MENDOCINO CO., 7/1/20 — Looking for something educational to occupy your kids during their drowsy dog days? The Mendocino County library summer reading program began this Monday, June 29, helping kids, teens, and adults alike enjoy reading, and challenge themselves to earn prizes — the program lasts until August 10.
The program is organized by public libraries in Mendo and is a six week reading challenge primarily for kids but also for teens and adults. The goal for kids is to complete 10 hours of reading. (After which they will receive a prize.) Kids who read more can enter a raffle for more prizes. For teens and adults, the goal is 20 hours.
This year’s theme is “Dig Deeper: Read, Investigate, Discover” and will include reading challenges, virtual travelling, online music classes, and raffles and prizes.
“We encourage everyone to read as much as possible to beat the summer slide,” says Melissa Carr, branch librarian at Ukiah Library, referring to the tendency over summer vacation for kids to lose the academic achievement they made during the school year.
If you wish to participate, you can sign up on Beanstack, a web application where the libraries keep track of reading hours online. You can create an account for yourself or for multiple members of your family here: MCL Beanstack. You can also install the free App from Google Play or the App Store.
The challenge began on Monday, but you can still pick up books and entry kits by going on the library website and following the instructions for the curbside pickup form. Parents can also do curbside pickup for “entry kits,” which include reading logs, instructions for virtual programming, activity cards, and more.
The Ukiah Library set out 150 entry kits for curbside pickup, and will make more according to demand. Fort Bragg sent out 152 mailings to families that participated in summer reading programs in previous years.
Every branch will follow the same schedule and rules, but will offer different activities and prizes. For example, the Willits branch has included packets of seeds in its entry kits, and Fort Bragg will reward gift cards to CowLicks ice-cream.
In previous years, up to 350 children participated in the summer reading challenge. However, the libraries do not know if there will be more or fewer people participating virtually this year.
Stay tuned for more information on the libraries’ websites and facebook pages. Or call 707-463-4490 for more information.
Here is a press release from the Mendocino County Library about the program:
DIG DEEPER: READ, INVESTIGATE, DISCOVER!
Summer Reading Program 2020
Join the Mendocino County Library Summer Reading challenge for all ages! This adventure begins on June 29 and ends August 10; keep track of the minutes you spend reading, either online or by using a paper-reading log. Participants who reach the goal of reading 10 hours for children, or 20 hours for teens and adults will receive a free book or prize while supplies last.
Keep reading and add to the County Library reading goal of one million minutes!
There are two ways to participate: you can create an account at https://mendolibrary.beanstack.org for yourself or for a family, or you can register at the library and pick up paper reading logs, beginning the week of Monday, June 29.
The Library is providing two new and exciting online learning tools:
ArtistWorks for Libraries provides video-based music instructions at all levels for voice and instruments from Grammy Award-winning music instructors.
A to Z Travel Databases offers educational and entertaining information on world culture and language. Join us as armchair travelers, or prepare for a future trip by learning about world culture by exploring our online travel guides, try out a recipe from another country, or start learning a new language.
Through exciting Summer Reading Program challenges and activities, Mendocino County Library strives to encourage reading and promote literacy for all ages.
For more information, please contact the Mendocino County Cultural Services Agency at 234- 2875
