Teen Summer Reading - Express Yourself

We've got a great teen program for those students who have completed grades 5 through 8.
Sure we still have prizes and lots of things on the calendar just for you.

This age group reads for points. There are lots of ways to earn points, like attending a special event or bringing in items for the Amherst Food Pantry. But the main goal is to read a book and earn one point per page. No, "Cat in the Hat" doesn't count. We give prizes for 250, 500, and 750 points. It's easy and adds up fast. Here's what you win:

• 250 points gets you a "READ" dogtag. One year we ran out of these but we think we've got plenty for this year....if you hurry.


• 500 points nets you a cool Media Pouch. It's perfect for carrying around a cell phone or iPod. We have a variety of colors to choose from.


• 750 points earns you our "Green" messenger bag. It invites you to "Renew, Reread, Recycle" when you head out to the library.

Kids Summer Reading - Get Creative a@ the Amherst Public Library

It's time to "Get Creative" and "Get to the Library". Summer reading is upon us with just a few days till registration opens at the library. Registration is available online with options for tracking your time and submitting book reviews.

Our Kids Program is for those age 4 through those kids just completing grade 4.
Once you register you'll get a reading log to keep track of the time you spend reading, or being read to. Fill in your reading log. For every 15 minutes you read, color in a portion of the clock. Each clock represents one hour of reading.

Keep reading! We give prizes for completing 5, 10 and 15 hours of reading.

• For 5 hours we have the paint set so you can get creative right away.
• After 10 hours of reading you'll earn the green zip pouch for keeping your library card close at hand.
• Keep reading and for 15 hours you get a great "Green" bag that invites you to "Save a Tree and Borrow a Book". It's great for all those items you'll be checking out of the library this summer!

Create your best summer ever.

Sure we're going to get creative this summer but we can also think "Green" at the same time. Remember when you check out a book from the library you're saving money and saving trees.

Look for our earth-friendly slogans on most of our prizes this year. This logo appears on our prize for 15 hours of reading. It's a great bag for carrying your books, your groceries, your creative collection with you where ever you go. What color is the bag? Well, green of course.

Almost Time to Get Creative

Everyone is counting the days till school's out and for some that day coincides with the start the Amherst Public Library's Summer Reading program. This year the library is hopping on board the state reading wagon by adopting the theme of "Get Creative".

But hey, we've always had a creative group of summer readers and this year is no exception. Look for the return of "Craft Wednesday" starting June 10. On Wednesdays you can stop by the library anytime and take part in a great, and yes very creative, craft activity.

Bug Free Zone at the Library

Everything is underway for What's Cooking @ the Amherst Public Library, our 2008 summer reading program for ages 4 through 104. Many people calling or checking on our website are surprised to find out we're not participating in the State Library of Ohio's Summer Reading Program. As I tell all the kids, go to other libraries, get a card, but nothing beats Amherst Public Library for one of the best summer programs around.

The state seems to be obsessed with bugs, based on the giant 200 page manual they send out, and the countless themes directed at crawling creatures, such as "Trails to Tales" and now this year's theme "Catch the Reading Bug".

This year we're cooking up all kinds of fun. Remember to read a balanced diet including selections from mysteries, non-fiction, poetry, and magazines.

Online registration is available now through our website. Check out our upcoming programming by viewing our summer calendar.

Getting prepped for Summer Reading

The Amherst Public Library is getting prepped for a great summer of fun this year. "Look What's Cooking @ the library" will help you check out all the ingredients for a great summer of activities.

Look for an early bird registration to begin in late May. Remember you can register and log your reading through our website. Registration at the library begins Monday, June 2, for all ages.

We offer three different reading programs. Our kid's program welcomes ages 4 through those students just completing grade 4. If you've just finished grades 5 through 8 then our teen program will feature the return of X-Box afternoon as well as the annual Scavenger Hunt. High School freshmen through those age 104 participate in our adult program.

Look for a calendar and other information very soon.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Get Moving with Storytime

Put that book down and let's get moving! Kids at storytime have been reaching new heights as they learn classics like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" along with other rhymes to get them moving. If you're feeling the effects of too much Valentine candy or have already purchased those holiday jelly beans you might want to take a cue from storytime and get off the couch. With spring weddings on the horizon it might also be a good time to review that age old classic...the "Chicken Dance".

Cookie Caper

How many kids can you fit in the storytime room? With two sessions to fill the answer was "a whole lot". Not only did we run short of cookies this year but with more than 70 people in the morning session and 140 people filling in the evening session it was a wild and crazy culinary time.

No one left without their share of frosting and sprinkles. With help from our Lorain County JVS Culinary Academy volunteers we managed to go through 10 pounds of frosting and dozens of sugar cookies. Wait... isn't that our volunteers...those cookies are for the kids! Oh well, everyone's a kid at cookie storytime.

Now what happened to those extra sprinkles?

Sun Sets on Another Summer Reading Fair

More than 400 people gathered on the lawn for one last bash during the recent kids Summer Reading Fair at the Amherst Public Library. Each child received a bag with 15 tickets which they could use to play games like the bean bag throw and the duck pond. Ice pops and popcorn were also just a ticket away with cool, refreshing, lemonade being offered by the "Good Deeds Club" who were raising money for local kids undergoing cancer treatment.

The jump house was a big hit this year as kids lined up to take their turns, throwing off shoes and passing off prize bags to be airborn for just a moment. Even the baseball pitch game was lined up across the lawn. The weather which threatened to be a problem all day, held off and the real rain and thunder managed to skirt around the library with a few gusts of wind being the only real nuisance.

The Amherst Fire Department attended the fair this year and lots of kids sported red fire hats, also good for rain hats, and enjoyed climbing on the fire truck and getting a close up look at all the equipment. The firemen were great and handed out lots of free stuff. I hope they come back next year!

I hope everybody comes back next year. We don't need to "Get a Clue" as to why more than 900 kids and 250 teens took part in library programs this summer. There's no secret as to why almost 1000 kids took part in free craft activities during Wednesday craft days. The long line back to the parking lot of eager kids waiting to sign into the fair tonight is reason enough to know that this year's program was a success. Thank heaven for parents willing to drive kids to the library, to have patience to wait for magicians who've gotten lost, and Metro Park rangers who go to the wrong location, and who help mark off time on paper reading logs. Thank heaven for parents who ride with their kids in cars and on bikes, searching the downtown buildings for scavenger hunt clues.

As the sun sets on another year of summer reading fun I think about what I've told the kids for years, the Amherst Public Library really does have the best summer reading program around. It really doesn't have anything to do with our building, or what our prizes or craft will be that week, or how much money we have left in the budget. It's the kids and families who walk through the door each day...they make us number one. Thanks for a great summer.

See you at the library.
Love,

Ike