Volunteering at the Library
by Shawnee Bowlin
FeedTheVillage.com - Tips and Advice: Volunteering at the Library
Because my daughter homeschools, I decided we needed to be more active in our community service. So, I signed us both up to be volunteers at our local library. Volunteer work at a library is a great teaching tool for homeschool parents. It gets your children into a different environment and situations and helps them learn how to interact with the public and how to help provide needed services to the community. Plus, if you are interested in preparing a portfolio for your child's college entrance later on, you could use the additional source on the application. Having the people your child works with speak towards your child's character and skills is a great plus on the paperwork! After all, no one really wants to just take Mom's word as the only source of information towards the child's abilities, experience, or personality. It is also a way for your homeschooler to be exposed to other children in the community. Other homeschoolers are apt to volunteer as well, so you could meet other parents and children with similar interests. Getting your child interested in the library in a working way helps them also in the way of teaching them responsibility and new skills. It provides a quiet environment and teaches them how to act around the other workers as well as the patrons who visit the library. Exposing your child to the library as a volunteer also helps your child learn how a library operates and how to be helpful and respectful. If you are able to participate in the library fund raisers and programs, you could provide repayment for the wonderful experience you have gained from the library for yourself and your child. A library needs volunteers to help make it the best it can be for the community. Ask your librarian today if there are opportunities for you and your child to reach out and help. Shelving books is an ongoing job at the library, so that could be an option to help teach your child about putting things into the proper places, filing, the alphabet, grouping books together by authors, and the different sections where the library arranges the materials. There are other things your library may do that would require the use of volunteers. Book sales to earn funds, bake sales, or summer programs may provide a chance for you and your child to volunteer and learn some valuable lessons. Libraries are an important part of our community, so reach out to your local library today!
|
