Construct & Create
Meets weekly on Tuesdays at 4 PM!
September 8 – November 17
Ages 4 Years Old – 5th Grade
Join your friends after school to build great structures and create beautiful art projects. Each week there will be different building sets and art materials to get your imagination and creative juices flowing!
Fancy Nancy Tea Party
Saturday, October 3 from 10 AM – Noon
Preschool – 5th Grade
Join us at the library for a fabulously fancy celebration inspired by Fancy Nancy! Young princes and princesses are invited to step into a world of sparkle, imagination, and creativity. Enjoy making your very own dazzling DIY crowns, sipping on delightful “tea,” and sampling sweet treats fit for royalty. There will be plenty of fun, laughter, and fancy surprises along the way!
Guests are encouraged to dress in their most glamorous royal attire—tiaras, bow ties, gowns, and capes! This event is open to children of all ages through 5th grade, and everyone is welcome – boys and girls alike. Come ready to be fancy, fabulous, and full of fun!
Scavenger Hunt Month
All December Long
Where is Dewey the Elf hiding?
Our library elf, Dewey, is hiding in a new spot every few days in the children’s section—and getting into mischief! Can you find him? But don’t touch! He’ll lose his magic and won’t be able to fly back to the North Pole for Christmas. Tell the front desk where you found him and what he was doing to earn a special prize.
Elf For A Day
Saturday, December 12 from 10 AM – Noon
Step into the magic of the North Pole at our Elf Training Day!
Children are invited to become elves for the day and take part in a fun, hands-on training experience.
Rotate through interactive stations like the Build-a-Toy Workshop, gift wrapping practice, reindeer games, and North Pole kitchen creations as they learn what it takes to help Santa prepare for the big day.
Kid Librarian
Ages 7-12
Starting in September, two lucky kids each month will be chosen to be our “Kid Librarians!” They’ll get to share their favorite books and create their very own display in the children’s section.
Want a turn? Stop by the circulation desk to fill out an application — winners will be emailed with all the details!
Tiny Michigan Art Gallery
Pick up a tiny canvas when you sign up to create a Michigan masterpiece. Bring it to life using any medium — paint, mixed media, clay, and more. Capture Michigan’s charm through water, bridges, sunsets, farms, animals, or whatever inspires you.
There are six age groups (Preschool, Kindergarten–2nd Grade, 3rd–5th Grade, Middle School, High School, and Adult) and two prize categories (Best in Show and Most Creative). Patrons vote in November, and winners are selected for each group and category.
Artwork should be picked up the first week of December; unclaimed pieces will be discarded after January 1, 2027.
- Tiny Canvas Pickup: September – October
- Canvas Drop-Off: October 1 – 31
- Art Display & Voting: November 1 – 30
- Pickup Artwork: First Week of December
Book Packs To Go
Would you like a library staff member to pick out books for you or your child?
You can list your interests or genre’s you prefer and a staff member will choose up to 10 books that they feel you will enjoy. Do you like a certain genre or want to learn more about a certain subject? Staff member(s) will choose books to match that subject. The library will put them on hold for you to be able to pick up at our Drive-Thru Pickup Window. Click HERE to get your book pack started!
Rising Reader Activity Kits
We are VERY excited about this collection at ODL: Rising Reader Activity Kits! These are packs families will be able to check out that have phonics sets of books, games, flashcards, puzzles, and reading activities in them to help kids learn to read/improve their reading skills! The kits are based on the areas of vocabulary, phonics, comprehension, fluency, and phonemic awareness and are full of fun activities for families to do together. There are multiple kits for preschool through third grade! Rising Reader Kits require parental supervision and are not for children under 3 due to choking hazards in some of the game pieces. These kits were brought to us by the generous memorial donation of Albert Hoekstra.
STEAM Kits
Announcing the installment of our new ODL STEAM kits! These STEAM kits offer your family a fun way to learn and work on various science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics topics through stories, activities, games and flash cards!
This round of kits made possible by a generous grant from EATON. These Math topics are heading to the shelves shortly: Addition, Subtraction, Time and Clocks, Fractions, Money. Also coming soon – Place Value & Decimals, and Ecosystems and Biomes! You can look forward to even more science and technology kits this year from our recent EATON grant as well!
