By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
West Plains kids can expect an activity-filled summer at area libraries.
Summer reading programs will not only feature lots of books to read, but also weekly free activities for kids that run the gamut from music and science to crafts and magic shows.
All Spokane County Library District branches will have water-related themes this summer. Youth services manager Gwendolyn Haley said books and activities have been chosen to fit the theme.
“A lot of planning goes into this,” Haley said. “It's seven weeks of programs.”
In Cheney, the programs will be held every Thursday at 2 p.m. starting July 1. All school-aged kids are eligible to participate in the summer reading program, which will feature a different activity each week.
Children will make a mural, construct boats for a “Sink or Float” game, and learn about robots. Guests will include Dick Frost, with a magic show, Ruby Devine, with a pirate-themed concert, and a special puppet show by Mary Shaver to celebrate the last week of the program Aug. 9.
Haley said all the activities and entertainment are planned in the hopes of bringing kids into the library.
“The whole point of summer reading is to get kids in the library to have fun, and to get books in their hands,” she said.
Storytime programs for preschool-aged children will continue through the summer, for toddlers on Wednesdays and older preschool-aged children on Thursdays, both starting at 10:30 a.m.
Haley said participation in summer library programs has continued to grow as communities have grown.
“The summer is a great time to learn something you didn't know before, something you want to learn,” she said, adding that kids who read during the summer have been shown to retain more of the skills they learned during the school year.
While there's no pre-registration for the programs, large groups should call the library ahead of time.
For families with children who attend Windsor Elementary School, the Windsor library will be open every Tuesday night from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for children to check out books.
Charmaine Gural said librarians and volunteers are available during that time to help kids pick out books, and Chance, the reading dog who spent his days reading with Sue McAdams' class during the school year, will be at most library nights.
“The kids love to read with him,” Gural said. “These kids out here, they don't have access to the Cheney library as easily, so it's a nice opportunity.”
For a full schedule of the summer reading programs in Cheney and other West Plains branches, visit http://www.summerreadingspokane.org or http://www.scld.org or call the Cheney branch at 893-8280.
Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].
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