Carthage Library Summer Reading Activities

Read Beyond the Beaten Path with the Carthage Public Library District this summer. The Library has planned many activities as well as reading log programs for all ages. In keeping with the theme, many of the activities will be held outside. Registration is occurring now. 

A major goal of the summer reading program is to encourage children to read and help prevent the “summer slide”. Children who do not read in the summer can lose up to two months of learning by the time they return to school in the fall. Students who participate in summer reading programs and read twenty minutes a day score higher in reading and math when they return to school. 

 The reading log programs for all ages from babies through adults begin on June 1 and continue through July 30. Participants may choose to keep track of the titles of the books they read, the number of minutes they read, or the number of days when they spend at least 15 minutes reading. Reading may be tracked using the ReaderZone App or on a weekly paper bookmark. Reading e-books and listening to audio books also counts towards your reading goals. For children who are not yet independent readers, caregivers keep track of what is read to the child. Children who have not yet entered Kindergarten can join our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program – books will count both for that program and for summer reading.

In addition to tracking their reading as mentioned above, adults and High School students may also choose to participate in SPARKS (Summer Program Adults Reading Kids’ Stuff), reading 25 juvenile and young adult books in specified categories. That form will be available at the library or can be downloaded from our website.

Prizes for readers will be awarded in August. They include coupons from Dairy Queen, Casey’s, and Pizza Hut, as well as opportunities to enter drawings for larger prizes.

    Activity sessions begin the week of June 6 and continue through the end of July. Most activities are open to all ages, but children five years and under should be accompanied by an adult or responsible teen.

On Mondays at noon, bring your lunch to the Jaycee Park. Listen to stories while eating, then join in playing outdoor games. Which games we play will be determined by the preference of those in attendance.  

Tuesdays will feature guest presenters, so the times and locations will vary. A firefighter is coming to the library on June 7th at 2:00 pm for a fire safety presentation. The June 14th activity is still being finalized. Staff from the Hancock County U of I Extension Center will present activities on June 21 & 28 at 10:00 am at the WOW park. On July 5t at 1:00 pm, Wild Times Exotics will bring seven different animals or reptiles, and participants will have an opportunity to pet or hold the animals if they wish. This program will be held in the multipurpose room of the First Baptist Church, 601 Main St., Carthage. 

Wednesdays are filled with activities. The Play to Learn Group will meet at 10:00 am at the WOW Park. This is for children from 0-3 years of age with a caregiver, but older siblings are always welcome. If it’s raining, play group will be held at the library. 

On Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 pm, we will have activity sessions at the library for specific age groups on alternating weeks. Teens & tweens (entering 5th-12th grade) will meet June 8th to make items out of duct tape and July 6th to make sushi out of candy. Adults will meet June 15th and July 13th. Elementary Students will meet June 22nd and July 20th. Preschool will meet June 29th and July 27th. 

Wednesday evenings are Family nights. Drop by the Jaycee Park between 5:30 and 7:00 pm for a family craft or activity. The activity for June 8 is bird races. Check our website and Facebook page for details about the other activities.

This year our basic story and activity sessions will be open to preschoolers-teens combined. After reading a couple of books together, there will be separate stations for different age groups to complete an unique activity. These sessions will be held at the Library. Sign up to come on Thursdays at 1:00 pm or Fridays at 10:00 am.

Special activities this summer include family fishing at the Carthage Lake from 8:00 -10:00 am on June 18th, which is the Illinois free fishing weekend. The library will bring our fishing poles, but individuals are encouraged to bring their own poles and tackle as well. We will be making and floating boats in the pool at some point this summer, time and date to be announced. At the end of the summer there will be a cookout with hotdogs and smores on August 4th at 5:30 pm at Jaycee Park.

All library programs are free of charge. Pre-registration is requested. You do not need to be a resident of the Carthage Public Library District to attend the activities.  A valid library card is needed to check out materials. We realize everyone is busy over the summer and there may be weeks when you cannot attend. We encourage you to sign up and attend when you can. Teen and adult volunteers are welcome. Links to forms and more detailed schedules and information can be found on our website https://www.carthagepubliclibrary.com/summer-2022-read-beyond-the-beaten-path.html or Facebook pages. If you have questions, please call us at 217-357-3232 or email carthagelibraryyouth@gmail.com.