Thanks to all who participated in a joyful summer of creative learning with your public library!
This summer’s reading program, Reading Colors Your World, was about so much more than reading, says Elementary School Services Librarian Genevieve Grove.
“It was about experiential learning, getting kids physically moving and out exploring in nature, and having fun with science, mindfulness, and different kinds of movement,” Grove says.
“For kids who struggled through a Zoom-based school year, we wanted to rekindle the joy in learning, across all kinds of subjects.”
Less pressure, more joy!
Overwhelmed and burned-out parents also deserved some joy—or at least less pressure to do all the things, adds Jennifer Norborg, Manager of Children’s Services.
“We wanted to make this summer’s program something that was not a chore, not just one more thing you have to do. It wasn’t a test or something you have to pass. It was just taking care of yourself and having fun.”
“Thank you for this challenge and all the work you all put into it—both in planning and execution. My four year old fell deeply in love with her first summer reading experience and is overjoyed by the wonderful prizes. ❤️”
erinw0824 via Instagram
‘You don’t have to bark when you do downward dog, but it’s fun!’
Participants—who did not have to live in Oak Park or have an Oak Park library card to join—could choose from 120 activities in six different categories (art, stories, music, nature, body & mind, and science).
For example:
- Use chalk to spread some colorful joy in your neighborhood.
- Ask an older person about their memories of being a kid. What kind of things did they like to read?
- Try some yoga poses or stretches outside on the grass. You don’t have to bark when you do downward dog, but it’s fun!
- Go on a sensory nature walk and talk or think about what you see, hear, feel and smell. Count how many animals you see. Observe a bug for a few minutes. What do you think it is doing? Which flower smells the best? Which tree bark has the most interesting texture?
Families logged their activities and earned badges and beads online through the Beanstack platform. All together, participants completed over 20,000 activities and logged over 932,000 minutes of reading!
‘It felt amazing to reward so many kids for so much creative learning’
For each category, kids who completed at least five of the activities received a pouch of beads. And those who finished five activities in all six categories received a special bead for their accomplishment.
Participants who logged 10 hours or 20 hours of reading also got additional beads.
Over the summer, more than 1,100 kids ages 3 through rising ninth graders were active participants. Together, they earned 46,110 beads as prizes!
“After the year they had, it felt amazing to reward so many kids for so much creative learning,” says Elementary School Services Librarian Genevieve Grove.
Your creativity, in photos
Thanks to all who submitted photos of themselves and their creations!
“Thank you all for being a vital part of our library this summer,” Grove says. “We can’t wait to celebrate books and learning with you again soon.”
JJ in his Monkey D. Luffy costume from the One Piece manga series. Owen, age 6, working on perfecting his drawings of Mickey Mouse with the help of online video tutorials. He’s on his way to earning his red bead! Liza is a very creative girl. She painted a face on a stone that she collected in the garden. Malcolm and Charlotte collected some sticks from the neighborhood after a storm and made a few stick figures. Hayes’s drawing of Iron Man taking care of his baby. The baby is hungry but he can’t reach the bottle. JJ is Harry Potter and MJ is Naruto from the Naruto manga and anime series. Vena and Opal: “Making connections between the art that we make and the books that we read!” Julianna’s neighborhood map Liza creates clay figures. Ezra, age 7, drew his favorite Dog Man characters and gave the artwork to his teacher on the last day of second grade. Liza with Lego creations. Chloe’s drawing of her favorite tree. Airi’s neighborhood map Airi, age 4, draws Poppy and Queen Barb from Trolls, and himself! “We are at my birthday party with decorations and balloons and party stuff. We are singing a song about the Earth.”
