Highland Park Makes Reading a Walk in the Park
The Town of Highland Park Parks and Recreation Department and the Highland Park Harvey R. “Bum” Bright Library have joined a growing number of communities that are now offering Story Walk.
This initiative combines outside exploration with literacy for a fun and engaging activity for families. Through August, the library has selected three books for the walking adventure.
VIVID: Poems and Notes About Color by Julie Paschkis initiated the Story Walk program for the summer on June 1, in Prather Park, located at 4500 Drexel Drive.
“The concept is very simple,” said librarian Holly Russell. “You read each page of a storybook posted on a sign as you walk through the park. Each page has an activity that families can do together to make the experience that much more meaningful.”
Many children’s picture books are about exploring the world around you, and placing the book into the outdoor setting helps children immediately connect what they read with what they see.
The first book explores colors. The next title will introduce the many birds in the trees, and the final book gets walkers moving and grooving through the park.
It is not necessary to start at the library in Highland Park Town Hall, but Story Walkers are encouraged to drop in for an introduction or to pick up bird watching binoculars for July’s book, Bird Watch by Christie Matheson.
Story Walk is the creation of Anne Ferguson with the assistance of Rachel Senechal, a librarian at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Vermont. Since its creation in 2007, Story Walk and other variations of the program have been implemented in all 50 states, and at least 12 countries.
To learn more about the history and purpose of Story Walk, visit kellogghubbard.org/storywalk.
