Come along to Camp Kindness: Butler Library kicks off summer reading program
The average child has nearly 7 hours of screen time per day since the pandemic, according to a study published by the American Medical Association in February.
The Butler Area Public Library’s annual weekly summer programming is trying to get children and young adults of all ages to take a break with from the TV and video games and explore the world around them.
“It’s a summer of free activities for our kids, with no requirements,” Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services librarian at the Butler library, said. “The library is welcoming to everyone. These programs are open to everyone. We really just want to see kids engaged in fun and learning through play.”
It also helps to entice the children with “some cool prizes” according to Harkleroad.
The average child has nearly 7 hours of screen time per day since the pandemic, according to a study published by the American Medical Association in February.
The Butler Area Public Library’s annual weekly summer programming is trying to get children and young adults of all ages to take a break with from the TV and video games and explore the world around them.
“It’s a summer of free activities for our kids, with no requirements,” Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services librarian at the Butler library, said. “The library is welcoming to everyone. These programs are open to everyone. We really just want to see kids engaged in fun and learning through play.”
It also helps to entice the children with “some cool prizes” according to Harkleroad.
“Camp Kindness,” which is this year’s summer theme, kicked off Wednesday, June 14, and will run through Thursday, Aug. 3. Each week, there will be different activities related to learning about kindness, empathy and belonging, while exploring nature.
Melissa Bacheler and her son, Kole, 12, are looking forward to Camp Kindness.
“It’s nice to have my child unplug and get away from screen time, especially during the summer when there’s not as much to do all the time,” Bacheler said. “Instead of having him sit in front of a TV or a computer screen, this gives him a chance to get out and socialize and do something fun.”
This is Kole’s second time taking part in the library’s summer program, and he is excited for the upcoming adventures this summer.
“We did a lot of fun stuff,” Kole said. “We put random stuff in waffle makers and got to eat a bunch of different stuff we made in the waffle maker.”
Some of Wednesday’s activities included a camping lecture, a fishing hole, sensory bins, and arts and crafts.
Tracy Sarver, of Butler, enjoys the annual library summer program so much that she brought her six children and two grandchildren with her.
“We love Miss Tiffany,” Sarver said. “We come every summer. We love and support our library. We love the play time. We love the program that Miss Tiffany does every summer and we’re hoping to instill some great values and character traits at Camp Kindness.”
Michael Sarver, 15, agrees with his mother’s assessment on Camp Kindness, who thinks the program is “pretty cool.”
“I think it’s cool how they’re bringing all the kids in the community together,” Michael said. “And having an event for them is pretty cool.”
Evan Winter, of Butler, thought Camp Kindness was a way to encourage his two children, Esmee, 5, and Braxton, 7, to further their love of reading.
“My girlfriend made a chore chart and they do activities,” Winter said. “Reading is a part of it. Every day they read — 20 minutes for her and 30 minutes for him.”
And while there are plenty of things for children at the Butler library, there is also something for the adults as well.
“There’s also adult programming,” Harkleroad said. “We have a reading challenge that just launched today in our Beanstack app and that’s for all age groups, including adults. With the reading challenge, you can log activities and books you’ve read and you’re entered to win prizes.”
More information about the Camp Kindness activities can be found at the Butler library’s website and on its Facebook page.
