Wallkill Public Library
SRP Registration Monday

  This year's registration for the Dig in and Read Summer Reading Program begins Monday at 10 a.m! You're welcome to register in person or over the phone.

This year, a couple of changes are in the works:

The library will be teaming up with Ostrander Elementary School to offer Paw Prints to use in the fall! All Ostrander students have to do to earn their prints is read. For every five books under 100 pages, students will receive one Paw Print. For every book over 100 pages, children will get five Paw Prints. 

The Paw Prints will be given out in addition to the raffle tickets the library will be distributing as a reward for reading efforts.

Though there won't be a prize case this year, surprises will be handed out during story time, and there will be raffles for kids to enter for larger prizes such as movie tickets, books, games, and more. These prizes will be on display, as they were last year.

Some of the many programs being offered during the SRP this year include:

  • Archaeology Camp - Ages 9-12 will learn about what an archaeologist does through activities, games, and experiments. Participants will take a field trip to an actual archaeological site and exhibit their finds at a pizza party at the end of camp.
  • Art Journal Camp - Ages 8 and up will design and decorate their own journals, and then use them to observe and reflect on the world around them.
  • Clay Workshop - Ages 8 and up will create their own gnomes from scratch.
  • Guitar Lessons - A class for beginners and one for advanced players will be offered by Dominick Colandrea, who's studied at the New York School of Music and performed with his own band.
  • Let's Learn About...Bees! - NO LIVE BEES will be at this free program for all ages, which will feature a story, craft, and snack, as well as a lesson about the amazing honey bee from local expert Tom Hutt. 

 These are just a sampling of this year's fun activities and events. Keep an eye on future newsletters for details on other upcoming programs! 

  
 Coming up at the Wallkill Public Library   
Monday: SRP registration kicks off at 10 a.m. Bring your little ones in to Make a Father's Day Gift to surprise Dad with at 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday: Textile Tuesdays take place between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. every week at the community room of Town Hall. Bring some quilting or another handcraft project and whatever equipment you need and come and go as you please. The Nonfiction Book Club meets at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Alan Weisman's The World Without Us.
Wednesday: Make a Father's Day Gift will be offered again at 4 p.m.
Thursday: All skill levels are welcome to visit the Knit and Crochet Club each week at 6:30 p.m.
  
  Muddy Boots Club explores nature 
Part of this year's Summer Reading Program will include three Wallkill River Valley outings designed to give school-aged children and accompanying adults a fun and educational exposure to nature and science.
The Muddy Boots Club is planning three excursions during the course of the summer:
  • June 29 - Birding at the Shawangunk National Wildlife Refuge
  • July 20 - Studying various insects, mollusks, worms, and zooplankton in the Wallkill River
  • Aug. 10 - Identifying native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers along River Road in Wallkill

Each outing takes place at 10:30 a.m. on a Saturday. There's a limit of 20 people per trip. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Call the library with any questions - 895-3707. 
  
 Town summer camp registration on now 
Space is limited for Shawangunk Summer Camp's five-week program.
You can either register at Town Hall or print out registration forms from the town website. The program, for ages 5-14, starts July 8 and runs through Aug. 9. Camp begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at Verkeerderkill Park on Route 52.
Camp activities include sports like basketball and soccer, arts and crafts, guest speakers, karate, and much more. Cost for residents is $200 for the family's first child, $175 for the second, and $125 for the third. Nonresident families pay $250 for the first child, $225 for the second, and $175 for the third (these prices do not include fees for field trips).
Mail completed applications to Shawangunk Town Hall, 14 Central Ave., Wallkill, NY 12589.
 For more information, call Gillian at (917)848-8633, or Barb at 895-2707.
  
New session of computer class coming
A new session of Computer Basics for Adults will be starting soon.
Beginners interested in taking the free introductory class can leave their name and number with the staff behind the circulation desk.
If you've been wanting to take the first step in learning how to use a computer but have been too intimidated to begin, now is your chance to open up a whole new world for yourself. Call the library at 895-3707 with questions or to sign up.
 
Ostrander kids attend Dinosaur Dig
Field paleontologists Mike and Roberta Straka were at Ostrander Elementary School Monday as part of Wallkill Public Library's introduction to this year's Summer Reading Program.
The Strakas' Dinosaur Dig program was a hit with the second- through sixth-grade classes that attended.
Kindergarteners and first graders who couldn't attend Monday's program got a visit from children's coordinator Carolyn Thorenz and other library staff Wednesday so they, too, could hear about the great programming being offered during this summer's Dig In and Read event.
Register now for LEGO engineering fun
Play-Well TEKnologies will be offering a week of Engineering FUNdamentals this year during the Summer Reading Program.
Project-based tasks are designed to teach some principles of engineering, architecture, and science to grades kindergarten through 8 during the weeklong LEGO camp. While the kids think they're just having fun with LEGOs, they'll be building motorized machines, pyramids, and other structures that put their critical thinking skills to the test.
LEGO Camp runs from July 15 through the 19th, from 9 a.m. to noon for grades K through 2, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for grades 3 through 5. Cost is $130 for the week. Registration is online. Register soon, as class size is limited!
Questions? Call the library at 895-3707.
 
Musikgarten offers summer programming
Musikgarten will be offering sessions for infants and children up to age 4 this summer at the library.
The classes are designed to instill in children a love of music and the ability to express it.
Ages 6 mos. to 2 yrs. can attend My Musical World at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. Fridays. Ages 3-4 are welcome to attend Cycle of Seasons: Summer at 1 or 2 p.m. Fridays.
Session I runs from June 28 through July 19: Session II begins Aug. 2 and ends Aug. 23.
Tuition is $100 per session. Sibling discounts are available. Cost includes a CD, songbook, and an instrument or game cards for use at home). Call 905-2556 for more information or to register.
 
 Summertime, and the reading is easy 
Put those prescription sunglasses on - there are a ton of great books to bring to the beach with you this year.
What you can bring home from the beach is a sense of accomplishment. Go ahead and make that annual hot-weather resolution to read some of the classics, because the good news is, you don't have to be bored doing it!
Kirkus recently compiled a list of some of the more readable classics, and there's not a whale or a shrugging Atlas to be found among them, which should be all the encouragement you need to get going. Earn those bragging rights - it's painless, this time around.
  
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