With Summer officially beginning, we are now inviting kids to sign up for our TD Summer Reading Club at the library! Originally developed by the Toronto Public Library and sponsored by the TD Bank Group, the TD Summer Reading Club is a free summer reading program co-created and delivered by libraries across Canada. According to their official website, it is "designed to inspire kids to explore the fun of reading their way - the key to building a lifelong love of reading."
Every library receives a package of booklets and information pamphlets to be given to the kids who decide to participate, as well as stickers to be handed out as they complete each book.
In the booklets, there are activities such as scavenger hunts, colouring pages, reading challenge ideas like building a fort or taking a book camping, as well as pages for the kids to write about the books they have read. These pages are where library staff will award a sticker for each book completed.
Parents also have the option of using a web access code, given to them at the start of the program, which they can use to create an account for their child on the TD Summer Reading website. Once an account has been created, kids can track their favourite books and earn badges for completing activities.
This year, Hastings Highlands Library has purchased biodegradable wildflower seeds that you can plant, colour changing pencils, tote bags you can colour, and markers to colour with. Some of these prizes will be handed out after kids sign up, and some of them will be awarded at the end when the TD Summer Reading Club is over.
If you are interested in signing your child up, please ask at the front desk. Staff will provide you with a booklet, a web access code, a pencil, and a bookmark, and your kids can start reading right away! If your child is already signed up, bring your TD reading booklet to the library each visit and we will award them with a sticker for each book they have completed.