| Why We Run the Program. |
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The St. Marys Public Library aims to inspire a sense of adventure and wonder while nurturing the imagination of children and celebrating their accomplishments. This is why we believe in providing a program that encourages reading, literacy, and learning-based fun throughout the summer. Through games, crafts, and general play, the program provides a valuable opportunity for children to continue to learn and develop valuable skills in a fun and informal environment. The program also allows pre-school children to engage in activities to help build a strong foundation in literacy, physical literacy, and sensory skills that will benefit them in the future.
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| Weekly In-Person Sessions |
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Each week, a variety of programs will take place in-person at the Town Hall Auditorium next door to the Library (175 Queen St. E.). Find out more about each program by opening the tabs below. Weekly programs, with the exception of Reading Help and Funday Friday events, do not require pre-registration and are run on a drop-in basis. Funday Fridays and Reading Help DO require registration.
| Crafty Kids |
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A creative craft program that allows your child to work on a different make and take project each week.
Sessions will run for 1.5 hours. The recommended age for this program is 7+. 20 participants maximum.
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| STEAM Club |
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These sessions are based on the acronym STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) and encompass learning-based play that is exciting, fun, and educational.
Sessions will run for 1.5 hours. The recommended age for STEAM is 7+.
20 participants maximum.
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| All Hands on Tech |
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Structured to explore a range of growing hands-on technology each week through fun interactive tasks. Participants will enhance their tech skills while engaging in creative and educational activities with the library's various tech tools.
Sessions will run for 1.5 hours and the recommended age is 7+.
20 participants maximum.
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| Club SMPL |
| With a mix of technology, toys, and LEGO, this unstructured 2 hour session allows kids to explore and tinker with different items. This is a drop-in session. Participants can join and leave the group anytime between the allotted 2 hours.
The recommended age is school age+ but children under 7 must be
accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
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| Reading Help |
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A free 30 minute tutoring session with Kiersten (Summer Program Coordinator). School age children will read and work on language and vocabulary skills through various activities. Children and parents must book a 30 minute time slot no earlier than one week in advance.
This program is not a drop-in based event. To book your 30 minute session, call the Library, or email Kiersten at summerreading@stmaryspubliclibrary.ca
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| Trivia |
| Join our Summer Program Coordinator each Tuesday for a live trivia game on Zoom. Each trivia game will be centered around the weekly theme. There is a $5 Tim card up for grabs each week just for playing along and sharing your guesses in the comments section! The Zoom link to join will be sent out in an email so make sure to sign up for email updates. |
| Funday Fridays |
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Watch for our free special events, guests, and more. Call the Library, visit the link below or pick up a detailed calendar at the Library to find out what, when and where events are being held.
Registration is required and will take place on ActiveNet.
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If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Library at 519-284-3346 and ask for Rebecca or email summerreading@stmaryspubliclibrary.ca
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| Summer Program Reading Challenge (Reading Tracking) |
Each year, the Library encourages kids to track their reading for a chance to win prizes. This year's program will use our Beanstack reading tracking software. Beanstack allows patrons of all ages to track their reading, review books, earn badges and more. Beanstack can be used in a web browser or through the easy-to-use app for android or apple. This year, we are providing three different opportunities to win prizes in the hopes that children will be encouraged to read, and maintain their literacy skills over the school vacation. All reading tracking will be done through the Library's new software called Beanstack.
2022 Summer Program Prizes
- Just for completing 1 hour of reading (for Jr kids) or 2 hours of reading (for Sr kids) each week, children will be entered a weekly prize from the Library's prize display case- think LEGO sets, crafter kits, electronics and more!
- Grand prize draws will happen at the end of the Summer Program and draw tickets will be earned by reading throughout the summer. The more a child reads, the more chances they have!
- Finally, Milestone bags will be given out as children reach reading milestones. Jr participants will need to read 5 hours to get the first Milestone bag, 10 hours to get the second, and 15 hours to get the third. The Sr participants need to read 10 hours, 20 hours, and 30 hours to earn each of their three bags. Each milestone bag has a really awesome special activities and items.
Learn about Beanstack:
Beanstack allows kids (and adults too!) to track their reading, review books, earn badges, and more! Beanstack can be used in a web browser or through the easy-to-use app for android or apple. This means that tracking can be done anytime and there are no more paper log sheets. Make sure you sign up your child(ren) now and pre-register for the Summer Program Reading Challenge today so you don't miss out. Start tracking your reading now to practice AND earn tickets to win some pre-summer prizes! Don't forget, adults can sign up to for chances to win their own prizes; each month, we give away a $30 gift card to one lucky adult participant. Once you've signed in to Beanstack, you'll see the available Library reading challenges. There are two levels of Summer Program reading tracking: Jr- aimed at kids 0-5years, and Sr- aimed at kids 6-12years. Please choose the one that you feel suits your child(ren)'s reading level. Remember this is a reading "challenge". Therefore, if you or a Library staff member notice a child would be better suited to the other challenge, we would recommend, and are able to switch the participant. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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| How does registration work? |
| There is no registration required for regular weekly sessions, including Crafty Kids, Club SMPL, Trivia Tuesday, STEAM Club, and All Hands on Tech.
Registration is required for Reading Help appointments and Funday Friday events. Participants can sign up for reading help appointments by contact Kiersten (Program coordinator) at summerreading@stmaryspubliclibrary.ca or by calling 519-284-3346.
Sign up for Funday Friday events on activenet. Registration for Funday Friday events opens at 7am on the Monday before the event. For a list of events and to sign up, visit tinyurl.com/fundayfridays
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| How old do children have to be to attend? |
| All programs offered throughout the summer are aimed toward children 7+. However, children under 7 are welcome to attend as long as they are accompanied by a caregiver who is at least 12 years of age. |
| How can I stay updated on what's happening? |
| Throughout the summer, we keep in touch with families by sending regular email updates with information about the what, where, and when of the summer program. Sign up here. Select "Summer Program 2022" and any other newsletter lists you may be interested in and enter your information. Contact the Library if you run in to any issues. |
| Where does the summer program take place? |
| This summer, most sessions and events will run out of the Town Hall Auditorium at 175 Queen St. E. There will be directional signage to guide participants to the Auditorium. If any events are taking place off-site, participants will receive lots of notice. |
| Is there a cost to attend the program? |
| This is a completely free program thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Library. We are grateful to accept monetary donations and a donation jar is available at each program. Donations are also welcomed at the Library anytime during open hours. Any donations collected will be directed to the Friends of the Library to support future library collections, programs, and services. |
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| Summer BBQ Celebration |
| Our BBQ celebration is back! Join us on August 18th for a fun filled afternoon with games, food, music, and more! More details to be announced. |
| Other Summer 2022 Events |
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The Library is also hosting and a part of many other events over the summer.
- Visit us at Pride Day, on June 12th at Milt Dunnell field and at Heritage Festival on July 2nd.
- We will be hosting a Drag Storytime and family open house on July 30th at 1:30pm on the Library's Queen St. lawn. Look out for games, cotton candy, popcorn and more!
- Don't forget about our Outdoor Movies in Cadzow Park presented by the Friends of the Library. We will be showing free outdoor movies all summer long! Check out more on our event page.
Call the library at 519-284-3346 or email libraryinfo@stmaryspubliclibrary.ca for more information!
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