Summer Reading is underway for youth at the three local libraries in Atchison County. The Atchison County Library sponsors this annual event, with this year’s theme being “Libraries Rock.” This summer’s reading program features a variety of topics about sound. Topics include how do you create sound, how does sound travel, and how do you hear sounds. There might be some music making too, or just a lot of noise! Pictured above are youth listening to great books read outloud by Jayne Martin and taking part in fun activities. The Summer Reading program continues this week and next so be sure to call your local library to sign up your child (Fairfax – 660-686-2204, Rock Port – 660-744-5404, or Tarkio – 660-736-5832).

 

 

Christina Hall helps this group of Tarkio Summer Readers on fun crosswords and word search puzzles.

 

 

Tarkio Summer Reading

 

 

Jennifer Peregrine read books, sang songs, and played with the library “band box” with her three and four year old group Tuesday morning, July 10. The little ones listened to Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin and James Dean. They sang many songs including Wheels on the Bus. They enjoyed making noise with the “instruments” from the “band box”. Triangles, tambourines, maracas, and even two sticks can make lots of noise! Everyone went home with a new “Pete” book bag and a pair of maracas.

 

The program for children who are five and six was hosted by Brooke Walton. Listening to Jungle Drums by Graeme Base got this group off to a rockin’ good start! The kids also enjoyed hearing Slowly, Slowly Said the Sloth by Erik Carle. After helping design their own animal bingo cards, the kids enjoyed playing bingo. The children made elephants at craft time. Maracas and book bags were the take-home prize.
On Thursday, Jayne Martin met with a group of children who are ready for the second or third grade. They engaged in an excellent discussion about why they think the libraries rock. They also talked about their favorite books that are part of a series, such as the I Survived series. Jayne read and told some animal jokes. Their activities included playing a game called “Guess the Animal,” based on sounds, and they played an animal word search game. Each child received a backpack, and a hat and sunglasses. They checked out library books to enjoy at home.

 

Christina Hall led a group of soon-to-be fourth and fifth graders in games about animal sounds. They read from a book, More Really Silly Jokes by Cyl Lee. This group took home backpacks, a set of colored pencils, a journal, and good books from the library.

 

Leann Ohlensehlen reads “Frog and Toad are Friends” to the Fairfax Summer Reading youth.

 

 

Fairfax Summer Reading

 

 

Sarah Osburn hosted the young summer readers Tuesday morning, July 10. The focus of the program was rhythm. The children enjoyed making their own music/noise with the library’s box of “band instruments.” Do you know how many rhythms you can make with castanets, maracas, a tambourine, or even a pair of sticks? The kids listened to three stories: Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by James Dean, the Simms Taback version of I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, and Mortimer by Robert Munsch. They had fun painting paper guitars to take home, and they received book bags and cool prizes from the library “treat” box.

 

Leann Ohlensehlen hosted the older group of summer readers Thursday morning. The kids listened to Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel, in preparation for attending a theatre presentation of A Year with Frog and Toad in Brownville. A lively discussion ensued about the differences between frogs and toads. This group also listened to The Usborne Story of Music by Simon Mundy. This book provided the children with a very brief history of classical music and some of the more well-known composers of earlier centuries. Leann led the children in a hands-on experiment about sound waves. Using jars of water, they created the waves with musical sounds and watched the waves move through the jars of water. The kids enjoyed tapping out rhythms on a xylophone. Book bags were handed out and cool prizes from the library box went home with this group.

Volunteers Mackenzie Dougherty and Lynn Hunter help their preschoolers and kindergartners make maracas during summer reading on July 10 at the Rock Port Library. Each group will learn about music and sounds in this year’s “Libraries Rock” themed summer reading program.

 

 

Jack Bailey is proudly testing out one of the maracas while the others finish.

 

 

Bryna McEnaney shows off her wind chime she made along with the rest of the first and second graders at Summer Reading on Thursday, July 12 at the Rock Port Library.

 

 

Emma Teten, Sophie Storm and Claire Miller worked on word searches after they made rain sticks. These girls are part of the third and fourth grader group at the Rock Port Library.

 

 

Rock Port Summer Reading

 

 

Summer Reading kicked off July 10 and 12 at the Atchison County Library. Tiffanie Gaines hosted the three and four year old age group with the help of Katey Kroeger on Tuesday, July 10. The subject of the day was all things Pete the Cat. The children listened to Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, and Pete the Cat: Missing Cupcakes, all written by Eric Litwin and James Dean. They also sang several Pete the Cat songs. They decorated paper guitars that looked like Pete’s guitar as their art project, and they decorated and ate cupcakes! Each child went home with a “Pete” bag and “Pete” socks and stickers. It was a great program!

 

Mackenzie Dougherty and Lynn Hunter are hosting the five and six year old group this year. The kids enjoyed listening to Olivia Forms a Band by Ian Falconer. For a project, the kids used plastic eggs, spoons, and tape to make their very own maracas. Cha cha cha! They formed a drum circle and had great fun practicing rhythms. This lively group went home with connect the dot pictures to discover a surprise, and echo microphones to make “music” and “entertain”! Laughter was pervasive during this hour!

 

On Thursday, July 12, a group of children who have completed grade one and two met with Jennifer Roup, Katey Kroeger, and Tisha Jackson. This group focused on sounds, including some of their favorites: laughing, splashing water, music, and cutting a watermelon. They talked about their favorite musical sounds and how those sounds might make you feel. The kids enjoyed listening to Disney songs and trying to guess which Disney movie featured that song. They listened to Wiggle by Doreen Cronin and they read excerpts from Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel. At craft time, this group enjoyed assembling wind chimes made of bells, washers, sticks, beads, and pipe cleaners. Each child left with a summer reading bag, a summer reading sounds bingo card, and a great looking neon colored hat and sunglasses. This group could make the library rock!

 

Dixie Teten met with the group of summer readers who have finished grades three and four. This group spent their hour learning about the noises of nature. They listened to books titled Frog & Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel and Wild Weather All Around the World by Tori Kosara. Dixie played recorded sounds of animals and weather. The kids learned to distinguish between the sounds of frogs and toads.

 

They played a nature sounds guessing game, and they completed a frog word search. At craft time, the kids enjoyed making rain sticks to simulate the sound of rain, and they did a frog painting project. The day’s emphasis on Frog and Toad was in preparation for the children and their families seeing the musical, A Year with Frog and Toad at the Brownville Theatre on July 18. Leap frog was the game of the day and these kids had a hopping good time!