The Summer Book Camp at the Fernie library has finished for the season. ‘Up, up and away’ was the theme of the summer reading camps for ages six to 10-year-olds taken from the popular provincial Summer Reading Club program.
“The camp program was a huge success with 137 children participating this year,” said Emma Dressler, library director. “We had 43 kids show up for the first day so we immediately increased the number of staff involved with the program. We’ve had phenomenal feedback from parents. They are telling us the camp is keeping their kids reading over the summer. It’s wonderful to see kids so excited about books. They are not just reading; they are really excited about checking out books to explore new topics.”
One change the library made to the programming was to redesign the provincial summer reading club into a weekly activity-based reading camp. The change from a club to a camp resulted in a bit more of a commitment for the participants. Eighty per cent of the participants were from the Elk Valley and the rest were visitors. Kim Starchuck was the main facilitator leading the kids’ camp. Her qualifications as a teacher were another reason for the program’s success.
The library has launched their fall programs this week with registration taking place September 4 and 5. Their After School programs have an art and drama theme. All the programming at the library is free. For more information, go to www.fernie.bclibrary.ca.