Maddie Sundermann and Grayson Wood enjoyed craft time at the Tarkio branch of the Atchison County Library.
Fairfax readers read the books The Pout-Pout Fish and The Big-Big Dark and created a googly-eyed octopus.
The Rock Port 3- and 4-year-olds used melted crayons and created colorful pictures.
Rock Port third and fourth graders display a paper chain created with acts of kindness they had recorded on each link.
The final week of the “All Together Now” Summer Reading at the Atchison County libraries wrapped up on Thursday, July 29, 2023.
In Tarkio, volunteer Brooke Vette and her group of 5- and 6-year-olds had a blast learning about how music brings us all together. They talked about different types of music styles and read the books How to be a Rock Star by Lisa Tolin and Jungle Drums by Graeme Base. Young readers did a STEM activity where they had the opportunity to create musical instruments using popsicle sticks, cups, clothespins, beads, jingle bells and pipe cleaners. Then they enjoyed the rhymes in the story Barn Dance! by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archmabault. They also took time to help librarian Miss Carol with a service project for the local food bank. Each reader had time to choose books for check out and took home a goodie bag with toys, books, and snacks provided by the Atchison County Library.
The 3- and 4-year-old group, led by volunteer Courtney Driskell, read Try A Little Kindness, 10 Things I Can Do To Change The World, Groovy Joe Ice Cream and Dinosaurs, and The World Needs More Purple People. The kids enjoyed playing freeze tag with egg shakers, going on a bear hunt and “We are dinosaurs.” For craft time, they built magnetic tiles. They also put together Blessings Bags for the Tarkio Food Bank which helped them learn about sharing with others.
In Rock Port, there were many fantastic crafts being made and great books being read. Children’s Librarian Amanda Vette showed the 3- and 4-year-olds how you can melt crayons to make beautiful colors blend together. She read Pete the Cat – Crayons Rock by Kimberly and James Dean, and Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman. For the 5- and 6-year-old group, volunteer Krystal Leichliter helped the kids paint pictures using water colors, salt, and glue. They read Thankful by Elaine Vickers.
Volunteer Tiffanie Gaines read the books Stand Straight, Ella Kate by Kate Klise and Baabwaa and Wooliam by David Elliot to the first and second grade group. Their program was based on being yourself and also working together with others. They made friendship bracelets before the kids picked out a new book to take home, along with their goodie bags and snacks. The third and fourth grade group was led by volunteer Mackenzie Dougherty. Their lesson was centered around friendships and sharing kindness. Throughout the last three weeks, each child wrote an act of kindness that they either did for someone or someone had done for them and made a paper chain. By the end of the program, their chain was longer than most of them were tall. They read the books Share Some Kindness, Shed Some Light by Apryl Stott and Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and made kazoos out of cardboard tubes and wax paper.
In Fairfax, the children had a great time making firecracker crafts and a googly eyed octopus and read the books The Pout-Pout Fish and The Big-Big Dark by Deborah Diesen.
The Atchison County Library appreciates all of the volunteers who gave their time and energy to help with this program and all the great readers who attended.
