ROCKINGHAM — Are you ready to “Fizz, Boom, READ!”? The Rockingham Free Public Library has a summer of exciting activities and reading planned this week through Aug. 15.
Each week, the RFPL will feature different family events including live animal presentations, puppets, and natural science.
Teens in middle and high school are invited to “Spark a Reaction!” at the library on Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. with a slate of programs just for them that include lots of hands-on science activities.
Starting on Thursday, June 26, teens will build “Squishy Circuits,” a fun way to experiment with electronics without fear of electric shock or soldering burns. Other Thursday programs include robotics, engineering, alternative energy projects, and explosive science.
A new program the RFPL offers this summer is “Lunch at the Library.” Monday through Friday, July 7 through Aug. 15, the library will serve free lunch to anyone 18 and younger. Parents and caregivers may buy lunches for $3.60. Lunch service is 11:15 to 11:45 a.m.
Registration is encouraged so the library will know how many meals to order each day. You'll find the menu at www.rockinghamlibrary.org.
After lunch, the library offers a series of fun programs. On Mondays and Wednesdays, volunteers will read to kids; Tuesday lunches are followed by a movie; Thursday's lunches are followed by games; Friday's lunches end with Lego Club.
Naturally, the program features lots of reading. The library presents two storytimes each week, both at 10:30 a.m.: a preschool storytime on Tuesday mornings presented by Kathy Michel, and a baby storytime on Thursdays.
Parents and caregivers with infants and toddlers are invited to pick up an early-reader log and tackle the RFPL's Early Literacy Challenge. Once you've checked off all items, return your log to the library for a free picture or board book.
Youth of all ages can sign up for the summer reading program by starting a reading log at the library and then tracking how much they read or have read to them. As they visit the library to update their reading log, they can enter their name for a weekly prize drawing: books, games, and other surprises.
Library officials note summer reading is very important, and that it is estimated that summer breaks cause the average student to lose up to one month of instruction, with disadvantaged students disproportionately affected in losses of up to three months.
The best way to combat that “summer slide,” RFPL said in a program announcement, is for kids to read and be engaged in reading-related activities during the summer so that they'll be ready for school in the fall.
Youth Services Librarian Sam Maskell encourages parents to participate: “One of the best ways parents can show that reading is enjoyable is to let their children see them reading.”