by Jennifer Hughes
Keeping the children (and myself) entertained has been a bit of a challenge lately. The days are long, and the options for safe family fun seem particularly limited. We love the Library’s e-branch, and all of the typical summer activities, but we are ready for something fresh. We’re ready to “Imagine (Our) Story” with the Rapides Parish Library’s Summer Reading Program!
Throughout the summer, join library staff in virtual adventures into your imagination with the “Imagine Your Story”-themed events, crafts and activities.
To enjoy stories that are already written, visit our website or call your neighborhood branch to reserve Library materials for safe pick-up via drive-through or curbside service. When the items are ready, a friendly library staff member will give you a phone call to set your pick-up time.
Beginning on June 1, you can craft your own summer story! Schedule a time to pick up Grab-n-Go crafts for children, teens and adults. Every week, there will be an exclusive new craft or activity for each age group with a corresponding live YouTube event. Be sure to request your crafts early so you don’t miss out!
Rather than visiting the Library branches, summer reading entertainers will share their stories and perform virtually this year. Get ready to be impressed by balance and juggling legend, Matthew Noel, award-winning dance instructor, Javier Juarez, popular children’s singer/songwriter duet, Brian and Teri Kinder, and multi-talented folk artist and dulcimer musician, Mike Anderson. They will all host virtual events just for the patrons of the Rapides Parish Library during this imaginative, story-filled summer.
From June 1 until July 31, you can track reading achievements with Beanstack to earn virtual badges for real-world prizes. Log in using the easy to find link at rpl.org! Those that would prefer to track their reading manually may receive a reading log by request at any branch.
Real-world prizes for children include a summer reading certificate after reading 150 minutes, a book clip after reading 500 minutes, a fidget spinner after reading 1,000 minutes and a summer reading medal after reading for 1,500 minutes. Teens will gain one drawing entry per minute read for a weekly drawing of prizes purchased from local businesses. Adults will be placed in an end-of-summer drawing for locally purchased prizes as well.
I “imagine” that with all of the fun virtual activities that our Library has planned, we will all be entertained this summer. We hope to safely see you soon at your local library, and we can’t wait to share your stories! Visit http://www.rpl.org/srp to discover the full summer reading schedule, reading resources, virtual card options, and more.
