CARSTAIRS - The Carstairs Municipal Library’s Summer Reading Club has been going strong this summer, with activities set to wrap up on Aug. 21 with the Parenting Walk Day downtown, say officials.
The club activities started in mid-June with kids and teens keeping busy tracking their reading – they have completed 1,044 hours of reading, earning prizes along the way.
“Reading over the summer helps kids maintain their reading levels so they start school in the fall ready to go,” said library manager Megan Ginther. The club’s Our Take Home Program Kits have been well received, with 170 kits going home with families last month, she said.
“The kits have had families exploring the world through science experiments, art projects and fun activities,” she said.
The club has partnered with the Carstairs Heritage Centre to include an activity booklet in each kit that is filled with fun information about Carstairs.
The club’s activities have varied throughout the week, focused on the in-person afternoon camps.
On Tuesdays, club members do Science in the Park, Wednesday they do art, Thursday is Games Day, and Saturday’s is drop-in family fun at the library, she said.
Madi Ing, the summer programmer, has been doing “an amazing job putting these programs together and building relationships with the kids who are attending,” Ginther said.
“To make things more accessible, we are running our programs in Memorial Park in order to reach even more community members, promote literacy and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. We also have been showing up for some special surprise programs or events at local parks to spread the summer fun even further.”
A weekly story time for the preschool families has been taking place Tuesday mornings in Memorial Park.
“We are so happy to be connecting with our littlest readers again in person,” she said. “We didn’t forget the grown-ups or teens either. We’ve had special programs just for them, including a Lantern Paint Night and Pop Up Board Game Cafe, take-home kits with fun activities and our very popular Blind Date with a book returned this summer.”
Everyone is excited to be getting back to normal at the library, she said.
“We are open our regular hours and while our Summer Programs are slightly different this summer, they are full of the fun and excitement we’ve always offered.”
See full details about the Summer Reading Club, Parenting Walk and other events at the library in-person or on the library’s website.
