At a recent Summer Library Program Workshop, I learned about
the StoryWalk
Project which began in 2007 in New England and has now spread to at least
69 towns and 38 states, Canada and Bermuda. Immediately, I thought of
Waupaca's beautiful trail system and the goal the library has to collaborate
with other city departments. It was a match made in heaven!!
It only took one phone call and the local Park & Rec Dept staff were ready to start work on the project. Our goal for Waupaca's StoryWalk was to get more families out on the River Ridge Trail and to add a literacy component that changes every 2-3 weeks to make it something they can participate in over the course of the summer. In future years, we hope to move the StoryWalk to parts of the trail that families might not be familiar with. This definitely is a "No Child Left Inside" project. River Ridge Trail volunteers are excited about the opportunity to share "nature" stories along the trail and library staff will choose some titles to fit this request.
Using some scrap lumber and some about to be discarded plexiglass that we found in storage, the Park & Rec staff made 22 signposts and placed them along a short loop in the trail (less than 1/4 mile) every 30-35 feet or so. Library staff purchases two paperback copies of books that are then dismantled, laminated and placed in the signs. The end of the loop has a box (donated by a local real estate office) that holds a logbook for families to note the date, the number in their party, and any comments or suggestions they have for the project. Another option is to use the QR Code at the end to connect to the library's Facebook Event page and add comments there.
So far, total cost of the whole project is under $100 and I believe we will be able to locate local benefactors to cover the future costs. I'd be happy to share in more detail if you might be interested in starting your own StoryWalk. Email me at sabraham@mail.owls.lib.wi.us for more information.
It only took one phone call and the local Park & Rec Dept staff were ready to start work on the project. Our goal for Waupaca's StoryWalk was to get more families out on the River Ridge Trail and to add a literacy component that changes every 2-3 weeks to make it something they can participate in over the course of the summer. In future years, we hope to move the StoryWalk to parts of the trail that families might not be familiar with. This definitely is a "No Child Left Inside" project. River Ridge Trail volunteers are excited about the opportunity to share "nature" stories along the trail and library staff will choose some titles to fit this request.
Using some scrap lumber and some about to be discarded plexiglass that we found in storage, the Park & Rec staff made 22 signposts and placed them along a short loop in the trail (less than 1/4 mile) every 30-35 feet or so. Library staff purchases two paperback copies of books that are then dismantled, laminated and placed in the signs. The end of the loop has a box (donated by a local real estate office) that holds a logbook for families to note the date, the number in their party, and any comments or suggestions they have for the project. Another option is to use the QR Code at the end to connect to the library's Facebook Event page and add comments there.
So far, total cost of the whole project is under $100 and I believe we will be able to locate local benefactors to cover the future costs. I'd be happy to share in more detail if you might be interested in starting your own StoryWalk. Email me at sabraham@mail.owls.lib.wi.us for more information.
1 comment:
Cool idea. What stories were chosen?
Post a Comment