Summer Reading wrap-up

The theme for the 2012 Summer Reading Club was IMAGINE. We imagined all sorts of things that we could do with this theme; libraries created castles and horse barns, we hosted reptile shows and wild animal puppets, we played with bubbles, recycled t-shirts, chased zombies, learned new computer software, created with LEGO, held library scavenger hunts, did a lot of pretending and read a whole lot of books.  In fact, the 2547 participants in this year's Summer Reading Club read for 31,885 hours! That is an impressive amount of reading in my book.  At the Kentville Library alone, 588 readers clocked nearly 8000 hours.  Thanks to a continued partnership with Upper Clements Parks, we gave out 1,957 FastPasses to the readers who completed their Summer Reading goal.  

You may wonder who these readers were. They were all ages—from babies whose parents read aloud to them, to preschoolers getting ready for Primary, to elementary kids who have discovered the pleasures of books, to teenagers (422 teens read for at least 25 hours!), we had readers who just love books. The Summer Reading Club was originally designed to promote the FUN of reading, and to keep kids reading during the summer months so that when they return to school, they haven’t lost those valuable skills that they worked so hard to acquire.  The Summer Reading Club allows readers to choose whatever they want to read, in whatever format they want to read – be it audiobooks, magazines, comics, or even the back of cereal boxes.  Older brothers and sisters read to younger siblings, babysitters read to their charges, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles read aloud at cottages, teens read under a tree in the park. It is all about the JOY of reading, and we love promoting it. 

The program lasts for 8 weeks—a good chunk of the summer-- and consumes huge amounts of staff time and resources.  We are only able to offer such a great program because of partners, sponsors, and an annual Book Sale that helps us raise funds to run this amazing program. Some materials are provided by TD Bank, who sponsors the program nationwide. Locally, we had support from Upper Clements Parks, Oaklawn Farm Zoo, Adopt a Library, and the sponsors of prizes for our new adult SRC, Watch the Sky Photography, The ClayGround, Coles Bookstore, and Paper Pleasures at the Coffee Shop.  We wholeheartedly thank all these businesses once again and also those who come to our book sale. 

Summer Reading Club will be back next year, but for now, just continue to enjoy those books and what's left of this glorious summer! 

--Angela J. Reynolds, Head of Youth Services

Bubble Summer

I could not think of a better way for a university English major to spend the summer than encouraging the Valley’s youth population to get out in the sun and read! It’s easy to fall into a rut of the “dog days of summer”, doing the same thing every day, staying inside where the air conditioning relieves the beads of sweat on everyone’s foreheads. I was tasked with coming up with four different programs for each age group of the Summer Reading Club.  My favourite activity is Giant Bubble Making, and it has proved itself to be fun for any age! The fun-in-the-sun aspect is what I enjoy most about it. But this activity would reach its full potential with a few kids at a beach where swimming off all that slimy bubble solution is a great way to end the activity. Everything needed for the bubbles is found easily around the house, and can easily be thrown together while at a campground:

12 cups of water

1 cup of Dish detergent (Ivory, Dawn or Cascade worked best for me)

1 cup of cornstarch

2 tbsp of Baking powder

Mix all of this together in a big bucket!

To make the big bubble maker you need:

Four straws of any kind

String (yarn does not work very well)

Scissors

       * If the straws have a bendy end, take scissors and cut off the bendy part.

        * Take two straws and thread the string through them. The string should be about a foot and a half long (the length determines the size of the bubbles). The best way to get the string through the straw is to put the end of the string into the straw and suck on the other end to draw it through. It comes through very quickly! So make sure there is no choking.

 *     Once two straws are on the string, tie the string together with a knot. 

 * Take the remaining two straws, cut a slit in one end so the straw will fold in on itself. Fit the cut straw into the straw with the string.

  

You now have a perfect big bubble maker and the best bubble solution possible!

Some of my fondest memories of my childhood involved outdoor games, exploring forests, crafts, and campfires. I hope every child gets to create some of these memories this summer. Exciting play time is always balanced with quiet reading relaxation at any time of the day. Long car rides make filling the Summer Reading booklets easy, especially with an audiobook along for the ride. I feel great knowing that my job involves encouraging kids to develop healthy brains and bodies.  And the only downside? My own hours of reading aren’t going towards an Upper Clements FastPass!

Erin Jardine

Summer Reading Club Assistant