Photos courtesy Spencer McDonald, Chestermere Public Library.
The Chestermere Public Library's summer reading program is starting on July 3, and the program coordinators are excited to bring a fun summer to the entire community.
Organized by university students Grace Berg and Nadia Baig, as well as high school student Preet Ghuman, all three girls have been working hard to bring weekly activities and prizes for all kids involved in the free program.
"(You can expect) a lot of arts and crafts, a lot of games, every week is going to be a different theme so all of our crafts and games and our stories kind of align with each of those throughout the summer," Berg said.
Some of the crafts you can expect are Disney-themed ones like Mickey or Minnie Mouse ears, which aligns with a week where they're reading Disney stories.
Given that all three are students, working on the summer reading program is something that falls out of their normal school calendar, meaning its extra work most students don't usually handle. However, for Ghuman she says the work is worth it to help make a kid's day better.
"You never really know when a kid comes and what they're going through in their day, but to be that light and spark of joy and maybe just change their feelings for the rest of the day is really important to me, and also I really like everything about the program," Ghuman said.
"I ran the program last year and I absolutely loved it. I am going to school to be a teacher, so I find that this is just another way to kind of get myself involved with kids and involved with the planning and organization that comes with that," Berg added.
Beyond the enjoyment of doing activities and potentially meeting new friends through this program, Berg added it's also a great way to prevent "the summer learning slide."
"We essentially started doing this to keep kids and families engaged in reading over the summer, and I like doing that with the different themes that are going on as well. So, it just kind of gives kids an opportunity to explore the library and an opportunity to explore different genres of books, different reading levels, and different topics," Berg said.
"There's a lot of kids in my neighborhood who are doing the summer reading program and I find that a lot of parents would like to have them in the program rather than sitting home all day, usually watching TV or something like that. It's something that really appeals to parents and kids as well," Ghuman added, as another benefit to joining the program.
You can also win prizes every time you bring back your weekly summer reading log! You can either take a small prize or be entered to win a big prize, which includes things like an iPad and arts and crafts baskets.
The program is open and free to kids between the ages of 3-12, and you can register on the Library's website at chestermerepubliclibrary.com, or simply go in person and register there. The only requirement is that you have a library card, but even if you don't have one registering for a card is simple and free.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@strathmorenow.com