“This was my first field trip in my life,” first grader Emma Whitman said with a huge smile lighting up her face. “I loved everything about it.”
Emma and her classmates in Roisin McGuire’s class at Bedford Village Elementary School were walking back from a field trip to the Bedford Free Library. They had walked up the street from school and met children’s librarian Kelly Crummy at the Village Green for storytime before touring the library.
“As a school, we like to connect with Bedford Village and take advantage of what is available to us within walking distance,” Principal Gina Smith said. “We love working with Kelly Crummy, the librarian at the Bedford Village Library. Many of our students participate in summer programs there.”
On the walk up Court Road toward the Village Green, students were bubbling with excitement.
“I’ve been to the library!” one boy called out to his friends.
“Me too!” said another.
Other students talked about what books they hoped Mrs. Crummy would read, wishing for crocodiles, dogs and zoos. When they settled in on carpet squares in the grass, Crummy talked to the students about libraries and how they don’t just loan out books but also act as community centers. She read students two stories about libraries: Wild About Books by Judy Sierra (which takes place in a zoo!) and I Know a Librarian Who Chewed on a Word by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton.
“I see a lot of first graders with their eyes on the story, sitting up nice and tall. Great job,” McGuire said as students listened.
Once the stories were over, the class walked across the street to take a tour of the library. Crummy explained that the building used to be a school and that the teacher lived there and rang the bell in the morning when it was time to start classes. During the tour, students got to peek in at the little room that used to be the teacher’s bedroom — something they thought was pretty cool.
At the end of the tour, Crummy talked a little more about the library and the types of books you can find there, encouraging students to come back with their families. Students were also given a chance to ask questions.
“Do you have any Fly Guy books?” one student asked. Crummy assured him that they do.
“Why are there little bite marks in this book?” another wondered, pointing to a big book sitting on top of a shelf.
“That is a dictionary and probably the biggest book in our library,” Crummy explained with a smile. “The little indents are different letters in the alphabet. You can put your thumb in and find each letter.”
All in all, the trip was an exciting adventure for the first graders.
“It was fun!” Emma Nurenberg reflected on the walk back. “My favorite part was looking in the library.”
