Another Summer Reading Club just wrapped up and we can’t believe how fast it went! The numbers are in and it was a great summer for reading. We had so much fun with new summer programs like Community Helper Storytime, and the return of some classics from last year like Meet A Maker and #STPLBookishSummer Teen Instagram Challenge. Here’s what our summer looked like this year:
Total Registrations for Summer Reading Club: 569
Total Books Read: 7121
That’s 116 more registrations and 1071 more books read than last year!
Kids got to colour in a line on the rocket ship for every 100 books read. Here we are in July just above the halfway mark!
Summer Programs
Meet a Maker
Meet a Maker returned for its second year with all new community makers! Kids got to learn about local makers and their crafts, ask questions, and get some hands-on experience! We hosted six sessions this year featuring Sarah Van Pelt and her miniature dioramas, Terry Lanning and his handmade pens, Andie of Bracelets for Brains, Cindy Bircham of Elgin Harvest, Grayden Laing of Grayden Laing Studios and Greg Wight of Harbour Guitars.
Community Helper Storytime
We had five storytimes hosted by community helpers this year! Kids got to learn about their various jobs and the equipment they use, and of course listen to a story. We featured a public health nurse, a dentist, a firefighter, police officers, and a paediatric ICU nurse.
#STPLBookishSummer Teen Instagram Challenge
We held our second annual #STPLBookishSummer Teen Instagram Challenge this year and we had some beautiful entries! Every week we posted a new bookish challenge on Instagram and participants took a picture and added the hashtag #STPLBookishSummer to be entered into the grand prize draw. At the end of the summer we held an Instagram Art Gallery party featuring the entries and the winner received her prize!
We had many other programs and drop-in crafts and activities all summer, including Stuffie Sleepover, Sensory Play, Young Writers’ Club Workshops, Family Movie Fridays, Life-Size Games, Minecraft Challenges, and an End of Summer show by Mad Science.
Special thanks to our sponsors who provided great prizes this year! Thank you Van Pelt’s Business Solutions, Rail City Recreation, Shaw’s Ice Cream, Legoland Discovery Centre, Fan of the Sport, YMCA St. Thomas-Elgin, and the STEAM Centre!
We hope you had as much fun as we did this summer!