Spy school in session at Lethbridge Public Library Crossings Branch

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on October 8, 2022.

Herald photo by Justin Seward Evelyn Hayes writes down a clue from the scavenger hunt as dad Paul looks on during the Great STEAM Club's The Super Secret Spy School event at Lethbridge Public Library's Crossings Branch last weekend.

The Lethbridge Public Library’s the Great STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts Math) Club hosted the Super Secret Spy School event at Crossings Branch last weekend.

The School allowed for participants five years old and up and their caregivers to make disguises, dust for fingerprints, the decoding of invisible messages and solve a whodunit within the library.

The event is a part of the STEAM Club programming that’s run once a month and focuses on its activities.

“So the main thing is developing STEAM skills for kids because they’re becoming more and more important nowadays,” said Emily Kundrik, Crossings Branch customer service assistant and programmer. “Especially the sciences, engineering and the math and the art as well. It’s just about developing those skills and also giving the kids a place where they can really create and experiment and explore these different skills and literacies.

Kundrik’s favourite skills include figuring out what you can make with different supplies and also just figuring how things get put together for disguises.

“For example, some people making hats. So they had to figure out how to actually physically build a hat out of felt,” she said. “And also just things like learning more about the library. We have a scavenger hunt where they actually have to explore in the library and then they have to seek out clues together to find the culprit of the crime.”

Kundrik said thinking and innovation are big things at the library.

“I think any time spent with my kid, it’s kind of constructive,” said Paul Hayes, who was a participant along with eight-year-old daughter, Evelyn. “So it’s a way to spend time with my kid as opposed to playing video games.”

He had no idea the library had an Indigenous collection until now.

“I literally had no idea it existed,” he said. “So in terms of thinking about bigger issues, I guess Indigenous day yesterday (Sept. 30) and I had no idea the library had a collection because of this clue – now I know.”

“I really liked making the disguises, even though the mustaches are a bit uncomfortable,” said Evelyn.

“It’s really fun. I really like scavenger hunts.”

The next event will be a Spooky Science Halloween on Oct. 29 from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

“So for that one we’re making slime which is a chemical reaction which is a science skill,” said Kundrik. “So kind of the full spectrum of the STEAM literacies and skills.

The third event with be Dinosaurs and Fossils on Nov. 12.

Interested participants can just show up to the events, no registration is necessary.