How Many Pandas Does it Take to Run A Wild Reads Program?

In a few more days, everyone will be in full swing with their summer reading program. Yikes! If you are still deciding on what activities you will be using to engage kids and parents, here's an idea. Why not pose a fact-finding question that will send families on a safari or scavenger hunt? How might you ask? One of our librarian-friendly Cambridge-based organizations, TERC--an educational research and development non-profit designed some really cool 11x17 inch posters to generate a little buzz in your library. These "Can You Guess?" series posters are free to download from the TERC website but you can get these along with the answers if you like by join the Mixing in Math listserv. These 10 free animal facts posters will go perfect in any program! Why not kick off your raffle or information scavenger hunt by having your kids guess the answer? Or why not use the poster in your next library display as you celebrate the theme?

You can visit the Mixing in Math series to explore what other fun program ideas you can use for your program. And if you're feeling really creative, you can even contribute an idea to TERC. They are just dying to hear your ideas. In fact, the Mixing in Math series is designed to promote the M-word *smile* for kids in an informal afterschool setting. Fun is the theme every year with Mixing in Math activities! And the fun is just beginning because thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, TERC is not only able to hear your ideas but can help to produce such useful printed materials for programs that you have in mind. Just imagine...your fun M-word idea/activity can be a part of a NSF funded grant project. (I don't know about you but I will most certainly take part in this opportunity once summer is over. Details of a fall program will be forthcoming).

However, if you have ideas now that you would like to share write them down and get them ready for a future swap and share program. Or if you are currently hog-tied and can't offer any suggestions feel free to use what TERC currently offers. Just be sure to share your success with others at your next Summer Reading roundtable. Or if you can't wait until then, you can always leave a message here on our blog. *-)

Who to give credit too....

My word! I forgot to provide the wording on how to thank our sponsors:

Wild Reads at Your Library and X-pect the Un-X-pected is sponsored by your local library, the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

or if space is a premium on your brochure or flier, you can use our standard graphic instead:




(To download this graphic just right click on it and save a copy to your desktop).

And let's thank Janet Eckert Western Region's Youth Consultant who created our wonderful librarian & public coupon page. You'll also find examples of such collaboration across the region on our statewide wiki. We are looking for a few good children & teen bibliographies and teen craft ideas to supplement our manual. If you have any or bibs or craft ideas, feel free to post them. Please contact your regional consultants for the username and password.

Our coupons are ready!

Prepare to stuff your patron's bags or refer your patrons to our statewide coupon page. As with last year, we created a public site that is viewable at http://www.wmrls.org/sum/coupon08.html. Here patrons will be able to view the coupons that are available as prizes for the Massachusetts Summer Reading Program. New this year to the SEMLS fold are Water Wizz in Wareham and The Edward Gorey Museum in Yarmouth Port. With the inclusion of the New Bedford's Buttonwood Park Zoo, we are now up to the three attractions. Yeah! For those of you who are using the online summer reading product to promote your services, we are requesting that you provide the public coupon web address listed above within your program links. Our sponsors like to be promoted and we want them to know that we support them as much as they support us. It's one of the ways that we thank them for their participation.

As with last year, in order for you to print out the coupons you'll receive the confidential password to download the variety of family fun coupons. Please do not share this password beyond your library staff. Our sponsors look for the stamped coupons to ensure that our summer readers did their part in receiving this reward. As usual thanks for your cooperation and let's get our coupon-cutting on!