The AASL Shared Foundation of Explore encourages curiosity, creativity, and hands-on learning. After speaking with Amanda Riske, the librarian at Duncan Elementary School in Spartanburg School District Five, I saw firsthand how this works in an elementary library.
Mrs. Riske works with around 700 students from K4 to fifth grade. Her library program uses a mixed schedule depending on the grade. Younger students follow a fixed schedule, while older students switch between week A and week B. She described her program as “a lot of fun with a mix of STEM activities.” The program balances routine and flexibility, and it is clearly designed with students in mind.
To guide my interview, I asked the following questions:
- How do you encourage curiosity and exploration of new ideas?
- What hands-on or creative experiences do you provide?
- How do students use exploration to solve problems or create?
- How do you help students reflect on their growth?
- Can you describe a project where students built or experimented?
What stood out to me most was how intentional she is about encouraging curiosity. She draws in students through book talks, interactive read-alouds, and videos or book trailers. She also connects lessons to what students are already learning, so they can build on what they know while exploring new ideas. I liked how she tries to incorporate both fiction and nonfiction texts in her lessons.
Hands-on learning is also important in her library, especially for younger students. She uses crafts, STEM activities, and creative projects to make lessons more interactive. For example, after learning about ocean habitats, students “created their own ocean scene or designed a jellyfish.” These activities help students use what they have learned in a fun and meaningful way.
She also explained that exploration is not always about big projects. Even choosing a “just right” book is a form of problem-solving, which made me see daily library routines in a new way. Reflection matters too. She often asks students what they learned, what surprised them, and how their thinking has changed.
Her advice to future librarians stuck with me: focus on routines and relationships. When students feel comfortable and know what to expect, everything else falls into place. This interview showed me that exploration does not just happen; it needs to be planned. In my future library, I want to create a space where students feel safe to try new things, be creative, and grow as learners.
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