Wesson Public Library hosts Summer Reading Program

Special to Wesson News

Captain Ellis Lee Morrison will talk about the Mississippi Highway Patrol Mounted Division at Library’s Summer Reading Program.

Children four years old to 12 years old from throughout the area will enter a wider and bigger world through learning and reading gates Wesson Public Library (WPL) is opening for them in its annual Summer Reading Program starting this month and continuing into July.

WPL is expecting 50 to 75 kids to participate in the program starting Thursday, June 26, and brings them together weekly on subsequent Thursdays through July 31.

Thematically framed as “Color Our World,” the program will be a venue for learning experiences, encouraging use of library resources, crafts, food and fun and making new friends from 10 a.m. until 12 noon each Thursday.

Weekly learning experiences will cover:

• Quilt making.  Dr. Steven Liverman will lead June 26 and July 24 crafts sessions, initially focusing on making a quilt on the first date, with the second date for completing it, if required. or focused on another craft.

• Agriculture, Farming & Feeding the World.  On July 10, Shelby Burge, Ag in the Classroom Coordinator for Mississippi Farm Bureau, will bring virtual reality goggles that offer the kids immersive and interactive exploration of the world of farming, and Lilly Belle, a simulated cow that the kids can be milk, providing a unique farming experience.

• Horses in Law Enforcement.  On July 17, Captain Ellis Lee Morrison, who leads the Mississippi Highway Patrol Mounted Division, and is responsible for training the horses and officers who serve in it, will talk about the role of the division, with a particular focus on search and rescue.  He will bring four horses from his Wesson stables for photos of children atop them.

Throughout the program, participants will be encouraged to read books and other literature that introduce them the wider world library resources open.  On Thursday, July 31, the most voracious readers will be recognized and receive prizes in their age group categories.

Snacks and fun time will be part of each Thursday’s experience, with ice cream a special treat on July 31 Awards Day.

Parents can register their kids for the Summer Reading Program at Wesson Public Library throughout June up and until the first Thursday session (June 26).  The registration form includes a reading contract that makes a child eligible for reading prizes and agrees that books, minutes or pages will be part of a child’s experience.