by Kate Evans
From tiny tots being read to by their parents to school-age children, teens and adults avidly reading, the Morgan County Public Library’s summer program is encouraging readers of all ages to enjoy some books of interest this summer.
Library Director Sarah Drennan said that their summer reading program officially begins on June 1 and is a nine-week program. If people of all ages want to be a part of the summer reading program-keeping a log of the books they’ve read and being eligible for prizes-they must register for the program.
Registration is going on now and will probably continue until the middle of June, she said. Summer reading participants-school-age children, teens and adults-can start keeping their reading log on June 1. If a child isn’t reading yet, parents can read to them for 10 minutes and log that time in the summer reading program.
“We want parents reading to their children,” Drennan said.
Friday program ages rotate
The library will have a program series of yoga, theme-related crafts and a story every Friday that will rotate for different ages. The program begins on Friday, June 4 with Earth Day Yoga (adult and child) for ages pre-K to second grade. Yoga is at 9:30 a.m. and the Sun Prints craft and story starts at 10:30 a.m. Participants are asked to bring a yoga mat, towel or blanket.
The second week the Earth Day Yoga, crafts and reading program on Friday, June 11 will be for second graders and up and on the third week Friday June 18 it will be held for older teens and adults. The pre-K to second grade group rotates every three weeks and the other age groups follow, Drennan said. The times remain the same for yoga and the crafts and story.
Friday, June 25 is Garden Yoga with painting garden pots and a story for pre-K to Grade 2; July 2 is for second graders and up and July 9 for older teens and adults.
Friday July 16 is Animals Around the World Yoga with a story and birdhouse-making for pre-K to Grade 2. On July 23 the program is for second grade and up.
Friday, July 30 features t-shirt painting outdoors. Please bring your own t-shirt. Drennan said that while the t-shirt painting is geared mostly for children and teens, it’s open to summer reading program participants of any age. Prizes for summer reading will be awarded at the Friday, July 30 program.
Crafts will differ for the age groups, Drennan said. While younger kids will make the Sun prints and paint clay flower pots, older kids will create glow in the dark jars and make birdhouses.
Drennan said that children of all ages must be accompanied by an adult for the yoga, crafts and storytime summer program activities as they are not a drop-off program.
Outside program
The program will be held outside on the Ice House lawn, Drennan said. If it’s too hot or is raining, they’ve made arrangements to use a studio in the Ice House. Whitney Chapman is the yoga instructor.
Drennan said that the yoga will be adaptive and that older adults and people with health issues can use a chair to help with balance or adapt the movements to what they need to help them do the exercises. The session will be more of a beginner’s exploration of yoga with meditation, warm-up and learning one pose.
Drennan said they decided to keep the summer program simpler this year with the library and community still coming out of COVID-19 and new guidelines and restrictions changing.
Library hours
Morgan County Public Library hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The library is closed on Wednesday and Sunday. Call 304-258-3350 for more information and to register for the summer reading program.
