Summer reading programs at North Georgia libraries

Thursday, May 22, 2014

photo Kids' creations in a robot-building contest this summer at the Dalton-Whitfield County Library and Calhoun-Gordon County Library will be judged by visitors in categories such as most creative and most colorful.

The Northwest Georgia Regional Library System will begin registration for its summer reading programs Tuesday, May 27, with free events for children beginning in June at each branch.

This year's programs, "Fizz, Boom, Read" and "Spark a Reaction," are science-themed, giving participants hands-on experiences with science outside the classroom.

The Dalton-Whitfield County Library and Calhoun-Gordon County Library will host a collaborative eight-week "Fizz, Boom, Read" program during June and July. Every Tuesday, starting June 3, the Dalton-Whitfield Library will have a program at 10:30 a.m. Calhoun- Gordon Library will host the same program at 2 p.m. to give families two chances to participate.

The program will include movie screenings, parties and visits by Ben Roy from the Science Zone, the Reptile Wrangler Ken Panse, Little Red Barn and Star Lab mobile planetarium. Children must have an adult with them to participate in the programs.

Children of all ages will be allowed to create their own automaton in a robot-building competition. Robots built out of everyday materials will judged by library visitors in categories such as most creative, most colorful and by age groups.

The libraries will provide each participant with a reading log and prizes for reading during the summer. Every week, children can register to win several grand prizes by recording the books they've read in their reading logs and bringing it by their library. Drawings will be at the end of the program during a Mad Scientist Party, and the winners of the robot-building contest will be announced.

These libraries also will hold "Spark a Reaction" teen programming during the summer. Among the programs planned are rocket building and launching, zombie survival and computer programming. By keeping a reading log and participating in the programs, teens will be registered to win prizes at the end of the summer.

The Chatsworth-Murray County Library plans a four-week program on Wednesdays in June. Featured activities are David Ginn's magic show on June 4, story time on June 11 and 18, and a Smokey the Bear Party on June 25. Registration begins June 4, and each participant will receive a reading log. Participants who return the log by Friday, June 20, with the titles of at least 10 of the books they have read will receive a summer reading certificate. Children who read 10 nonfiction titles will receive a Smokey Bear certificate.

A full schedule of events will be available in June at www.ngrl.org.

For more information, call the Dalton-Whitfield County Library at 706-876-1360, Calhoun-Gordon County Library at 706-624-4200 or the Chatsworth-Murray County Library at 706-695-4200.