Akron Life December 2022

FOREVER YOUNG

By Nathalia Teixeira

Skill Sharpeners Bond with grandkids while helping them learn new things this winter.

From the time Pamela Chervank Cyphers’ granddaughters were babies and small enough to be held in her lap to when they became Summit County Public Library story times have allowed her to bond with her grandchildren. Chervank Cyphers has been attending story times and other programs with her grandkids for about seven years, and her youngest granddaughter, Esther, is now able to appreciate going. Chervank Cyphers enjoys how librarians engage with Esther. children who sang and danced, Akron

photos courtesy of Sip Savor Soul

“There are and have been some very special people there for her,” Chervank Cyphers says. “You feel like they know you. They call us by our names, know things about us and quirky little things that have happened. There’s an enthusiasm that they have for doing what they do that makes me want to come back. It’s probably not the closest library to me — we’re in Cuyahoga

Falls — but we go there because we were welcomed and recognized.” With much time indoors, winter is a great time to connect more with grand children at educational activities like library pro grams and cooking classes. At the main Akron library, several grandparents attend baby story times on Wednesdays and preschool

story times on Thursdays, and both incorporate play. “You get an opportunity to engage with your children, … singing along, trying an interactive activity,” says Lucy Carney, the children’s library and teen division manager at the main library. Another fun option is the Paws for Reading program in which preschoolers to fifth graders can practice reading

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