Easter Activity Mornings

We have had a lot of fun over the past couple of weeks with our Activity Mornings.  It is great to see a busy bookshop - over 50 children came in over the 2 mornings - and to encourage crafts about all things books!  We did papermaking, bookbinding, paper marbling, treasure quests and lots more.  I can't resist sharing this with you which was written by one of the children in response to the question 'At night when the shop is shut, the books...'

 

"At night when the shop is shut, the books open up for the characters, who are trapped inside, so they can have their freedom.  They tiptoe around the shop, not making a single sound, whilst they are dancing and trying to enjoy their short time, before they have to jump back in their book.

Characters from children's books are more energetic than ones from adult books.  They love the night-time, because it is their only precious hours when they are released from their prison-like cell inside the book.  The adults are much more cautious of stepping out into the outside world, having more knowledge of the dangers which could occur.

All of the characters had gathered in one area (under a table) to keep them safe from us. The great Apostle Paul was at the front reading from his own book of the Bible - Acts.  Nobody moved - they were mesmerized at the amazing word of God for maybe the last time - they didn't know what was to happen to them next...

Suddenly the sound of huge footprints could be heard in the distance.  All the characters jumped back into their books. Snap! And they were gone for another year..."

 

If you want to see more pics of the fun we had, check out our album on facebook (you don't need to be on facebook to view them).

Lorna

The Ship of Dreams

Anyone who is glued to all the reports in the media of the sinking of the Titanic will be interested to know about this little book. Titanic the Ship of Dreams is a fascinating account of the minister John Harper and his concern for the souls of the doomed on that terrible day 100 years ago. Intended for children (10+ ish) this is written in the style of a fictionalised biography but is an easy and interesting read for any adult too.

We had fun at our recent children's activity morning making models of the Titanic, those that weren't taken home are now displayed in our childrens corner of the shop...

Have a look at our facebook page to see what else we got up to at our Activity Morning.

Lorna

August - A Wash Out?

Lorna has just posted about our Annual bulletin.  Yes, the boys were a great help, but it went off a bit late this year.  What happened to August?  Did we get anything done apart from a family holiday?  Well, strangely, it was a great success.  Looking at the month from more than the narrow commercial perspective, it was one of our best times.  We held two holiday activity mornings for pre-teen children plus parents, which were runaway successes.  They were begging for more!  It was so satisfying to get across a literary theme through crafts and quizzes as well as book readings.  More than 60 children were there which was fabulous.  It was particularly nice to see many from non-Christian families.  We were kindly allowed the use of the Chapel next door to give us the needed space, and had a great support team as well.  Thanks everyone!  We have a gallery of photos on our Facebook page.  Remember you can view this even if you do not have a Facebook account.
The problem now is that we have probably made a rod for our own back for future holiday times, and left ourselves playing catch-up as we start the long run in to Christmas!  But at least we do so feeling more fulfilled than ever.
Jeremy

Activity Morning

Back in the Easter school holidays we trialled running a children's activity day at the shop.  The idea was to encourage more footfall from the local community so that they a) realise there is a Christian Bookshop in town, b) realise it is not staffed by aliens, c) enjoy spending time here, d) become enthusiastic about reading, e)... (I won't bore you with any more!).  It was a success! That first activity day saw 19 children with their Mums in the shop enjoying crafts, colouring, book quizzes & storytelling.  Okay, so it didn't really generate sales, but that is not always the sole aim behind our ventures. 

We were encouraged to give it another go during the June half term holidays, which turned out to be such a gorgeous day that the morning ended with a game of football in the carpark (supervised by the Dads). 

Yesterday we had the first of our Summer holiday sessions.  Thankfully we knew in advance that we could have an abundance of folk and therefore moved to Plan B which was to set up the activities & a selection of books in the Chapel building next door (our shop floor is pretty small).  No less than 31 children turned up and this time we actually sold a few books too (bonus!). Much to Jeremy's dismay the homemade cakes were also demolished and there were scant leftovers to take home.

For anyone who missed out on the fun yesterday, we are planning a second session at the end of the holidays.  Friday 3rd September is the date to mark on the calendar, drop in anytime between 10am and noon.  See you there...

Lorna

3 into 1 Does Go...Just!

10th - 16th April 2010.
7 days, 3 events.
2 out-of-shop bookstalls, 1 in-shop activity day. What a week!

No shortage of helpers for setting up one of the bookstalls...The activity day...

Plenty of children in the children's corner... just what we like to see!

Exhausted, but encouraged I think is my assessment at the end of a busy week.

Lorna

World Book Day Vouchers

Great news! Parents want their children to read good Christian books. Not rocket science really, or at least it shouldn't be. But I have been surprised (perhaps I shouldn't be) at how many people have used their World Book Day £1 voucher in the shop. Actually, I'm more than surprised... I'm excited! In fact, so encouraged that it has spurred me on (with a little push from my enthusiastic admin assistant) to organise a children's activity day during the Easter school holidays. We want parents & children to come to the shop, to spend time browsing, to spend time doing fun activities, to listen to stories, to eat home-made cake (ok, not that important!) to enthuse about READING and to discover that their local Christian Bookshop is not a scary place to go to. If you're around and you fancy popping in, Friday 16th April is the day to put on the calendar. We'll give you more details later or give us a call to find out first.
Lorna