The City of Cape Town’s libraries and LiBee the mascot are ready to meet the task of forming the readers of tomorrow today through its Around the World Reading Adventure Programme.
Its Library and Information Service will roll its fifth reading programme out aimed at children aged 9 to 12, enthusiastically engaging as many young readers as possible in December and January in what promises to be exciting summer programme.
Often, during the long holiday break children do not read and go through what is known as the summer slump. They tend to regress in their academic skills, but the programme is designed not only to encourage children to continue reading during the holidays, but also to introduce a number of fun elements involving their going to the local library to complete a number of challenges.
“The benefits of physical activity are well known, but reading is our brain’s exercise,” Mayco Member for Community Services and Health Patricia van der Ross. “Children who engage in mental activities such as reading can retain much of what they’ve learnt during the school year. The reading programme also provides them with fun, mentally stimulating challenges that are bound to keep them busy.
A colourful, jam-packed booklet was designed with LiBee the Library Mascot packing her suitcase and accompanying the children as they explore each continent.
“An important aim of the programme is to help children associate reading with fun and leisure, and not see it as a chore or school activity,” Van der Ross said. “Therefore the programme is designed with elements of reading, basic computer skills, coding, creative skills and dancing.”
The booklet contains a number of exciting activities such as building the tallest structure in Asia, unravelling a puzzle in Europe to figure out the missing landmark while children can make a beautiful Rio Carnival mask from South America.
Participants can translate English into hieroglyphics in Egypt, while in North America they must make use of the SmartCape computers to find out the names of the extinct animals.
This will introduce them to basic computer skills as they search for the answers and at some libraries, they can compete in the coding game, and save the animals from poachers. Each continent has a short story and a fun activity.
Pop into your local library and ask the librarians for more information and to recommend some reading material for your journey.
Join the Summer Reading programme this holiday and let the reading adventure begin!
