Welcome to our Virtual Summer Reading program! We hope that next year we will be able to meet in person again, but for now, we hope you will enjoy doing activities at home with your families. Get ready to Choose Your Own Adventure this year! We will be sending out videos with stories, activities, links, and ideas for fun on Thursdays for seven weeks. If you are interested in attending an in-person summer reading program in our county this year, the Stillwater County Library in Columbus is offering some programming starting on June 17. Details can be found on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/533155240901637/?event_time_id=533155260901635 They will also be joining us as guest presenters for our virtual program during the week of June 28. Keep reading and exploring this summer!

Week 7: maps & treasures

Welcome to the final week of Summer Reading! This week we make maps, do some treasure hunting, and find spectacular things. I hope you had fun with us this summer!

Video: https://youtu.be/iAjKW5AuFJ8

Montana Memory Project map collection: https://mtmemory.org/digital/collection/p15018coll5/search/page/1

Geocaching option: https://www.geocaching.com/play

Remember, for this option, you will need a parent or other grownup to create an account and download an app on to his or her phone. YOU CANNOT CREATE AN ACCOUNT UNLESS YOU ARE AN ADULT! This is a fun option, but remember to be safe when online!

Keep reading and persevering as you work toward your goals for your elementary classes as well. I hope you are enjoying everything you are reading this summer. I have personally read a TON and we have ordered so many great new books for the library. I can't wait for you to see some of them! Have a wonderful rest of the summer and I MISS YOU ALL!!!! Be safe, get outside, explore the world around you, ask questions, do research, build, make art, grow plants, try new foods, spread kindness, share stories, and create memories!

Week 6: Up in the air

Welcome to Week 6! We are going to explore things that go up in the air, focusing mainly on kites, try out our maker skills, and talk about telling our own stories. Next week will be our last week. I hope you have fun reading and doing a project this week! Keep getting outside and creating your own stories as well!

Video: https://youtu.be/lWpns210kEA

Scanned kite instructions (for the kite I made in the video): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MBMaqVIMbASp0SH0HjHOfpEhGx3vglx-/view?usp=sharing

Other kites to try:

https://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/53339/build-and-fly-a-box-kite/

https://buggyandbuddy.com/make-kite/

Also, if you want to try doing some more maker projects this summer, Make Magazine has been having a lot of fun things going on with live streaming, online maker camps, paper airplane activities, etc. You can look at some of their projects and activities on their Facebook feed if you are interested here: https://www.facebook.com/makemagazine/.

Have a great week!

Week 5: All things relating to rocks!!

Welcome to Week 5! This week we are exploring all things relating to ROCKS! You can look for these fabulous items both indoors and out and dig deeper both into the science of rocks through geology or just have fun collecting and observing rocks that you like.

Video: https://youtu.be/2SgWY4T3H88

General rock identification with pictures: https://geology.com/rocks/

Information on the types of rocks, plus tips on how to become a serious collector: http://www.minsocam.org/msa/collectors_corner/id/rock_key.htm

Geologic road signs and roadside features in Montana: https://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/geomarkers.shtml#47

Butte World Museum of Mining: https://miningmuseum.org/

Have a great week! See you next week!

Week 4: Have fun with the sun!

Welcome to Summer Reading Week 4, where we get to go out and have some fun with the sun! We have a guest presenter this week. Raya Logan-Jackson, the children's librarian from the Stillwater County Library in Columbus, is bringing you the books and activities.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ikh8ikvYlU&t=650s

Featured books: Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea by Elizabeth Suneby, illustrated by Rebecca Green, Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers

Solar Oven and S'mores Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl7BqRhLpWE

Upcycled crayon craft: https://www.mamasmiles.com/sun-upcycled-crayons/

Sunscreen Painting: https://team-cartwright.com/sunscreen-painting-steam/

Sun Prints: https://creativefamilyfun.net/art-science-sun-prints/

Botanical Suncatchers (use flowers or plants from your yard or see if you can get some from the store!): https://thekindergartenconnection.com/botanical-sun-catchers/

Shade vs. Sun experiments (these include some of the earlier activities, but add more ideas as well as more scientific recording tools): https://lessons4littleones.com/2018/06/15/sun-learning-activities-and-book-suggestions/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=374177238_12168498_436880

If you want to check out any of the live events that Raya was mentioning, you can contact the library at their website found here: https://www.stillwatercountymt.gov/government/departments-staff/library or check out their Facebook page for upcoming events here: https://www.facebook.com/TheStillwaterCountyLibrary/. They also have a book sale coming up at the end of the summer on August 3-8 if you are looking for some inexpensive books to have for your house! I love book sales. :) I will be back next week with the video and some more adventures.

Have a wonderful 4th of July, enjoy the outdoors, and keep reading!

Week 3: Looking at the world around us

Welcome to Week 3 of the Summer Reading Program, everyone! This week, the awesome Mrs. Vesbach is here to present books and activities for us, along with her boys and her dogs. We are going to be looking more closely at the world around us, becoming scientists, observers, collectors, artists, and writers. I hope you have a great adventure this week! Next week, we will have librarians from the Stillwater County Library in Columbus as our guest presenters. Keep reading and getting outside!

Video: https://youtu.be/ja_pZWu1Po0

Pipe Cleaner Looker Craft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqKMps9T4cE

Camping Scavenger Hunt: https://www.papertraildesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Camping-scavenger-hunt-color.jpg

Backyard/Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt: http://www.frugalfritzie.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/nature-scavenger-printable.pdf

Week 2: PLANT IDENTIFICATION

I hope you all had a great week of exploring and reading! This week, we focus on wild and local foods, learning from other people, and being grateful. Gather some wild greens and cook a simple scramble (with the help of an adult) to enjoy your harvest. Seth helps me out with this week's video. :) Have a great week and keep reading!

Video link: https://youtu.be/t46usoBDjqk

Plant identification:

Dandelion: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/dandelion.html

Common mallow: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/common-mallow-malva-neglecta

White clover: http://www.uwyo.edu/plantsciences/uwplant/forages/legume/white-clover.html

Plantain: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/broadleaf_plantain.html

Juniper: https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/juniperus-horizontalis

Yucca: https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/yucca-glauca

Salsify: https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/single_weed.php?id=89

Tumble Mustard: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/tumble_mustard.html

Indigikitchen: https://www.indigikitchen.com/

Bonus wild food/cooking/local food website!: https://honest-food.net/

Week 1: Birds and Nests

Video link: https://youtu.be/xTY1ipD9l1k

Make your own nest project: https://kidscraftroom.com/make-a-birds-nest-steam-project/

Bird egg and nest identification: https://kidscraftroom.com/make-a-birds-nest-steam-project/

Time lapse robin nest building: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n694LFHoET8

Bird identification: Montana bird guide: http://fwp.mt.gov/education/teachers/birdGuide.html

Bird identification using attributes: https://identify.whatbird.com/mwg/_/0/attrs.aspx

Bluebird nest box instructions: https://www.audubon.org/news/how-build-bluebird-nest-box

Send pictures to Mrs. Milligan (smilligan@reedpoint.k12.mt.us) or Mrs. Jarrett (hjarrett@reedpoint.k12.mt.us) to share your birding and reading adventures with us!