by Kate Evans
Morgan County’s public libraries are both the home of a six-week summer reading program with the theme of “A Universe of Stories.” Readers from the youngest ages to the oldest can participate in tracking their reading, attending special library events and get in the running to win prizes.
The program begins at the Berkeley Springs library on June 24. Paw Paw’s library kicks off their program on July 2.
In Berkeley Springs
Morgan County Public Library in Berkeley Springs kicks off the program on Monday, June 24 and it runs through Friday, August 2 Registration has already begun, said library director Sarah Drennan.
The first event will be the Pollinators Program, an educational program with Jerry Schneider on Monday, June 24 at 10:30 a.m. Schneider’s program will focus on butterflies and includes a slide show, specimens and discussion along with t-shirt painting with kids. Drennan said you can bring your own t-shirt to the program or purchase one there.
The event will be that week’s storytime along with the summer program’s kickoff, she noted. Storytime at the library is every Monday at 11:00 a.m.
Children will create bookmarks for books that will be delivered to Autumn Acres and also for books at the library. Another week they’ll make hanging mobiles of planets. Other summer reading program activities and special events are in the works.
Most of the children’s activities will take place on Tuesday mornings at 11:00 a.m. A calendar of events for the summer program will be available at the end of the month, said Drennan.
If kids are already reading on their own, they’ll keep track of the number of books they’ve read during the six-week program.
Adults with infant children can read to their child, keep track of their reading hours and pick out a book for their infant. Drennan said they really want to encourage people reading to their children of all ages and the closeness that it brings.
Some kids will read 40 to 50 books during the summer program. For the very top readers there will be a special drawing and a special prize, Drennan noted.
Adults involved in the summer reading program will keep track of the number of books they’ve read and can choose a book at the end for themselves.
“We just want kids to be exposed to books. It’s a wonderful way to bond,” she said.
Morgan County Public Library hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The library is closed on Wednesday and Sunday. Call 304-258-3350 for more information.
In Paw Paw
Paw Paw Public Library’s summer reading program will include crafts, games, science and nature activities and book and movie nights, said children’s librarian Janice Ross. The program begins on Tuesday, July 2 and ends on Tuesday, July 30. Registration for the summer reading program runs until June 25.
Summer reading program activities are for ages 6-15 and take place on Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. The nature center and book and movie nights are scheduled on different days and times in July.
Children will be making their own constellations, growing moon rocks and doing gravity art, where they’ll paint a picture and discover how gravity works and pulls the paint down, Ross said.
They’ll also be making light sabers with pool noodles like in Star Wars. Nature center activities during the summer program include owl pellets and turtles and butterfly programs.
At the end of the summer reading program on June 30, participants will be going on a field trip to the planetarium at Frostburg State University.
There’s also a teen reading challenge this summer for ages 12-18 with a chance of winning a gift card as a prize. Ross said she’s going to let the teens volunteer and help with the younger kids to build the constellations and the planets.
Game nights, storytime
Family game nights also began on Saturday, June 16 and are planned for twice a month on Saturdays from 5-7 p.m. Ross said that families can bring their own board games and that they have a few board games at the library, too.
Storytime continues on Friday mornings at 10:30 a.m. for the younger kids ages 18 months to five years old, Ross said.
Nature center
Ross said that the new Paw Paw Public Library nature center is almost done. Paw Paw High School students painted animals of West Virginia on the walls. There’s also stuffed animals on the walls and paw prints. They have tadpoles growing in the nature center now. Library director Virginia DeFrancesco is in charge of the nature center and is planning a grand opening for it.
Library hours
Paw Paw Public Library is open every day through the week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. except for Thursday when it’s open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The library closes from 1 to 2 p.m. every day. Paw Paw Public Library is closed on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 304-947-7013.
Summer reading library
2 col color
