Archive for category: Library Services

June 16-August 3

How do you participate?

Visit the library beginning June 9 to pick up a Summer Reading Program folder with event information, your reading log, a bookmark, and stickers. We will also have some optional materials, such as age-specific recommended reading lists and a Color Our World reading list.

Join us on June 25 for our Kick-Off event with Eyes of the Wild. This event will be held outside, weather-permitting, but registration is still required.

Logs will be available for pickup and online between June 9 and July 26. The last day to return your logs is August 9. The prizes will be pulled on Wednesday, August 13.

** Register for Summer Reading before July for a chance to win Trenton Thunder tickets**

Don’t have time to stop in?

You can print one off at home. Click the link below to fill out a quick form, and you will receive a link to print off the reading log. Start reading and doing the activities from home.

You will need to come into the library to claim any raffle tickets and weekly prizes.

These logs will not be available after July 26. Remember the last day to submit your logs is August 9.

Click here to download a log to print from home.

Who can participate?

We will have programs for three different age groups.

• Emerging Readers – For babies through preschool
  • What if my little one is too young to do an activity?
    • If your little one is too young to do the activities on their own, parents can adapt them by doing the activities themselves alongside their child.
    • For example, if the activity says, “Tell a grown-up a story,” parents can instead tell a story to their child.
      • How does that help? Talking is one of the 5 early literacy practices. It builds a bond between child and caregiver, but also helps them understand vocabulary, comprehension, and language development.
    • Have fun finding creative ways to interpret the activities with your little one.
  • Elementary – For youth entering grades K-5
  • Teens – For young adults entering grades 6-12

How does the program work?

Your log has two sides: a reading side and an activity side.

The Reading Side

• Children will write in the minutes they read, or are read to, between June 17– August 4.
  • For School-Age [K-5] and Teen [6-12] logs, participants will write in the number of minutes they read or are read to each day of the week.
  • For Emerging Readers [Birth– PreK], children have the option to color in the specially marked reading square, which would represent the 30 minutes they are read to, OR they can write in the minutes in like the School-Age and Teens

The Activity Side

• Children will color in the square of each activity that they complete.

How do these Tickets work?

• Bring back your log each week to claim a weekly prize from our treasure chest!
• There are many ways to earn tickets toward grade-level prizes.
• Earn 1 raffle ticket by:
  • Having your reading log stamped 2 times.
  • Having your reading log stamped 4 times.
  • Completing half (12/24) of the activities on the summer learning activity side.
  • Completing ALL of the activities on the summer learning activity side.
    • Don’t let an activity get you down! If an activity is proving difficult, you can substitute it by doing any other activity twice.
  • For grades K-12: Set and meet your own reading goal.
• Prizes vary across grade levels.
  • For emerging readers, please circle the prize you would like to win.
  • For K-5 readers, please write the prize you would like to win.
  • For grades 6-12, please write in the gift card you would like.
• The last day to return logs is August 9th.
• Grade level prizes will be pulled on August 13.

What counts toward your reading time?

• Fiction? Counts!
• Non-fiction? Counts!
• Audiobooks? Counts. Check out our online audiobooks through CloudLibrary and Hoopla.
• What about the Kids’ Audio Players like Yoto, Toniebox, and Storypods? As long as it is a story, they count too!
• Ebooks? Definitely counts! Check out our online ebooks through CloudLibrary and Hoopla.
  • Remember, your school libraries may also have some great eBook and eAudiobook options too.
• Graphic novels? Absolutely counts!
• Magazines? It counts too! Check out our online magazine through Flipster.
• Reading to someone? Yes, it counts!
• What if I cannot read for myself, but someone reads to me? That counts too! This includes all of our story time programs.

If you are reading this summer, it counts! You can even enter different reading programs. If you have one at school, reading counts for both. For emerging readers not yet reading on their own, log the time that others are reading to them.

We do not care what you read or how long (though we recommend 20-30 minutes a day for growing minds)--we just care that you are reading this summer!

Are there prizes?

You bet there are! Each week, children can return their logs to select a weekly prize from our treasure chest– while supplies last! For our Teens, we have a prize jar, and they will select a prize at random.

We also have grade-level prize raffles along with our weekly prizes. The winners are selected from the age groups mentioned above, and the amount of grade-level prizes varies between the age groups. All prizes must be picked up at the library (we are unable to mail prizes).

We will have a variety of grade-level prizes for Elementary readers, 2 grade-level prizes for Emerging Readers, and 3 for Teens. Please see the raffle prizes below.

For Teens, the grade level prizes are the winner's choice of a $50 gift card. The random weekly prizes include items like: small gift cards to stores and shops in Warminster, buttons, a free book, etc.

How do I complete the program?

Our goal is to help children create healthy reading habits and get them excited about reading. A child may earn all their tickets before the official end of the program. With that in mind, we have our “Reading Goals.” This only applies to kids entering grades K-12.

When a reader completes their reading goal, which is personal to each child and created by each child, then they will receive a final raffle ticket towards their grade-level prizes.

Reading Goals do not need to be a specific minute amount. It can be as simple as reading for 20 minutes a day or reading for 100 minutes a week (equal to 20 minutes/5 days a week). Reading goals should be achievable, but still something to strive for. So think Goldilocks; a reading goal shouldn’t be too hard or too easy, but just right.

And great news! If you are unable to pick up a log in the beginning and end up starting the program a little later in the summer, you can still set a reading goal for the time you have left in the program.

Because this is a reading goal for the entire summer, it can only be claimed starting on or after week 6 or starting on July 28. Participants will earn their extra raffle ticket and get a free book.

Events and Programs

We have a full calendar of events and programs going on all summer long. For more information check out our calendar here.

Thanks to our sponsors! 

Warminster Township Free Library’s Summer Reading Program is sponsored and made possible by The Friends of the Warminster Library.

We also received some generous donations from the following organizations:

• Longwood Gardens

• Academy of Natural Sciences

• Bucks County Children’s Museum

• Lehigh Valley IronPigs

• Tree Trails Adventure Trevos

• Shady Brook Farms

• Trenton Thunder

• Sesame Place

STEM Kits 

Looking for some fun science activities, books, and videos for younger children? Check out our 6 new STEM Kits. Each kit comes with a toy, activity, or game, a book about the topic, and a video. 

• Coding STEM Kit [Ages 6-12] 
• Animal STEM Kit [Ages 3-8] 
• Plant STEM Kit [Ages 3-8] 
• Insects and Bugs STEM Kit [Ages 3-8] 
• Magnets STEM Kit [Ages 4-10] 
• Oral Health STEM Kit [2-5] 
• STEAM to Go! Math Games 
• STEAM to Go! Learn to Measure 
• STEAM to Go! Food and Nutrition Kit 
• STEAM to Go! Ready, Set, Kindergarten 

Early Literacy Kits 

Looking for some fun activities, books, and videos for younger children? Check out our 5 early literacy kits designed for our youngest patrons. Each kit comes with a variety of activities, games, books and more.  

• Early Literacy Kit #1: Learn to Read 
• Early Literacy Kit #2: Letter Knowledge 
• Early Literacy Kit #3: Phonological Awareness 
• Early Literacy Kit #4: Vocabulary 
• Early Literacy Kit #5: Socio-Emotional Development 
• Teach my baby all-in-one learning kit 

Games 

Our library of things is expanding to include role playing and board games for children and families.  

• Masks: A New Generation Role Playing Game 
• No Thank You, Evil! Role Playing for Kids 
• Hop, Waddle, Stomp! 
• Dixit! 
• Sushi Go! 
• The Fox in the Forest 
• 5- Minute Dungeon 
• Happy Little Dinosaurs 
• Unstable Unicorns 
• Happy Salmon