Library offering scavenger hunts as part of summer reading program
Sawyer Sellers, 4, and Sophia Sellers, 7, are prepared to do the library’s scavenger hunt for the court square and the artPARK. (Josie Sellers)
Have you ever stopped to really explore the Coshocton County Court Square or the artPARK? My daughters, mother and I recently spent a sunny afternoon wandering around both while completing one of the Coshocton Public Library’s eight scavenger hunts.
“We wanted to do something to help people,” said Deborah Crowdy, youth services manager at the library. “This is an activity they can do that promotes being outside, promotes knowing something about our county, and you can do it while still social distancing.”
It also is a great way to start conversations, practice observation skills and read.
While looking for the saying at the bottom of one monument, I had my older daughter see how much of it she could read to me herself. I then reminded both of them that it honored people like their late great-grandfathers who both served in World War II and how one of them was even a prisoner of war.
We then decided to venture over to the memorial for Vietnam Veterans. They both know their grandpa, who passed away from an Agent Orange-related illness, was a proud veteran of the Vietnam War. My 4-year-old smiled, pointed to the map and proudly said that’s where her grandpa went.
Next we headed over to the artPARK, where we discussed art and how we all see things differently and even did a little counting.
A total of eight scavenger hunts were planned by the library staff. Four of them are due by June 22, and four are due by Saturday, July 18.
“We spread them around the county,” Crowdy said. “We thought people were probably tired of Zoom and Google Meet, so we spent a lot of time during the quarantine while we were working separately to prepare these.”
The scavenger hunts take you to downtown Coshocton, Roscoe Village, Lake Park, Warsaw, West Lafayette and a cemetery.
“Strangely, the most popular one is the cemetery scavenger hunt,” Crowdy said. “It can be done at any cemetery in the county. The idea is to show kids that cemeteries are not such a scary place.”
The scavenger hunts also have a literary theme.
“I hope people are enjoying them,” Crowdy said. “We want kids to read, have a literary background and to love the library.”
When scavenger hunts are completed, photos of them can be emailed to youth@coshoctonlibrary.org or put in the library book drop. Participants will then be provided with a coupon to use at Medbery Market for ice cream or at the candy store in Roscoe.
“We encourage people to get them turned in because there will be a drawing for another prize from a local business,” Crowdy said.
Scavenger hunt forms can be printed off by visiting www.coshoctonlibrary.org, clicking on Imagine Your Story and looking under the children heading.
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- Sawyer Sellers, 4, and Sophia Sellers, 7, are prepared to do the library’s scavenger hunt for the court square and the artPARK. (Josie Sellers)
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