WARE — Summer has not officially arrived but that’s not stopping Ware’s Young Men’s Library Association from kicking off its summer reading program for the children.
Children’s Librarian Cathy Goulet said the library gets busier with more children coming in as the end of school approaches, good timing for the start of the project designed to encourage and maintain reading as part of the day.
This year’s “Reading & Beading” program allows children to choose either a necklace or key chain to add colorful beads to as they complete their reading objectives. Younger children can take part in other activities as opposed to the beading.
Available for children up to age 12, it all begins with a tote bag containing a reading log, stickers, an individually chosen “brag tag” and the child’s choice of the necklace or key chain project.
“We have various colors and various types of chains and they earn beads through their reading log depending on how many minutes they read,” Goulet said. “We have 15-minute beads all the way up to four-hour beads and they’re all different kinds.”
Goulet said the children can come to the library and have their logs checked off by staff members so they can then choose their beads.
The children are free to choose what they want to read and there are also options for audio books as part of the program.
The program is sponsored by the library and a host of supportive groups including the Friends of the Library, the Ware Cultural Council, Country Bank, the Boston Bruins, the Massachusetts Library System and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
The number of children coming to the library over the summer increases not only because of the reading program but also because of the other events and happenings presented during the week, Goulet said, and both parents and children are pleased by the program as well as the other activities at the library that they can take part in.
“We get new kids, kids we haven’t seen during the year,” she said. “We do have a presenter every week, it could be animals it could be a magician.” There also craft and art programs, and of course, story time.
New this year and something Goulet said she is excited about is a presentation known as “The Poop Museum,” described as a fun and informative program that has been at other libraries in the area where children can learn about human, animal and insect poop and ask questions from someone other than their parents.
More information about the summer reading program and other library events can be found at warelibrary.org.
