The Centre Hall Area Branch Library has something to brag about.
It’s the only library in the Centre County Library system that offers a home-school program every Tuesday that helps students learn about the U.S.
Home-school Tuesday offers two programs for two age groups.
In the Read Across America program, students in first to fifth grade sign up for a faux passport and travel from state to state — starting with the first state and ending with the last state in the union — and learn about geography and history through reading and projects.
The Picturing America program — held on the opposite Tuesdays for sixth- to 12th-graders — gives students an interactive and visual way to learn about the country through photography, art and artifacts, Centre County Library communications director Jennifer Cifelli said.
And when possible, the library’s Historical Museum provides museum pieces to enhance topics of study, such as an Indian headdress when students learned about American Indians, Cifelli said.
February’s Picturing America theme will be landscapes and wildlife.
“We try to offer new programs that help students and the community learn more than just checking out a book,” Cifelli said.
Cifelli encourages home-school families to register for each event in advance.
The program was started last year in Centre Hall to help bring a community element to home-schooling.
“There was a void that we wanted to fill and help enhance our education outreach,” Cifelli said. “It’s a growing program that we hope to enhance by providing more equipment and expanding to other libraries.”
The Centre Hall Library offers other events for the public, including Lego Club at 3 and 3:45 p.m. on Wednesdays. Kids get to build something, then name it, write about it and put it on display.