Community & Business
1 February, 2026
The GIL Library Hub - January 2026
School holidays at The GIL Library Hub have been a lot of fun.
The school holiday fun has continued at The GIL Library Hub!
Alison Lester has a beautiful new picture book called ‘Where would you go?’ written in conjunction with patients from the Royal Children’s Hospital. The LEGO® builders used their imaginations and created fantastic scenes of where they would visit if they could go anywhere in the world, real or imagined.
The children built farms and rockets, the pyramids of Giza and the Eiffel tower, as well as candy world and the dojo from Naruto. These creations are on display in the library.
The children of Gilgandra were very creative as they participated in Crafty Storytime at the Library. Using acrylic paint pens and glue, they decorated a variety of animal hand puppets, painting them different colours, gluing pom poms and ribbons and making them bright and wild.
They also created their own puppet theatre stage, creating curtains and different backdrops for their plays. While they were working they enjoyed listening to stories about wild animals and their camouflage and patterns. We think the puppets looked fantastic!
The library came alive these school holidays with our Make a Machine program, where curious minds created imaginative, workable machines.
Children explored simple engineering and problem-solving skills as they built a marble run or a castle and catapult using wood and rubber bands.
The session encouraged resilience, critical thinking and hands-on learning in a fun and supportive environment. It was wonderful to see so many young makers working hard and proudly showing off their finished machines!
Little STEAM Saturdays
Little STEAM is returning this week! We will be starting with our introduction to Science lessons, with classification of items being our topic. Preschoolers and their families are invited to join us for fun learning.
Summer Reading Challenge: The Big Summer Read
The Summer Reading Challenge is wrapping up this week, so now is the perfect time for one last reading push! Running until 31 January 2026, the challenge is open to all young readers aged zero-to-18 years and celebrates reading in all its forms - from picture books and graphic novels to audiobooks and shared storytime.
The 2025–26 program includes two exciting parts. The National Challenge gives participants the chance to go into a prize draw, while the Gilgandra Local Challenge rewards children who complete ten days of reading with a certificate and a $10 Cooee Cash card.
Families can pick up a reading log from The GIL Library Hub, fill in their details, and tick off each day their child has read.
Once 10 days are completed, the log can be returned to the library to receive the local reward. Keen readers can keep going too - every extra five days of reading earns another entry into the National prize draw.
Entries for the National Challenge close on Saturday, January 31, with reading logs able to be returned to the library or submitted online (online participants will need an email address and should select North Western Library when choosing their library service.)
We encourage all local families to join in and make reading a fun and rewarding part of the summer holidays.
After-school Activities Return
Our regular after-school activities return this week, with both LEGO® Club and Tech Club back at their usual time slots. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for lots of creative fun.
