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Summer Reading 2024: Adventure Begins at Your Library

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Summer Reading 2024: Adventure Begins at Your Library

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June 3 – July 12, 2024

Sign up for the Summer Reading Program, starting Tuesday, May 28th! All kids and teens who sign up will get to choose a FREE prize book and will receive a goody bag with their reading tracker bookmark and event calendar. We ask you to read for just 20 minutes a day, but you can read WHATEVER you want! Any format, any genre, any reading level! You can even read graphic novels or listen to audiobooks! Once you’ve filled in a tracking bookmark (equaling five days of reading), you can turn it in for an immediate small prize (a rubber duck or community coupon) AND enter it into one of our grand prize drawings. We’ll be raffling off a bag with four Kings Island tickets, a $50 Walmart gift card, and more! The sooner you sign up and start reading, the more chances you can earn into the drawing! Plus, we have a lot of fun activities planned!

Summer Reading isn’t just for kids-it’s for adults too! Stop by to sign up and pick up your Passport to Adventure which includes our calendar filled with weekly activities and all of the events we will be hosting. All adults who sign up will receive a voucher for a free book at one of our upcoming book sales! Make sure you fill out a raffle ticket for each book you read, including audio and eBooks. Remember the more you read, the more chances you’ll have to win some of our amazing prizes!

 

Kick-off Show:

Adventure of the Lost Treasure
Monday, June 3 | 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Join us as we kick off Summer Reading 2024 with Science Heroes as they take us on a treasure-hunting journey deep within the jungle! Along the way, the audience will help conduct exciting science experiments that bring this story to life! Experiment with chemical reactions, air pressure, physical explosions, and more! Don’t miss this exciting and interactive STEM learning adventure!

This program is geared toward kids going into K-6th grade, but all ages are welcome.

Weekly Youth Programs:

Stortyime (Ages 0-4)
Wednesdays, June 5 – July 10 | 10:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Bring your littlest bookworms, ages 0-4, to our weekly summer storytime. We’ll explore stories, songs, movement, and rhymes! Siblings welcome.

Library Adventures (Ages 5-9)
Mondays, June 10 – July 8 | 10:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Kids, ages 5-9, check out our weekly story, craft, and activity program! We’ll explore different thematic adventures, including the ocean, nature, and the Summer Olympics! Siblings welcome.

Choose Your Own Adventure (Ages 10-14)
Fridays, June 7 – July 5 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Tweens ages 10-14 get to choose which direction a story will go each week! Plus, games!

 

Special Events:

Bald Bee Man’s Bee Adventure

Adults
June 12th | 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Jerry Toschlog, aka The Bald Bee Man, will be at the library to take us on an informational adventure! He’s going to be talking to us about the importance of bees in our lives and the making of honey with all of its uses! Come be a part of the discussion. He will be happy to answer any and all questions!

 

What To Know Before You Go

Adults
Wednesday, June 19th | 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Join us in welcoming Jennifer Seely, a Professor of Politics and Peace Corps Prep Director from Earlham College as she gives us some ticks, tricks, and how to’s when it comes to packing and getting ready to embark on your very own adventure!

 


Bright Science
Wednesday, June 19 | 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Explore the science of LIGHT with WonderLab! We’ll see brightly colored flames, cool glowing liquids, bizarre fluorescent materials and other surprises!

This program is geared toward kids going into K-6th grade, but all ages are welcome.

 

Unsolved Case Files

Adults
Thursday, June 27th | 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Detectives! Put on your thinking caps for another case that needs solved. This time we’re hoping you can help us solve a murder and rescue the victim’s sister – all before time runs out! Put yourself into the shoes of a detective and see what kind of adventures we have along the way!

 

Exploring Biodiversity

Adults
Tuesday, July 2nd | 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Join us along with Cope Environmental Center at Centerville Library as they teach us about the importance of all kinds of pollinating species. Then we will see how to create a place for them to seek shelter when winter time comes back around!

 

Exploring Nature
AT COPE ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER

Adults
Friday, July 5th | 4:030-6:00 p.m.

Put your pollinator knowledge to the test! Join the Centerville Library crew as we travel to Cope Environmental Center for a hike on one of their public trails! Jeremy Proeschel will be our guide as we embark on this adventure together and see these pollinators in action!

Specifics for this hike including where we will be meeting will be announced in upcoming weeks.

 

Summer Lawn Party (All Ages)
Friday, July 12 | 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Don’t miss this community event for all ages! We’ll have a party on the library lawn, complete with DJ Chuck Philpot, face painting, yard games, and cotton candy. We’ll also announce the winners of all the raffle baskets at 5:30!

September Is Library Card Sign-Up Month!

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September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a time when libraries nationwide join the American Library Association (ALA) to remind everyone about the valuable resources available with a library card.

A library card helps everyone do more of what they enjoy without stretching their budget. At the Centerville Public Library, your library card allows you to use a library computer, as well as to borrow books, ebooks, movies, audiobooks, magazines, activity kits, and even internet hot spots! The library also offers children a small gift upon receiving their first library card.

To celebrate all things library cards, the Centerville Public Library is offering a couple special incentives during the month of September. Anyone who applies for a library card, or comes in to update their existing card this month, will be entered into a drawing for a $10 Amazon gift card! We are also temporarily waiving the $2.00 replacement fee for lost cards during September. So make sure to stop in!

Please check our “Get a Library Card” page before you visit so you know what information to bring with you when applying for or renewing a library card.

There’s something for everyone at the Centerville-Center Township Public Library, and signing up for a library card is the first step on the path to academic achievement and lifelong learning for students. It’s elemental, really—everyone should have one!

 

Summer Party: Mark Your Calendar

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There are only two more weeks of Summer Reading here at the library, and we are starting to look forward to our outdoor Summer Party! Join us on the library lawn on Friday, July 14, from 5-6 p.m. All kids, teens, and adults are welcome at this community event.

We’ll have yard games, face painting, pop, popsicles, and cotton candy! You don’t want to miss it! We will also be collecting non-perishable food donations for our local food pantries. Everyone who brings a donation will receive an extra entry into one of our grand-prize drawings!

All non-perishable food items are welcome, but items that are most needed are:

  • canned fruit & veggies
  • canned meat
  • soups
  • pastas
  • pasta sauce
  • mac ‘n cheese
  • peanut butter
  • jelly
  • cereal

We hope you’ll join us for a fun evening under the sun as we celebrate summer All Together Now!

Activity Ideas to Help Every Child Get Ready to Read

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Did you know that learning to read begins before children start school? From the time they are infants, children learn language and other important skills that will help them learn to read. Developing early literacy skills makes it easier for children to read once they do begin school.

That’s why many of our programs for small children at the Centerville Public Library are based on the national Every Child Ready to Read initiative. This simple literacy framework helps parents and caregivers prepare their children for school and reading through easy and fun daily activities. These activities are broken down into five categories : Singing, Talking, Reading, Writing, and Playing.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a big list of ideas for each category! Check them out!

SINGING

  • Sing the alphabet song together to learn about letters.
  • Sing nursery rhymes like “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
  • Clap along to the rhythm in songs to help children hear the syllables.
  • Sing spelling songs like B-I-N-G-O. Try it with your own names!
  • Use empty bowls or cooking pots and wooden spoons as drums.
  • Sing a lullaby before bed or a happy wake-up song in the morning. youtube.com/jbrary is a great resource!
  • Play Freeze Dance—play some upbeat music and tell your child to stop moving every time you pause the music. Gradually play slower music to help your child wind down.
  • Insert your child’s name and/or other family members’ names into songs and rhymes like “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “Jack Be Nimble.”
  • Sing a song like “This Is the Way We Wash” during bath time or a song like “Clean Up, Clean Up,” while picking up toys.

TALKING

  • Name objects around your house with your child.
  • Point to a picture of an animal and ask your child what sound it makes.
  • Teach your child body part names while tickling them or getting them dressed.
  • Point out different colors or shapes in a book. Ask your child to point to objects you name.
  • Narrate your actions for your child when doing chores around the house.
  • Stretch your child’s vocabulary. Repeat what your child says and use new words. “You want a banana? That’s a very healthy choice.” Or, “Yes, we did see a truck like that last week. It’s called a bulldozer.”
  • Ask your child to retell a favorite story or a story you just read together.
  • Take turns listing different types of things in a category (e.g., SHOES – sandals, sneakers, slippers, boots, etc.)
  • Try to come up with as many words as you can that start with the same sound or letter.
  • While your child plays with their toys, talk to them about the names of objects, their colors, their shapes, count them, etc.
  • Recite nursery rhymes or fingerplays. Ask your librarian for suggestions.
  • If your child is drawing a picture, ask them to tell you about it.

 

READING

  • Read a bedtime story to your child.
  • Read to your child while they eat a snack or play in the bathtub.
  • Snuggle up with your child as you read a picture book together.
  • Look at the cover of a book and ask your child to predict what the story might be about.
  • As you read, ask your child to guess what happens next.
  • Follow the text with your finger as you read with your child.
  • Take a picture walk through a book before reading it, just to talk about the pictures, what you and your child think is happening, naming the objects in the pictures, etc.
  • Read a book with flaps or textures your child can touch.
  • Let your baby hold a board book and turn the pages on their own.
  • Encourage your child to act out a book as you read it.
  • Read a wordless picture book, describing what you see and/or asking your child to tell their own story. Your librarian can help you find one.
  • While re-reading a favorite book, substitute silly words and help your child find the right word when they tell you it’s wrong.
  • Give your child lots of opportunities to hold and interact with books on their own.

WRITING

  • Give your child paper and crayons to scribble or color – this is the beginning of writing!
  • Make edible finger paint by adding food coloring to Greek yogurt. Babies can paint directly on their highchair trays for easy cleanup!
  • Draw some dashed lines on a blank piece of paper. Then give it to your child for them to trace.
  • Write letters on the sidewalk with chalk. Give your child a big paintbrush and bowl of water and show them how to trace the letters with the wet paintbrush. Help them say the letters as they go. You can also practice numbers or shapes!
  • Make your own sidewalk paint with food coloring and water! Put it in squeeze bottles or use paint brushes.
  • Let your child watch you write a grocery list. Make a simple list with pictures and ask your child to cross off items as you shop.
  • Show your child how to make lines and shapes in the sand or dirt using their finger or a stick.
  • As your child learns to write letters, teach them how to write the letters in their name.
  • Encourage your child to write their name on any pictures they draw or color.
  • Talk to your child about what they are drawing and write captions or stories together.
  • Help your child write notes for siblings or other family members and leave them somewhere as a surprise.

PLAYING

  • Encourage dramatic play by using dress-up clothes, stuffed animals, and other props around your home.
  • Act out familiar stories you’ve read together. Or put on a puppet show for siblings or other family members!
  • Encourage your child to pretend to read a book to you or their stuffed animals or pets.
  • Let your child help in the kitchen with simple and safe tasks like mixing and stirring.
  • Help your child sort dirty clothes into piles by colors.
  • Let your child play in the dirt while you do yard work.
  • Write big letters on pieces of paper and have your child “swat” the letters with a fly swatter as you call them out.
  • Blow bubbles and encourage your child to chase and catch them.
  • Take your child for a walk in a park or your backyard. Talk to them about the different animals you see.
  • Help your child hang and swing on monkey bars.
  • Play “Peek-a-Boo” with a scarf or blanket. Hide toys under the blanket and ask your child to find them.
  • Play with play-dough. Your child can even help you make your own with just a few pantry staples! Take a look: https://youtu.be/yl8c8ju4vLI
  • Play a simple scavenger hunt with your child. Help them find things around the house or yard that you can sort into two different categories (smooth/rough; big/small; etc.).
  • Play rhyming games. You say a word and ask your child to say another word that rhymes.
  • Let your child use safety scissors to cut up paper. You can even make or print scissor sheets with dotted lines to follow.
  • Give your child age-appropriate items to sort by size or color (e.g., craft pom poms, buttons, lids, pipe cleaners, etc.)
  • Let your child play with magnetic letters on the refrigerator or a cookie sheet or with foam letters in the bathtub.

Summer Reading 2023

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Summer Reading at the Centerville Public Library is here. This year, we’re celebrating friendship, kindness, and working together! We hope you’ll join us, June 1 – July 15, for a fantastic summer of reading, playing, crafting, and enjoying our community All Together Now!

We have reading programs and events for ALL ages: babies-preschoolers, school-age children, teens, and adults! So don’t miss out!

Sign-ups begin Monday, May 22. Stop by the library on or after that date to register and pick up all the summer reading info you’ll need. Kids and teens will get a free book just for signing up!

The program officially kicks off on Thursday, June 1, with an awesome animal show by Silly Safaris at 5:00 p.m. You won’t want to miss it! Thanks to the Friends of the Centerville Public Library for making this show possible. (Anyone who brings donations for HELP the Animals to this event will receive an extra entry into one of our grand-prize drawings!)

 

Program Details:

Young Children (Ages 0-4)

Learning to read begins before children start school, which is why the Centerville Public Library has summer reading activities for our littlest bookworms! When you sign your young child up for the program, they will receive a bag of goodies and information, as well as a FREE book they can keep! We have board books and picture books to suit every stage of development.

Throughout the summer, we encourage you to read and do other fun learning activities with your child every day. When you do, you or your child can color in the matching book on your tracking bookmark. Once a bookmark is filled in, bring it back to the library for a prize and an entry into one of our grand-prize drawings!

School-Age Kids & Teens (Grades K-12)

Summer is the PERFECT time to read for FUN! No school means no AR tests! It’s a great opportunity for kids to read books they are interested in that might be below their school reading level, as well as time for families to read higher-level books together! Everything counts for Summer Reading!

When kids and teens sign up, they will receive a bag full of goodies and info, as well as a FREE book they can keep! We have a great selection of picture books, beginning readers, chapter books, middle-grade novels, nonfiction books, and YA novels!

Throughout the summer, we encourage you to read at least 20 minutes a day (but remember, you can read WHATEVER YOU WANT!). When you do, simply color in one of the books on your tracking bookmark. Once it’s full, bring it back to the library for a prize and an entry into one of our grand-prize drawings!

Adults

Summer Reading isn’t just for kids! The library’s adult department has LOTS of fun activities for adults to enjoy this year as well. Take a look!

TOGETHERNESS TIMES  is our weekly newspaper filled with fun activities. Complete each week and turn in for an entry to our Friendship Prize raffle.

CHECKLIST CHALLENGE’s will be available bi-weekly. Complete 8/16 objectives and bring it in for a Unity Prize entry. Complete the remaining 8 objectives for a Better Together Prize ticket.

GRAB ’N’ GO’s will be available throughout the summer while supplies last.

GUESS WHERE is our SRP ‘23 weekly game where we encourage patrons to search for this week’s notable place in Centerville based on the clue posted online and in the library.

ALL TOGETHER NOW Tabletop Coloring Sheet  will be available throughout the summer to work on at your leisure.

PUZZLES will be up all summer for patrons to put together.

…And don’t forget to read through July 15th to earn tickets for The Better Together Prize Jars!

 

Events!

 

Check out our Events Page or Calendar to see all the fun activities we have planned for various ages this summer! Silly Safaris, storytimes, Cope Center visit, adult mystery games, crafts, lawn party, and more!

Building CLOSURE – Roofing Project

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The library is getting a new roof, which requires the building to be CLOSED for two weeks, starting Monday, May 1, through Saturday, May 13. No physical checkouts or curbside service will be available during this time. However, library staff will be answering the phones during normal business hours. And you can also access digital materials through Libby. Please check our our website calendar for how the closure may affect upcoming programs.

We apologize for the inconvenience and short notice. We will continue to provide updates if the timeline for this project changes. Thank you!

Bob Is Retiring!

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Library maintenance man and circulation assistant, Bob Nuss, is retiring after 10 years of amazing service. Bob has always offered a kind and caring helping hand, whether that meant shoveling snow from the library sidewalks, keeping lights and toilets in order, moving heavy boxes around the building, answering telephones, or speaking at library events!

He has also shared that same generous spirit in the community, helping with the Boy Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, the Centerville Playground Committee, the Reid Ride, and more.

He will certainly be missed, but all of us at the Centerville-Center Township Public Library wish him the best in his future endeavors!

 

We invite community members to drop by the library on Friday, November 11th, between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to express their own well wishes for Bob!

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