McCall Public Library

Summer Reading Camp 2008 Logs Record Number of Reading Hours

Click on the Reading Bug  to view the Slideshow of Summer Reading Pictures!

Local Kids Caught the Reading Bug!

Contact:  Meg Lojek, McCall Public Library 634-5522

62 Students participated in McCall Public Library's "Catch the Reading Bug!" Summer Reading Camp.
Collectively, they read 687 hours during the 5 week program.  This tops last year's record of 664 hours.  "We are proud of all these readers.  Next year, we'll break the 770 mark, and our students will be better readers because of it" said Library Director Anne Kantola.
27 children read 6 hours or more, earning themselves a special prize and a place on the caterpillar bulletin board in the library.
The grand prize, a new cruiser-bike provided by Gravity Sports and the Friends of the McCall Public Library, went to Rodney B. McCoy, Jr. when his name was pulled at random from all the reading coupons in the bug jar.
"It was fun for all the kids to have that goal...to have something big for them to get for their reading" said McCoy's parents.  "And we liked how all the kids got something to take home, like a free book or a new t-shirt."
Another bike went to Henry Kindall, who generously gave his prize to his sister, Margot Kindall.
Several children deserve mention due to their high number of reading hours.  These include:  Brenner Rygh, Grace Kindall, Jack Kindall, Jordan Nash, Robin Cochrane, Kimberly McCoy, Amy Anderson, and Anthony Jaussi.
During the 5 weeks, children were encouraged to keep reading during the summer months when their school library is closed and classes are out.  They met once per week for fun buggy adventures at the library, including a Backyard Bug Safari; Amazing Amazon Bug Collection; Frida the Fly; Matt the Science Guy; Buzzzz...the Bee Keeper; and Ancient Bug Fossils.
"The program was a great success" says organizer Meg Lojek.  "I've never had so many parents stop me on the street to say their kids have really caught the reading bug this summer!"
Summer reading programs are supported statewide by Read to Me, the Idaho Commission for Libraries, the Fred Meyer Foundation, and many volunteers.  McCall Public Library is partnering with Principal Jim Foudy at Barbara Morgan Elementary School to help students maintain their reading levels over the summer.

Summer Reading Camp
Special thanks to Read to Me, a service of the Idaho Commission for Libraries. Read to Me is an early literacy initiative which provides information, training, technical assistance, and resources for Idaho libraries and their community partners.
This project made possible by a grant form the U.S. Institute of Museum and
Library Services under the provision of the Library Service Technology Act.  

Pizza party:  CONGRATULATIONS, 3RD GRADERS!  McCall Elementary PTA generously challenged you and your schoolmates to a delicious pizza party from Crusty's Pizza!  The grade level that had the most participation this summer won a pizza party on Friday, September 26th at school.  Close behind were the 4th graders and 2nd graders...maybe next year!!

 Links to Crafts and Education:

B.A.B.E.S. (Bay Area Bug Eating Society) www.planetscott.com/babes  This society is dedicated to eating bugs, which they say is both healthy and fun.

The Perfect Pet  www.margiepalatini.com/petgame.html  Children can play an online game after reading The Perfect Pet at Margie Palatini's Web site.

Bee Buzz for Kids.  www.cyberbee.net/kids/  This site offers photos, information, games, and puzzles about bees in a kid-friendly format.

Eco Kids.  The Great Bug Hunt.  http://www.ecokidsonline.com/pub/eco_info/topics/landuse/bugHunt/index.cfm  Online game for 7- to-12 year-olds in which players must find the beneficial bugs in a garden.

National Honey Board.  www.honey.com/consumers/recipes/recipes.asp  A search engine for recipes made with honey.

Charlotte's Web:  The Story Behind the Movie.  www.awesomestries.com/movies/charlottes_web/charlottes_web_ch1.htm  Learn about spiders like Charlotte (how they lay eggs, spin webs, and balloon); meet E. B. White; see White's barn which was a model for Zuckerman's farm); hear White read from the book; learn about pigs like Wilbur and rats like Templeton.  Also has two of the film's trailers.

Tony's Creepy Crawly Zoo  www.creepycrawlyzoo.com/index.htm  Website of Tony Gustin's Creepy Crawly Zoo, a traveling arthropod exhibit.

Digital Dragonfly Museum  www.stephenville.tamu.edu/~fmitchel/dragonfly/  Lots of photographs of all kinds of dragonflies.

Monarch Watch  www.monarchwatch.org/  Brimming with activities and information about monarchs, this site has everything from kindergarten class projects to a complete scientific bibliography of monarch literature.

The Yuckiest Site on the Internet.  http://www.yucky.kids.discovery.com/  Get all the dirt on worms and everything you'd want to know about roaches with ace reporter Wendell Worm.

Going on a Bug Walk  www.peepandthebigwideworld.com/activities/ bugwalk.html  Suggestion for parents/caregivers on taking a bug walk with your child.