Let the Fun Begin!!!

Yesterday we kicked off our summer Literacy Centers at the Logansport Public Library. Usually the theme for the day follows one of the letters in the alphabet; however, this summer we are stepping away from the alphabet and getting a bit more creative with the themes. The theme for yesterday was "Wild About Reading," and took the kids on literacy journey through the jungle. There were various activities that gave the kids a chance to work on their literacy skills. They had a chance to spell out some jungle terms, creat jungle snakes with plado, paint a tiger, create a puppet show with jungle animals, make a jungle snake with Caroline or have some Elefun with the Elephant who blew butterflies from his magical trunk. With so many options I don't know how they chose which activity to do.

The most popular of the activites seemed to be the Elephant who blew butterflies out of his magical trunk. The suspense of what color was going to come out next was fascinating to the kids. They were amazed by the magical powers of the elephants trunk and all that it could do. The game enabled the kids to work on multiple skills, from counting to working on their colors. We also put a focus on the letter E at this station as the word "elephant" starts with E. It was great fun.

Another fan favorite was "Snakes with Caroline." Our summer intern Caroline was a hot topic as she helped the kids create any snake they could imagine. The kids took paper plates and drew spirals on them which would be the outline of their snake. They then decorated their snake before cutting on the line they drew to reveal a slinky like snake that was guaranteed to make the fridge in any household. This activity gave the kids a chance to work on skills such as cutting, coloring and following directions. We also put a heavy emphasis on the letter S as the word "snake" begins with S. This station was a big time hit and seemed to be enjoyed by all.

After all of the literacy fun the kids were able to endulge in a snack provided by the Reading Railroad. Continuing with our Jungle theme the snack for the day was Fruit Ka-Bobs. The kids had their choice of bananas, strawberries and grapes to put on their skewers. The fruit was a sweet ending to an even sweeter day that provided the children of Cass County with multiple chances to better their literacy skills all while having some summer fun.

Make sure to come out next week to Riverside Park where we will have Literacy Center #2. The theme for next week is "All Aboard for Reading." We will be located in the carousel pavilion where the old carousel used to be in Riverside Park. See you there!!