Punctuated by a few “snicks” as knives cut through carrots and cucumbers, Woodland teens quietly worked at building fresh spring rolls in the Public Library recently.

The 11 youngsters were first admonished by library associate Maureen Ladd to be careful of using the sharp knives and to follow the recipe provided about how to go about chopping the necessary vegetables, combining them into rolls and then preparing peanut sauce.

Students — each wearing a black apron with the Woodland Library logo — were stationed at four tables throughout the Leake Room with a maximum of four students per table with five girls and six boys taking part.

Part of the Library’s summertime program of activities that involves reading, family-friendly events, games and sack lunches, the “Teens in the Kitchen” meets each Thursday and givens youngsters an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of culinary craftsmanship.

Local restauranteurs are also involved, including the chefs at Kuji. Next week, Maria Olmedo, baker and owner of Casa del Pan Panaderia, will lead the teens in a hands-on breadmaking class at Casa del Pan on Main Street.

A week after that Ladd will teach the young cooks how to craft handmade mozzarella cheese, which they can take home and maybe use to make a caprese salad. And on July 31, the students will hold an “Ice Cream Party,” learning how to “hand-churn, pedal and shake” their way to making ice cream.

Because the classes are held in the Leake Room of the Library, there is no actual cooking taking place either with stoves, ovens or hot plates. Most of the meals are vegetable-based that require only a skillful hand and an ability to follow directions.

In the case of the spring rolls, for example, teens used prepared rice vermicelli, lettuce, thinly sliced or peeled carrots and cucumber, red peppers, green onions, chopped basil and sheets of rice paper, all of which were rolled into shape.

They also created their own peanut sauce using peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup and sesame oil that could be used for dipping.

Understandably, students were new to some of the mechanics of handling kitchen tools. Paring carrots was a challenge because some teens didn’t know which way to hold a carrot as they timed away thin slices.

Cutting red peppers was also a challenge because using a kitchen knife requires a certain delicacy along with a dash of gusto — all without slicing fingers and drawing blood.

Fortunately, all the teens proved adept at staying safe and were later able to enjoy the tasty results of their labors.