For the second year the Estevan Public Library offers parents the chance to grab their kids, get well dressed and come enjoy the Story Stroll.
This time the interactive outdoor activity dedicated to Family Literacy Day Jan. 27, will take place at the Estevan Dog Park. For a week, from Jan. 21 to 27, the park will turn into a live book with pages and illustrations inviting guests to discover a story world.
Children’s program co-ordinator for the Estevan Public Library Christine Batke explained how the Story Stroll works.
“Parents at their leisure can go through the walking path, and along the path there will be different pages of a storybook, so they get to read the pages. And at some of the stations there also will be interactive items. This year we are going to do story stones, so there will be some of the characters or the items from the book,” Batke said.
The story stones, which will be left at some stations for activity participants to grab, will allow parents to read the entire story when they get home.
So far, the library is keeping the book a secret with just a little hint: the story they chose will be about winter. For the last year’s Story Walk they used the Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. Batke noted that this time they are going to go with something with a little bit less writing.
As with any outdoor activity the Story Stroll attendance will depend on the weather conditions and will fluctuate from day to day. Yet, no matter which day you come there will be enough supplies for every guest.
“We are going to be prepared for a large amount (of visitors) and check it throughout the week to make sure that the items are replenished depending on attendance,” Batke said.
Last year’s event turned out to be quite popular with some people showing up right when the library staff was putting the story out, so this year the library expects to see even more people getting involved with the project.
“It’s a really good way for parents to read and enjoy books. Not only that, but the story stone give them a different way to retell the story. And we think it’s really important for parents to engage in reading and other literacy-related activities with their children and their families,” Batke said.
