VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Valley City Barnes County (VCBC) Public Library will kickoff their 2022 Summer Learning program “Ocean’s of Possibilities on Tuesday May 31st from 4-6 p.m. The kickoff event a “Pirate Partee” will have games, food, tattoos, foam machine and pirate bouncy house.

This event is first in a series of programs featured at the library that includes a baking camp, make ‘n’ take crafts, presenters such as Magician Jonathan May, Storytellers The Wonderweavers, The Zoomobile, and STEAM programs for kids. Goldfish Cracker tasting, Human battleship, extreme tic-tac-toe, and Ocean Trivia for Teens.

Valley City Author signing with Jill Kandel, Rock Garden Signs, Teacup bird feeders, and a Beekeeping Demo for adults.

The Summer Learning Program includes reading. The goal of the reading programs is for “kids” ages 0-99 to read for at least 15 minutes per day. At the end of the week or month they can turn in their reading sheets (given to them when they sign up for summer learning) and they’ll earn a “Library Buck” for each week completed. The “Library Buck” can be used at “The Library Store” to purchase toys, puzzles, bags, and gift cards for local businesses. Kids can also earn a “Library Buck” by attending programs.

Why is it summer learning and not summer reading? The Library is a place for books and the reading program is no exception. But the Library offers so much more than books over the summer, including S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) programs, crafts, baking, movies, that it can’t simply called just a “reading program” it’s a “Learning program”

Activities and reading sheets run through the end of July. Everyone has until the end of August to spend their library bucks, because they won’t carryover next year. For more information about Summer Learning including a calendar of all the activities head over to the VCBC Library Website vcbclibrary.org

The full interview is below.