Over 600 children view the Library's themed boxes

The library's marine life theme box is making a complete transformation!

Starfish, crabs and scallops accompanied Hugrún Margrét, Head of the Children's and Young People's Department at Hafnarfjörður Library, back to the library after a visit to Hafrannsóknastofnun. The treasure was collected by staff from the Marine Research Institute and dried on their expeditions around the country's territorial waters. The items will be in one of the library's three themed display cases.

600 children see the themed boxes

„Yes, the children love the boxes, where fact and fiction are mixed together,“ says Hugrún, but over six hundred nursery school children are registered to look at the three themed boxes this school year, and around 300 have already explored a box since September. They have been a huge success.

One is about insects, another about life on land, and this one, which is now even more magnificent, is about marine life. Items from the Kópavogur Natural History Museum adorn the other two boxes.

„It is greatly appreciated to receive these gifts from Hafró now,“ says Hugrún. Among the new items in the box is a large shell, a queen conch, which the grandmother of Jónas Páll Jónasson, a department head at Hafró, had with her — most likely from the Bahamas in the Pacific Ocean. The shell resonates when held to the ear. Jónas says that before it ended up at Hafró, it adorned his grandmother's flowerbed. Other items, such as the starfish, came from expeditions by Hafró staff.

Dóra, Hugrún, Jónas and Steinunn with the marflækja during Hugrún's visit to Hafró.

Now, staff are leading Hugrún around the beautiful Hafró building on the harbour front in the heart of Hafnarfjörður, bringing figures of the sea from the shelves. „We don't collect sea creatures systematically; these are things that people have brought back from expeditions,“ says Jónas. „Yes, we can afford to lose a few things because we'll get new ones in the coming years.“ The staff ask what Hugrún would like in the box.

„Starfish,“ she replies at once, asking for recommendations on clever items. Starfish, hermit crabs, sea urchins, scallops and octopuses are among the items on Hafró's shelves. The themed box on marine life is now bursting at the seams.

Hugrún Margrét with a wasps' nest from the insect theme box. This theme box has been the most popular one so far, but is now facing stiff competition from the marine life one.

The themed boxes are popular

The themed boxes have attracted a lot of attention this winter. The most popular so far is the insect box. In it, children can see a wasps' nest, and specimens of beetles and flies that have been brought to Iceland in food. By examining the box, children imagine all kinds of life on Earth, with or without insects. All the theme boxes also contain books, both non-fiction and fiction, that reflect their themes.

„This is a really fun project. It provides an invaluable connection with the children and the teachers in their own environment. It's incredibly valuable to meet the children and hear what they know,“ says Hugrún about the theme boxes from Hafnarfjörður Library.

Hugrúnu and her boxes can be booked for a visit to the town's nursery school.