often other families with little kids when we visit, which gives Maya great opportunities to practice meeting new people and grow her social skills.
When it was time to leave, we took our books and the scavenger hunt sheet to the front desk. Maya proudly chose a DumDum sucker and snowflake sticker as her prizes—a major toddler triumph!
On the drive home, Maya chattered excitedly about LEGOs and hunting for puzzle pieces for about five minutes before crashing in her car seat—the ultimate sign of toddler outing success.
Next on our library tour: the Pierre Moran branch, our final EPL location to explore.
What’s your kiddo’s favorite part of going to the library? Tell me about it in the comments on the Elkhart Public Library’s Facebook page.