Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Shiloh Wyatt and his brother Judah spent Tuesday evening using their artistic creativity preparing Christmas cards that could brighten the holiday for U.S. military troops stationed overseas.
The Wyatts worked with about four other boys sorting through a variety of colorful art and craft items to paste onto paper cutouts to make the cards.
The card-making project was part of the Portales Public Library Tween program, which offers youth ages 9 to 12 years old a chance to explore various themes in an educational environment.
Benna Sayyed: CMI staff photo
Brothers Shiloh, left, and Judah Wyatt, prepare Christmas cards for U.S. troops overseas as part of the Tween program Tuesday at Portales Public Library.
Each program session focuses on a different theme. Some evenings Tween coordinators engage children in book discussions and allow them to play games on a Nintendo Wii gaming system. Other sessions focus on current events, holidays and new book and movie releases.
Shiloh said he liked the project because he got to create his card using his ideas.
"I wanted something with snow and a Christmas tree on it," Shiloh said. "I wanted to use buttons but I just decided to use little balls. I heard about it (the project) from my mom. It was fun."
Ashley Wyatt said she tries to keep her sons involved in library events as much as possible. She hoped her sons will gain better sense of awareness of others who are not able to be with their family during the holidays and wants her sons to get them used to using the library.
Portales Public Library Youth Services Librarian Olivia Usher said the Tween program allows children to use the young adult library, which is usually open to teenagers and young adults.
"You need a safe place for the kids to hang out. Reading is always beneficial so it's important for kids to enjoy it and not feel like it's a chore," Usher said. "We want kids to enjoy coming to the library and use the resources here."
