LISTEN TO THE WIND
2009 Summer Reading Program

2009 Program Calendar

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL READING LISTS
for 2009 Summer Reading

Reading Logs are available now . You can begin to count your summer reading as soon as you pick up a log.

Printable Reading Log: Front & Back

Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Listen to the Wind, visited Chelmsford in February to talk about his work building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Friends of the Library will donate $500.00 to Greg's foundation as an incentive for children to participate in our summer reading program. When a child reads for 5 hours, please report this to the library. We will add 100 pennies to a giant tea cup. If you visit the library more frequently than that, we will add 5 cents for every 15 minutes a child reads. We will see how quickly "pennies for peace" add up. Based on participation from previous summers, we believe we will reach $500.00.

LISTEN TO THE WIND
2009 Summer Challenge
"No child left inside."

Printable Passport: Outside & Inside

Greg Mortenson began building schools after a failed attempt at climbing to the summit of K2, the second tallest mountain in the world. K2 is more than 5 miles high!

We challenge children to walk for at least 5 miles in the Open Spaces of Chelmsford this summer. We will provide passbooks to record your travels. When a child completes 5 miles, please come to the library to put your name on a paper hiking boot. We have stickers for the boots to show which places you visited.

www.minitreks.info uses Google Earth to provide an overview of the major trails in town with estimated mileage. The BLUE trails are the primary trails.

The Chelmsford Open Space Stewardship is a group of local volunteers who take care of the public lands in Chelmsford. Visit their website for more information about the open spaces and to volunteer.

Tony Giannone, the geocaching steward for Chelmsford open spaces, will come to the main library on Saturday, June 6 at 10:30 to explain how geocaching can enhance the enjoyment of walking in the woods. We will practice our new skills at the Bartlett Woodlot immediately following the presentation.

Michelle Lee will come to the main library on Saturday, June 13 at noon for a letterboxing workshop. Michelle will explain letterboxing, help us design our own stamps and let us practice our skills. www.letterboxing.org is the gateway to adventures in North America, including sites in Chelmsford.

Summer Reading Lists by Grades and Genres

Do you need suggestions for good books to read? We have lists of books for each grade. We even have the lists separated into genres. (That's a fancy word for different kinds of stories: mysteries, fantasy, real world, etc.)

Some books are easy to read, and some are more difficult. Take a look at several of the lists to get ideas.

Books for preschoolers

Books for Grades
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Yetti Frenkel, who designed the mural in the children's room, is offering a 5-day workshop for children ages 10 and up who are interested in writing and/or illustrating picture books. This special opportunity is available through a Chelmsford Cultural Council grant.

The workshops are scheduled for July 20, 22, 24, 27 and 29. The workshop will last 2 hours a day.

Space is limited and registration begins Monday, July 6.

ebooks for children

The Chelmsford Public Library offers a collection of ebooks that are available by double clicking on this smiling TumbleBook.
No passwords are needed.
Read at home or on the computers in the Children's Room.

Dance Mat Typing

This is a program from the BBC to teach children how to type.

CraftElf

This is an Internet site, run by a local woman, which offers free craft instructions, ideas and patterns, including kids crafts, and holiday crafts.

Splatter art

Pretend to be the artist Jackson Pollock.

Learn about his art by experimenting with splattering at this interactive website: www.jacksonpollock.org

Visit our children's programming pages at the Main Library and at the MacKay Branch

Need a link to a school website?
Chelmsford Public Schools
Murdoch Public Charter School
Nashoba Valley Technical High School

Looking for Middle School or Charter School textbooks?
Check out our list of textbooks available at the library.