San Rafael, CA – With Marin schools officially out for summer, the Marin County Free Library (MCFL) is celebrating National Summer Learning Day by kicking its summer programs into high gear. From creating their own interactive S.T.E.A.M. Activity Book to taking on President Obama’s ConnectED library card challenge, the library is offering something for every learner this summer.
Held on June 19, National Summer Learning Day emphasizes the importance of healthy summer activities and year-round learning. The library is celebrating the national advocacy day by launching several major summer programs.
“Summer provides time for kids to make learning fun, and that actually means keeping them off the ‘summer slide’,” said Sara Jones, MCFL Director. “The ‘summer slide’ describes what happens when young minds aren’t engaged during the summer break,” she continued.
The annual Summer Reading Program, the longest-standing MCFL summer program, rewards kids and teens with “book bucks” for every 100 minutes they read or are read to by an adult. Book bucks can be exchanged for prizes at any library branch. Teens also wanting to hone their writing skills can earn their book bucks by reviewing either books or summer activities like a hike or trip to the County Fair. The program will run through September 6.
New this summer, the MCFL is offering a S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) activity book. Available in both English and Spanish, the book has 24 pages of activities such as how to make a stomp rockets, musical instruments, playdough and more. The book will be available at every Marin library branch.
Finally, the Library has launched its campaign to join President Obama’s ConnectED Library Challenge to put a library card in every student’s hand. Since the launch, more than 750 library cards were distributed at White Hill Middle School in Fairfax. This coming year, MCFL is preparing to issue a library card to every Novato Unified School District student.
Beyond books, the library will be offering a wide array of summer programs to keep kids learning and having fun through September. MCFL branches will be hosting activities such as building camps, origami, interactive family drumming, musical instrument making, 3D printing, and more. To see events and activities at your local MCFL branch, visit
marinlibrary.org/events-and-programs.