Highlights from Robey Memorial Library’s Summer Reading Program ...
“Read Beyond the Beaten Path” was the theme of the 2022 Summer Reading Program (SRP) with activities spanning from June through August this summer. The Kids and Teens 4-Week Reading Challenge ran from Friday, July 1-Saturday, July 30 and is the highlight of the program with participants tracking their reading and reading-related activities for prizes.
• Kids 4-Week Reading Challenge: Infants to sixth graders tracked their progress on reading logs to receive weekly prizes in addition to adding their name to prize drawings for a Skippy Jon Jones book and stuffed animal toy or Ice Cream With the Librarian. A total of 83 children registered and 41 participated with a total of 991 activities completed. The top readers in each category received a new book of their choice purchased by the Library Foundation, including the following:
Category 1 (Infant-Kindergarten) 1. Noah Hollar - 79 activities completed; Category 2 (First-Third Grades) 1. Karissa Hollar - 78 activities completed; Category 3 (Fourth-Sixth Grades) 1. Luka Hollar 80 activities completed.
• Prize Drawing winners were Chance Achenbach - Ice Cream with the Librarian; and Paige Achenbach - Skippy Jon Jones book and stuffed animal toy. “Library Champion” signs were given to all participants to display at their homes; they may have been seen around town.
• Make and Take activities were held each Wednesday afternoon in July with a total of 83 in attendance. Projects featured were Wooden Postcard to color and mail; Soap Carving; Flapping Wing Butterfly (pictured above at right); and Mini Garden.
• Summer Explorer Programs, held every other Wednesday morning from June 1 through August 10, saw a total of 317 participants attending. Programs presented included Soil: Beneath the Beaten Path with Sara Berges, Soil Conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Building Bug Houses (pictured below at left) with Ross Geerdes, Naturalist with Allamakee County Conservation; See the Show! Become a Pro!: comedy juggling and variety show with Jason Kollum (pictured below at right); Disc Kaleidoscopes; and Painting Bird Houses and Yarn Owls with Children’s Librarian Ellie Krousie.
• Teens 4-Week Reading Challenge: Teens tracked reading time and completed reading activities (pictured above at left) for prizes and entries into the book of choice drawing. Three teens registered, and two teens participated, reading a combined 3,000 minutes and completing 56 reading activities. Teen summer programs included: Classic Book Club for Teens, reading “Animal farm” by George Orwell and “Study in scarlet” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Teen Summer Book Club reading “Ground zero” by Alan Gratz, “Five total strangers” by Natalie D. Richards and “Punching the air” by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam. Book Clubs were facilitated by Teen Librarian Chris Kerndt. Fourth through sixth graders attended Passport to Reading Book Club, reading through selected titles in the “Choose your own adventure” series and participating in related activities.
Business/organization sponsors who supported this year’s program include Hardee’s (food certificates) and Builder’s First Source (lathe bundle), in addition to Library Foundation (prize and book club books). Ellie Krousie and Chris Kerndt attended State Library-sponsored webinars in preparation for the Summer Reading Program.
