Summer fun starts with the library’s Tails & Tales reading program
For many children last summer was a very isolating and uninspiring time. Although the Coshocton Public Library and West Lafayette Branch were able to open in June 2020, summer reading was very different from years past. As always, there were the same great prize opportunities (655 children and teens logged 5,055 hours of reading); but programming was mainly virtual.
For this coming summer, library staff have conceived a way children can come for stories, activities, and crafts while following guidelines. All programs will be located outdoors – on the newly fenced east lawn at Coshocton or in the reading shelter in West Lafayette. Each week from Tuesday, June 1 through Thursday, July 22 the library will present a different “Animal Antics” program based on the theme “Tails and Tales.” You will be able to book a half hour of fun for your family (or “bubble”– a maximum group of nine individuals). There will be a total of 35 half hour “appointments” each week. Appointments can be made online at www.coshoctonlibrary.org or by calling the Coshocton Public Library at 740-622-0956 or West Lafayette Branch at 740-545-6672.
Teens also will have opportunities each week to meet, play Jackbox games, make crafts or engage in hilarious role-playing games. As with the children, numbers will be limited to less than 10 and they will meet outdoors, weather permitting.
As always, thanks to the generous donations by individuals, businesses, and service organizations in the community the library is offering great prizes for logging reading. Brochures listing these prizes will be coming home with every Coshocton County school child in May. But to give you just a taste of these prizes, they include a smart TV, a Kindle Fire, a 694-piece Lego set, and $100 Amazon gift cards. These great prizes are incentives to get teens and children reading. Research has proven that reading in summer is the most important activity that they can do to maintain academic standards from one school year to the next. This fact is the reason that the State Library of Ohio puts emphasis on summer reading.
Children and teens will also be able to participate in individualized activity challenges for which they can earn coupons for free food and recreation. These challenges will include the new Storywalk® (built because of a donation from the Frontier Community Connection Fund and located at our partner, Clary Gardens), as well as the scavenger hunts that were so popular last year, and fun BINGOs.
Although traditional reading logs will still be available for children (0-12yrs), this year the library has a new and exciting service called Beanstack which can be used by all ages to log reading and other activities.
Beanstack is a digital platform (both app and web based) that will be used to enrich and simplify the logging of reading. As children, teens, and adults log their reading, they will be given badges and offered other incentives. Visit the library’s website for instructions on how to download the Beanstack Tracker app on your phone or get the unique Beanstack link for your computer or other device. You will be able to use Beanstack for other challenges throughout the year.
A summer reading launch celebration will be held on Thursday, May 27. Thanks to a grant from the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, awarded by the State Library of Ohio, the library is hosting a petting zoo. McWane Ductile has provided the funds that will allow children to feed the animals. Registration is a must and groups of four or less may book an appointment by going to the library calendar or by phoning the library. That evening the library will also have an event they are calling “Hot Diggity Dog.” One representative from each family can pick up hotdogs (for kids and teens) and Capri Suns (donated by Kraft), as well as more information on this summer of fun.
Visit the library’s website calendar for further details and check out future editions of the The Beacon for more summer family fun being planned by Clary Gardens, Roscoe Village, the Pomerene Center for the Arts, and the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum. Children can attend a program at any of these five locations to collect a stamp on their stamp card. Ten stamps collected will equal one free pass to the Lake Park Aquatic Center.
Category: People & Places
