Collaborative Summer Library Program 2020:
Imagine Your Story
Summer Reading Results

Our summer reading program ended strong this year, with a total of 85 books read and tremendous fun had! “Imagine Your Story” was a time for families to come together with more activities to do during an unprecedented stay at home summer.

The purpose of summer reading remains to keep children engaged in whatever they choose to read—so they’re reading every day, and also taking part in some activity to apply their skills.

We can continue to encourage children to read books they enjoy for at least 30 minutes per day, during the school year. They will likely be more receptive with material they choose themselves, and books like the Sunshine State Young Reader Award Books are all included in our catalog.

Here are some tips from the U.S. Department of Education:

1. Provide incentives for reluctant readers. For example, if your child enjoys basketball, agree to take them to the local court if they do their “daily reading.”
2. Make reading a social act. Establish a time during the day when all members of the family gather and read on their own, or take turns reading the same book aloud.
3. Connect your reading to family outings. If you take your kids to an aquarium, consider reading a book about fish or the ocean with them later that day. The outing can help place the reading into a broader context.

Enjoy some pictures of our activities this year, and stay tuned for during school activities and challenges!
Have a great rest of the day,

Maureen Dorosinski
Librarian

Chapter One: Once Upon a Time

Japanese Monster (Oni) Masks. Oni are mythical monsters often portrayed as the villains of Japanese fairy tales. Depictions of oni vary widely, but they are usually portrayed as hideous, gigantic, ogre-like creatures with one or multiple horns, sharp claws, and wild hair. Here is an enthusiastic participant!

Chapter Two: A Hero’s Journey

Children learned the science behind their favorite superheroes! They experimented with creating the Hulk’s Thunderclap, building a Thunder Tube, and creating a tornado in a bowl! Here is one result:

Chapter Three: Dragon Magic: Stories and Crafts

We explored dragons from around the world through story time and dragon crafts. Dragons are often wise beings in Chinese and Japanese mythologies, and fearsome creatures in European and African mythologies. Here is a Dragon Fantasy Egg creation, and some Fire Breathing Dragons:

Chapter Four: Timeless Tales

Family Tree Workbooks. Record family stories! Discuss biology. Questions to ask: Do families have to be biological? What else makes a family? Have them write down the names of their immediate family members or caretakers, then write up family question workbooks. This activity encourages children to find out more about their family by asking questions, and ideally, hearing stories.

Chapter Five: Common Threads

Houses may differ, but people need shelter all over the world! Children read books featuring interesting houses, and built some models of houses and cities: