Laughs, a water fight, and great reasons to read at the library’s Summer Reading Program

There’s nothing quite like curling up with a good book whether you are out camping, at a park, or at home. The Whitecourt Public Library is a big proponent of reading and offers programs throughout the summer to encourage kids to flip through some pages.

The Summer Reading Program has just begun and offers children of different ages to read some books, have a chance at prizes, and explore topics together in a hands-on way. On July 6, the six to 10-year-old group met for the first time, kicking off summer with the topic Canadian Wildfire. “Because of the 150^th birthday, we want them to get more involved and learning about Canada,” said Library Assistant Judy Watson adding, “It’s a great way for the kids to hang out with each other and get to know different kids.”

The Alberta Agriculture and Forestry group was on hand and built an obstacle course for the children to take part in. They hooked up their hoses to a nearby hydrant and kids took turns using the hose to spray balls off buckets and flip them over.

More than a few children took advantage of having the hose and sprayed each other and even the forestry team got involved with the water fight. Throughout all the fun and games, there was also a lot of education. Wildlife Ranger Jacquie Dewar said the team was honoured to be there to explain its role in managing wildfire in Alberta.

“They are the future. We want these students to understand how the forest around us works and the role that we (Alberta Agriculture and Forestry) play in helping to sustain and manage this ecosystem. My hope is to promote and solidify environmental stewardship within them.” She also added that Wildland firefighting with Alberta Wildfire could be a career path as well. “This was a great opportunity to introduce them to that idea!”

Children were taught about the different units of Wildland firefighters (HAC, RAP, UNIT, Firetack) and heard personal experiences such as riding in a helicopter, fighting a wildfire, and using the equipment. The team also shared what a day for them consists of and why they chose to become Wildland firefighters in the first place. “Physical fitness is very important to firefighting so we set up an obstacle course with some of our equipment and safely ran the kids through it. It was fun and the kids did great,” said Jacquie.

Next week, the Summer Reading Program topic is Canadian Sports and there is still an opportunity to sign up to join the fun! Call the library at 780-778-2900 for more information. There are three different age groups that meet on different days. Ages three to five meet Monday mornings, ages six to nine meet on Wednesday afternoons, and ages 10 to 16 meet on Thursday evenings.