The Nan Boothby Memorial Library will aim to get kids excited about creating and innovating during its annual summer reading program for kids this year.
The program is free and will run Tuesdays through Thursdays from July 8 until July 31. This year’s theme is Eureka and is part of the national TD Summer Reading Club put on by TD Bank Group.
Kids from Grades 1 - 6 are invited to continue reading during the summer months at local public libraries around the country.
The program in Cochrane has enough room for up to 60 kids to sign up.
“It’s a lot more than just reading a book,” said Cochrane program coordinator Brenda Koob. “What we’re trying to do is transfer enjoyment and activity into the whole book reading realm to get kids excited about literacy.”
The TD Summer Reading Club website said this years theme of Eureka is all about “encouraging and empowering kids to take some risks, get messy, let loose their imaginations, and create.”
This is exactly what Koob has been putting together as program coordinator. She could barely contain her excitement as she talked about the activities the kids would be doing including creating labyrinths, reading caves and Lego masterpieces.
“I’ve had so much fun putting this together,” said Koob with a smile.
The program will also have special guests coming including Helmer Twoyoungmen from Morley to show the kids drumming and feather painting. Oliver Samonte from Junkology will also be coming in to show the participants how to build whales out of milk containers.
Koob says the program is about “making a connection” between the activities and reading.
“The whole idea is getting them motivated to read,” said Koob. “It’s tough for some kids because they don’t naturally go to a book. We are trying to help them come to know the value of reading if they haven’t already.”
And according to a literature review done by Library and Archives Canada, summer reading programs are extremely beneficial for children out of school.
The review said that children involved in summer reading clubs found significant benefits in self-esteem, social interaction and improvement of reading skills “regardless of age, gender or socio-economic status.”
Koob also pointed out that because the program is free, it is open to kids who might not otherwise be able to attend a summer camp. She said kids who can’t afford sports or dance programs, which can be quite pricey, would be able to attend.
“This offers an exciting free way for kids to get motivated about learning and meeting other kids and socializing,” she said.
TD Bank Group said on its website that 700,000 children participate in the TD Summer Reading Club, and collectively they will read over 1.2 million books.
