WHO:

Jefferson County Public Library and the city of Lakewood join forces for kids and the Earth!

WHAT:

Knott's Kids, one of Jefferson County Public Library's interactive children's literacy programs, is joining forces with the city of Lakewood's Arts & Outreach program, ArtVentures, to celebrate Earth Day. Lakewood's Art Outreach Coordinator will help kids and their parents design and create experiential artwork from either recyclable materials or branches and twigs, while learning the importance of sustainability.

To honor longtime County Librarian Bill Knott and his strong commitment to children's literacy, Jefferson County Public Library and the Jefferson County Library Foundation created Knott's Kids, an interactive children's literacy program that brings the best of the metro area's cultural institutions to children ages 6 to 12.

WHEN:

·Wednesday, April 2, 4:00 p.m. - Wheat Ridge Library, 5475 W. 32nd Ave.,Wheat Ridge, 80212

·Monday, April 7, 2008, 5:30 p.m. - Arvada Library, 8485 Kipling St., Arvada, 80005

·Wednesday, April 9, 4:00 p.m. - Columbine Library, 7706 W. Bowles Ave.,Littleton, 80123

·Additional dates and locations can be found at http://jefferson.lib.co.us/pdf/Earth_Transformed.pdf/.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES:

·Parents and kids creating "Squiggly," an oversized bug sculpture made of branches from nearby parks, and creating mobiles from recycled materials at the Arvada Library.

·The construction of a fence, woven from recycled plastic newspaper and grocery bags of various colors, winding over a grassy hill at the Columbine Library.

·A presenter from ArtVentures sharing news about recycling with attendees.

BACKGROUND:

Knott's Kids is a Jefferson County Public Library program funded by the Library Foundation. Other program partners include Dinosaur Ridge, Museo de las Americas, The Wildlife Experience, The Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities, ArtVentures and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. In addition to interactive displays and programs in the libraries and various after-school programs, Knott's Kids "Project Bookpack" brings backpacks filled with children's books to area homeless shelters, qualified child care and safe houses throughout Jefferson County. More information can be found at http://jefferson.lib.co.us/pdf/nl_current.pdf.

CONTACTS:

Tracy Aiello, JohnstonWells Public Relations, (303) 623-3366, taiello@johnstonwells.com, or Jackie Powers, Jefferson County Public Library,
(303) 275-2203, jpowers@jefferson.lib.co.us.