The Moose Jaw Public Library (MJPL) is promoting several interactive activities that encourage families and kids to get out into the community and practise their literacy skills.
One activity encourages youths to become jungle explorers and to search for wild animals. This Jungle Scavenger Hunt encourages kids to search the jungles surrounding Crescent Park and the library building for chalk drawings of eight animals. Once found, children should check off boxes with the animals and then email a photo to [email protected] of the completed board game or deposit it at the library book drop.
The eight chalk animals to find are a giraffe, lion, snake, fox, flamingo, elephant, turtle and crocodile. The library’s Haley Klassen designed these wild creatures for the enjoyment of the kids.
The library wants children to run around and have fun while finding these animal pictures, said children’s librarian Tina Dolcetti. These chalk animals should last a while — a least, until it rains and washes away the hunt.
The prize for completing the scavenger hunt is books — lots of books. Children and youths can pick their prize from a bucket with assorted fiction and non-fiction titles.
Another activity coming soon is a nature-themed scavenger hunt that uses outdoor art.
“It’s designed pretty well to match up with the times people come for the farmers’ market,” Dolcetti said.
Dolcetti reminded everyone that the library is offering a summer reading club for all ages. There is a printable board game for kids up to age 12, while there are reading challenges for youths aged 13 to 19, and then a reading program for adults older than age 19. The children’s activities are to be done outside and at a low cost or no cost to families.
Another initiative the library is promoting this summer is it is donating craft bags to the City of Moose Jaw’s playground program and to Hunger in Moose Jaw to encourage families to have fun at the playgrounds.
Recently, the library donated supplies to make spoon catapults, while it will also provide supplies to make bead pets. All these crafts, Dolcetti said, are little things that help families engage in literacy activities.
“Some families don’t really realize this, but when they run outside and they say, ‘Yeah, that’s a flamingo,’ they’re teaching kids brand-new vocabulary,” she continued. “And then once kids have heard the vocabulary once from their mom and dad or teacher, it’s easier to learn how to read it later on when the need arises.”
For more information about the Moose Jaw Public Library’s literacy activities and all other upcoming initiatives, follow it on social media.
