Preschoolers will soon have a very different experience at the Main Library in downtown Fort Lauderdale. As of June 8, they can serve pie, saw wood, shop for vegetables and examine X-rays as they learn skills to help them get ready to read!      

Broward County Library's new Active Learning Center is designed to be an educationally rich play space for children up to age 5 that provides developmentally appropriate activities in a free-flowing model village setting. As the children explore the activities, they will be developing critical thinking skills in literacy, math and science and building fine motor skills. Located in the Library's 2nd floor Children's Area, the Active Learning Center will feature a boat in a Big Blue Ocean, miniature stores, a playhouse, a stuffed train and a stage. There will also be many bins of books and building and play materials.

"Play is the work that children do each day," said Lisa McClure, the Library's Community Engagement Manager. "The Active Learning Center helps them and their parents play their way to school success. Parents and caregivers can look for teachable moments, asking open-ended questions that build imagination and understanding."

The Center has been funded by friends, family and colleagues of the late Eugenie Suter, a former Library Advisory Board Chair and community advocate. The Fort Lauderdale Bookfellows, the city's oldest book review group, which dissolved several years ago, also donated to the project. The Grand Opening is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 8.