My library conducts an annual summer reading program series in a local park entitled: Food, Fit & Fun in the Park, in collaboration with our regional medical center, community college, university extension 4-H program, and USDA summer food program/school district. Every Thursday morning, for a period of six weeks, my community partners and I set up 5 activity stations (1 of which was always a storytime station) in our local park. Each week was based on a sub-theme of the CSLP  Fizz, Boom, Read! summer reading program. The 2014, weekly sub-themes were:

• Week 1—Fizz, Boom, Pop!
• Week 2—The Body Walk
• Week 3—Techno Fun
• Week 4—R U Curious?
• Week 5—Arts & Science
• Week 6—It’s Alive!

Each Thursday, 200-250 attendees break up into groups and pick a station. Groups rotate to the next station every 8 minutes, for 40 minutes, at which point they get in line for a sack lunch provided via the USDA summer food program and the local school district.

This is one of the Facebook promotional graphics I generated to advertise the event.

 

Here are some photos I was able to take from the last event, “It’s Alive!”

We made Frankenstein Masks…

…discussed goats….

….and rabbits…

…read It’s a Tiger by David LaRochelle

…and talked about germs and created silly snot out of glue, Tide liquid detergent and food coloring.

Library Programming Storytime community partnerships Fizz Boom Read! outreach STEAM STEM summer reading