Ritzville Library provides learning opportunities during summer

“Books give soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to imagination, and life to everything,” said Ancient Greek philosopher Plato.

Many of those who have experienced the power of reading, like Plato, can attest to its importance throughout life. However, a recent survey conducted by Scholastic and YouGov, a publishing company and an international researching firm, respectively, found that an increasing amount of today’s youth does not relate with Plato.

Journalist Alison Flood wrote of the 2015 survey, “51 percent of children said they love or like reading books for fun, compared to 58 percent in 2012, and 60 percent in 2010.

“According to the report, in 2014, 37 percent of children said they like reading a little, and 12 percent said they did not like it at all,” Flood continued.

The Ritzville Public Library’s summer programs help to overcome these statistics, increasing the love of reading in people of all ages while encouraging students to read over summer break.

Regarding how the kid’s program, encouraged for ages from birth to teen, hopes to pique the interest of students, Director of Ritzville Public Library Kylie Fullmer explained, “The library is planning our annual summer reading club and this year’s theme is ‘On Your Mark, Get Set … Read!’ to tie in with the Summer Olympics.”

Students can engage in many activities through the reading program.

Fullmer said, “We’re kicking the summer off with LBow the Clown at the Ritzville City Park on Friday, June 17, at 6 p.m. Every week in Ritzville through August, we’ll have Lego Club, Pokemon Club, craft and activity days, and free movies.”

“The craft and activity days are sports-themed and will include a kid yoga session with Pat Tremaine, a visit from the Mobius Science Center, a party to celebrate the Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony on August 5, and a visit from Ronald McDonald,” Fullmer continued.

Other activities include a monthly video game tournament and similar weekly craft and activity days in Lind throughout June and July.

In addition to having fun, the improvement of reading skills in students is a goal for the Ritzville Public Library.

Fullmer explained, “The library is also partnering with the Ritzville Grade School to offer focused reading assistance led by a teacher in conjunction with our regular library programs.”

She added, “The target audience for this school reading program is third and fourth grade students, although any Ritzville student in grades kindergarten through fifth may sign up by contacting the school.”

The Ritzville Public Library seeks involvement for all ages, and opportunities to learn something new are available for everyone.

“For ages 12 and up,” Fullmer said, “we’re planning a Coding Camp in Ritzville with three two-week sessions. The sessions will include activities like using Makey Makey kits to create interactive video games and learning how to program robots.”

Adults can be involved as well. Among their options: “We have a summer author series with Patricia Briggs on June 9, KB Laugheed on July 21, and Debbie Macomber on August 15. We’ll be offering a series of introductory computer classes at the senior center every Friday morning July 15 through August 12... Topics will include how to use email, the Internet, and Microsoft Word,” Fullmer said. “[Finally,] Peter Davenport from Harrington will be at the library on July 9 to talk about his work as Director at the National UFO Reporting Center.”

Ritzville Public Library provides community members and students of all ages with opportunities to learn over the summer, including, but certainly not limited to, realizing the power of reading.