With ten days left to go, the countdown is on for our annual summer reading program. Each year, we foster an entertaining, creative, and accessible summer-long program that focuses on childhood literacy and learning. This year, we’re proud to present Unearth a Story! With programs themed around uncovering the mysteries of history through exploration and discovery, people of all ages are encouraged to participate by reading everyday and visiting their local library branch to attend family-friendly events.
To promote reading in our community kids, every child and teen from birth to seventeen are awarded a free book just for signing up for the program. This gives all our young readers a head-start in this year’s challenge to read twenty minutes a day for forty days.
While the reading challenge this year is open-ended, it allows participants the freedom to read what is of interest to them. Reading, especially in kids, is a struggle to get into. Accessibility and active engagement is the key to getting children excited about reading. By letting participants have autonomy in their choice of book, they are able to make their reading challenge unique to them.
In addition to just reading, the Bedford Public Library System offers a variety of events across its six branches–many of which are archeological-themed and bring science and history to life in a manner that anyone will enjoy.
Rockstar Magic
A regular staple of our summer reading program returns to kick off the summer reading program in spectacular fashion! The duo will visit each branch over the course of a week (twice at Forest!) and perform mystical feats to help get children ready and invigorated for the summer season.
Mill Mountain Theatre Presents: Pete the Cat
The beloved children’s book series will be brought to life in a musical for all of our branches. Each year, Mill Mountain Theatre brings music, comedy, and creativity to program attendees by embodying famous kids’ book characters.
Bright Star Theatre Presents: Dino Academy
In a BPLS first, Dr. Sarah Tops and her gaggle of dino puppets plan to visit Bedford, Forest, and Moneta. Using a combination of science and storytelling, the audience can learn all about the prehistoric creatures that roamed the earth.
Scales & Tales with the Larsen Family’s Reptiles
Another staple of our summer reading program returns! Learn about and engage with all sorts of reptiles. It’s an interactive program fit for all ages and curiosity levels. The Larsen Family is scheduled to visit each library during the course of a week, and providing a second show to the Forest branch to accommodate the rising attendance rates.
The Fossil Files: Presented by the Science Museum of Western Virginia
Program attendees have the opportunity to handle fossilized specimens spanning eons of history. The Science Museum of Western Virginia will stop by each library with their collection of history to teach kids and their families about ancient life using the fossils as evidence to support their hypotheses. This program brings science directly to kids and provides true hands-on learning.
While these six programs are the highlight of our reading program this summer, they are by far the only programs being offered. Each of our six branches developed branch specific programs fine-tuned to their local community and patrons. Here’s a sneak peak at just a few programs being offered.
Dinosaur Escape Room – Bedford
Scientists at the Bedford Central Library have done the impossible—they’ve successfully cloned a real dinosaur! But there’s a problem…the dinosaur has gone missing! Kids will work in teams to follow the clues, solve the puzzles, and track down the runaway dino before it’s too late.
Dino Day – Bedford
A hands-on, dino adventure where kids can dig for fossils at the Dinosaur Dig at the Bower Center for the Arts, explore the Dinosaur Egg Scavenger Hunt in the Wharton Garden, and show their creativity in the Dinosaur Coloring Contest at Bedford Central Library.
LEGO Dinosaur Contest – Big Island
Kids get creative and compete to build the best LEGO dinosaur. Library staff will vote on the winning dinosaur for each age group. All creations will be placed on display throughout the library after the event.
Digging up the Past: Fossil Expedition! – Forest
Offered multiple times throughout the summer, kids sift through history and find their own fossilized remains of prehistoric creatures to take home.
Pebble Mosaic Magnets – Moneta
Have fun creating pebble mosaic magnets using colorful aquarium gravel and a few other fun embellishments. Attendees learn how to plan your mosaic and attach the pebbles to fun wooden cutout shapes.
Dino Egg Hunt – Montvale
Children search the library for colorful “dinosaur eggs” hidden throughout the shelves. Each egg contains a small toy dinosaur inside, just waiting to be discovered. Once they’ve found their eggs, kids will pour vinegar on them and watch as the fizzing reaction slowly dissolves the shell to reveal the dinosaur.
Dinosaur Tea-Rex Party – Stewartsville
Enjoy stories about prehistoric creatures, learn dino tea party etiquette, and make dino-themed crafts that are fun for the whole family. Participants are encouraged and welcomed to dress up in their favorite tea party or dinosaur apparel.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a summer reading program without reading events. Across the system, we offer story times for ages ranging from zero to six: Rock-a-Bye Reader, Toddler Time, and Books 4 Fun. These three programs will be returning for the summer with a prehistoric twist that ties this year’s theme into our year-round story times.
While this year has themes focused on the past, we are hoping to make the program anything but ancient history. Through the support of local businesses and the Library Foundation, our branches are able to work to create unique programs built to foster literacy and learning. It is our busiest time of year, yet it is made easier by the support of our community donors. Without them, we would not be able to provide such an interactive learning environment for our patrons, especially during our summer months.
For more information on our programming and signing up for events, check out our calendar: BPLS Calendar.
To go sign-up for the summer reading programming, click the following link: BPLS Beanstack.
If you are interested in joining our community of support, please consider donating to the Library Foundation. All proceeds go towards helping the Bedford Public Library System grow. This often takes the form of offering new services to patrons that they may not have access to otherwise, free family-friendly events designed to stimulate learning and a love for reading, ensuring that our buildings are accessible to all and able to accommodate anyone, and–of course–providing books of all interests to our community.