Library Interior If you are looking for something fun and inexpensive to occupy your toddler or early elementary-age child or grandchild, please take them to the children’s section of the Allen County Public Library downtown. It is a beautiful, fascinating and cool (literally!) place to entertain little people. Toddlers can play with toys while being read to in the special large area just for them. Adults must accompany their children in this area but they’ll have fun too. Children ages six years and under can play on the two-story underwater climbing playscape.

Just a few feet away real fish can be viewed in large aquariums. How cool is that? Fish at the Library Then there’s the Reading Tower for ages 7-12. It looks like a space station with its cubby-sized blue bubbles to sit and read in.

My favorite place to read as a kid was in the tree in my backyard. This is a lot easier to climb with steps and softer to sit in with pillows. Library Treehouse None of these activities require a library card so visitors can stop in and relax with a pile of good books. Don't forget to show kids the huge revolving globe just outside the children’s section, which is conveniently located on the first floor of the west end of the library.

Beyond these free ideas, The Allen County Public Library has a myriad of children’s activities available throughout summer and into fall. So go ahead, make a trip to the library, have the kids pick up a good book, and beat the heat! To find out what else the library has in store for the kiddos, you can give them a call at 260-421-1200. Or, check out the ACPL website and Visit Fort Wayne.