OPL’s Summer Reading Program offers kids a wealth of programs
Registration is now open for several of Oneida Public Library’s Summer Reading Programs, which range from the weekly Rock the Library Camp to a one-week theater camp to an intensive LEGO Robotics Workshop. In addition, the OPL’s summer program schedule includes four special events open to all
The library’s Summer Reading Program starts off with a splash on Friday, July 13, at 3 p.m. with a special performance for all ages by the Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre of its new play “The Bremen Town Musicians.” The original play with music, based on the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale first published in 1819, follows four aging and neglected farm animals (a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster) that take to the road to go to Bremen to become musicians. Along the way, they join forces to face a whirl of misadventures and learn that teamwork and a dash of music can win the day.
The regular summer reading program for children in grades kindergarten through fifth grade is the Rock the Library Camp, which will meet weekly on Tuesdays from 12:30 to 2 p.m. from July 10 through August 7. Campers will try their hands at rock music and dance while learning the science and mathematics underpinning music. Parents or guardians need to register their children for the program.
Children at the camp will also construct their own drums in preparation for the OPL’s Community Drum Circle and Picnic scheduled for Thursday, August 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Allen Park. Children of all ages and their families are invited to bring a picnic supper and any sort of drums, whether factory made or homemade, to provide the beat for a huge and impressive drum circle.
The one-week drama camp for young OPL Players, students from third to eighth grades, starts Monday, July 16, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and runs daily until Friday July 20. Tom Lemery once again presides over the camp but brings to the drama camp a new concept: performance art he calls “Di-VERSE-ity,” a kind of poetry slam in which the children will learn selected poems and recite them with all the vocal and bodily techniques that the theater can provide to convey emotion. The drama camp will conclude with a public performance July 20 at 5 p.m. at the library with the children performing both monologues and ensemble pieces. Pre-registration is required.
An OPL Summer Reading Program bonus will occur July 19, when Oneida’s own Doug Salati comes up from New York City to the library to present his career-making children’s book, “In a Small Kingdom,” written by the famed children’s author Tomi dePaolo and illustrated by Salati, a 2003 graduate of Oneida High School. The picture book, published by Simon and Schuster last April, is Salati’s professional debut as a book illustrator.
Salati will be appearing at the OPL Thursday, July 19, at 2 p.m. to present “In a Small Kingdom” to children, from preschoolers to third graders, and their parents or guardians. OPL Youth Services Coordinator Megan Gillander will be on hand to help out with a drawing exercise for the children.
At 6:30 p.m., Salati will return to the library for a special presentation on book illustration and publishing for both adults and young adults. At the program he will show samples of his work to illustrate his points.
At both Salati programs, which are free and open to all, copies of his picture book will be available for sale and signing by the illustrator.
OPL’s summer programming includes a Summer Book Club that will meet Wednesdays July 25 and August 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. July’s selection is “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown (suitable for children in third to seventh grades). Children will share games related to the book’s themes as well as conversation about the book. Parents or guardians who sign up their children at the library or by calling the library at 315-363-3050 can also put in a request to obtain copies of the book club’s selections.
Come August, using her distinctive expertise, Megan Gillander will do a program call Geology Rocks on Wednesday, August 1, at 6 p.m. Gillander, a geology instructor at Utica College, will teach young people in grades three through twelve how various rocks are created and how to identify the types.
For the sixth year in a row, the OPL hosts a week-long First Lego League Robotics Workshop from Monday, August 20, through Friday, August 24, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a time out for lunch. The workshop is open to young students who have at least completed fifth grade and can multiply and divide fractions. Since the workshop is limited to 12 students, preference will be given to those who have never attended a robotics workshop before. Pre-registration is required.
The Robotics Workshop is an intensive five-day introduction to the potential of robotics to aid humankind and improve the quality of life globally. Participants will build and program electronically controlled robots with Legos and power packs under the supervision of Ralph Kohler, Jr., and Tandi Paugh from the U.S. Air Force Laboratory in Rome. The Lab provides all the materials needed.
The Lego Robotics Workshop is part of a nationwide program called the First Lego League, which is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Laboratory to promote the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by young people.
Finally, OPL’s Summer Reading Program will host a Lip Sync Battle on Wednesday, August 15, at 6 p.m. for the “tweens.” A spin-off of the television show, the OPL’s Lip Sync Battle will test the show-biz bravura of local tweens and their friends in performing hit songs.
To register children for SRP programs or for more information, parents or guardians should stop by the Oneida Library, 220 Broad St., or call 315.363.3050.