Wednesday (June 8) started the 2022 Summer Reading Program at the Marcus Public Library. This year the programs will be in coordination with “Read Beyond the Beaten Path”. Programs start at 1:30 p.m. unless noted.
Cherokee County Extension representative was the presenter for “S’more Summer Fun”, the first of the six summer programs. The first word in the title of the program would give you a clue as to what the program was about-S’more! She had individual boxes that the kids could make a “S’more” for themselves.
She called the kids to come up front and get a box and put their name on it. Each box had a sheet of tin foil that went in the bottom and along the sides of the inside of the box. Then they were given two graham crackers. (Two adults came and helped with the rest of the recipe.) The first graham cracker went on the bottom of the box, followed by a thin piece of chocolate, then one big marshmallow, and finally the last graham cracker on the top. Saran wrap was put over this creation and then the box was closed.
Okay, there didn’t seem to be a finished S’more so how do you get this to “melt” together? Well, each kid took their box outside and put it on the brick walk leading to the Library. Mr. Sun was going to make the S’more for them! They all went back inside to listen to the story of the day.
The book was an A through Z book talking about Summer Fun and was called, “S is for S’more’s”. As the letter of the alphabet was read, the kids would add what they thought it meant, also. Let’s see what the alphabet had to say about camping in the summer. A was an Adventure on mountains, deserts, or beaches. B could be a Beach Camp. C was for Grand Canyon Park where you would need boots for hiking up and down canyons. D was for Desert. Campers in a desert would need light colored clothes to keep them cool during the day and layers of clothing for cold nights.
E is for Emergency. Campers make sure you have sun protection on, a flashlight, whistle, may, compass, extra food and water, waterproof matches, a first aid kit, pocket knife and extra clothing (maybe if it rained).
F was for Foliage, color of the leaves and surrounding areas every season. G is for Camping Gear-tents, cooking supplies, and maybe a cell phone if you can call out of an area. H is for Hiking and you will need boots to protect your feet. I is for Inside which is butterflies, bees, ladybugs and dragonflies and even fleas! J is for Naturalist John Muir (Father of Natural Parks) and also for Juliette Low who created Girl Scouts.
K is for Kitchen that doesn’t look like your kitchen at home! L is for Lupine (wildflower) found in patches. M is for Mountains where bear cubs play and Eagles soar. N is for Night Sky. In the open, there are no city lights that make it difficult to see the night sky. Now you can see the stars and maybe you have a star chart that will tell you what the groups of stars are called.
O is for Organizations that teach Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire, YMCA and YWCA and many other organizations about our great outdoors. P is for Parks. There are many and visitor’s center will provide campfire programs and nature hikes. Q is for Quiet. Have binoculars and a field guide to watch for birds.
R is for Rangers who teach us to care for beauty and the wildlife we share the land with. S is for Stories and Songs and time to make S’mores! T is for Tracks of our animal friends. Take a book with you that has animal tracks in it so you can identify tracks you may find. U is for Underground hidden burrows where animals live who need a home safe from harm day and night.
V is for View of deserts, forests, etc. W is for Camping in Winter. You can ice fish, ski, and even snowshoe. X is for two existing trails. A trail map will help to know which path to take. Y is for Yellowstone Park where bison and moose freely roam. Z is for the zipper you have on your sleeping bag and tent while you fall asleep and dream.
All of these alphabet letters have more interesting information other than what the kids answered about the letter. This book is available at the Library to check out.
The story time was over and it was time to go get the S’mores the kids each made. When the box lid was opened, it was found the sun hadn’t been warm enough to make the S’mores! They could take them home and put the “sandwich” in the microwave and guess what they would have a S’more!
The next Library program will be Wednesday, June 15-Mr. Magic with Jonathan May as the Magician. See you then!