Summer reading

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, July 2020; written by Amie Toepfer.

As a parent one of the most dreaded statements that you can hear from your child is “I’m bored”. This normally means that they have exhausted their resources on hand and are looking to you to solve this issue and if you don’t act quickly there could be a number of things that could happen. From a tantrum for our youngest all the way to “inventing” a potato gun for our oldest and none of these are really great options. Sometimes, if we are lucky, we can quickly point to a game, suggest a book, or even create some art with them, but as parents coming up with fresh ideas to do with are kids can be daunting. There are only so many cookies you can bake, readings of The Little Blue Truck, or games of Risk you can play before you too are bored and climbing the walls, but don’t fear the library is here for you with books and take home programs!

The biggest programs that are going on right now are Summer Reading and the Teen Summer Challenge. These programs are designed to keep your child active and engaged all summer long. The family log is packed full of activities, riddles, and challenges, plus there are lots of reading opportunities. Did your family already complete the summer reading log? There is a Read-On Bingo card that is now available. This card is packed full of reading challenges for youth to complete and with some really push them to read something outside their normal book, which makes it even more fun and a great expereince. Every time they get a bingo they get an extra entry into the grand prize drawings, which includes themes like Pokémon, Star Wars, Games, Chocolate, and of course Slime!

The teen log is a cheeky little design based on the periodic table of elements that challenges the teens to get out (or stay in) and learn something new. It is self-paced and allows for plenty of freedom, so even the most discerning teen will find it appealing. To complement the teen log there are weekly experiments that teens can complete to earn extra grand prize tickets. Finally, the teens can earn a prize just by coming into the library and picking up an instant win ticket from the back desk. And what is so great about these tickets is everyone is a winner and they can get a ticket every time they visit the library. And what’s best about both of these programs is you can print them at home from our webpage, so you don’t even have to wait to get started!

Other library programming includes, Reading the Classics every Tuesday at 6:30 on KRBD, Facebook storytimes, and S.T.E.A.M. videos for simple and safe experiments at home. We also have tons and tons and tons of books on crafts, games, science, and technology that you can check out and take home for some fresh ideas. For a full listing of all of our events or to browse our collection of maker/activity books please visit www.ketchikanpubliclibrary.org or give us a call at 907-225-3331 for suggestions of titles or a list of activities. Also, don’t forget to follow us on social media for fun videos, tutorials, and updates.