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Big Valley library keeps children busy reading

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The chain gang? – Children connect at Big Valley Municpal Library with a paper chain as part of the summer reading and fun programs at the library.

It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over, but what a fun summer we’ve had here at Big Valley Municipal Library.

During the months of July and August, our library offered three separate children’s programs, taking place five days per week as we endeavoured to appeal to a wide range of interests and ages and provide some fun activities for the children of our community.

We hit the ground running with our “Kids-Only” computer clubs beginning mid July and running two days per week.

The “Mighty Mice” computer club invited kids 5 to 10 to come spend Saturday mornings with their friends, playing games and improving their computer skills in a fun, supervised atmosphere. The 11-up club, obviously for the older kids, was held every Friday afternoon.

The Summer Reading Club began the last week of July and ran three afternoons per week. We were thrilled with the response to this year’s theme.

The children traveled to exotic lands, explored tropical environments, learned about amazing animals and embarked on an adventure of discovery to “Destination Jungle”.

Thanks to the endless energy and creativity of our summer student Taigen Whiteside, we were able to provide an entertaining place for children of all ages to spend the summer months.

She succeeded in providing a wide variety of fun and interesting activities throughout the program. Each week included craft activities and outdoor games along with many fascinating books.

Children created posters which are displayed in our library, jungle themed T-shirts, and many other wonderful projects.

During weekly outings to Memorial Park, the children participated in “safaris” and other exciting outdoor games. The children were encouraged to continue their reading at home with the creation of “Slither the Snake”, who’s body grew in length with each book read.

By the end of the program, “Slither” stretched from the front door of the library all the way to the back wall and still takes pride of place in our library as a measure of the program’s success.

The goal of all the Big Valley Municipal Library summer programming was first and foremost to provide a place for our children to gather. We endeavoured to inspire and motivate the children to continue reading throughout the summer months.

We hoped that by promoting the habit of reading for pleasure we have taken steps to create life-long learners and attract more children to come and spend time in our library.

All summer programming came to a close on Saturday, August 21 with the last meeting of the Mighty Mice computer club.

Once again, we thank Taigen Whiteside for her hard work. We must thank the TD Bank Financial Group, the Toronto Public Library and Library and Archives Canada for supporting literacy in Canada by offering the TD Summer Reading Club every summer to Canadian children across the nation.

Always contributing to the success of our library programs are the many parents who encourage their children’s involvement in reading and literacy programs. We thank you for allowing us to spend the summer with your children.