Candy Statistics Made Easy

            The Calhoun County Library held STEM and STEM, Jr. programs last Thursday following the Summer Reading Program to teach children statistics in an easy way.

            From 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM, we were counting candy at the Calhoun County Library! . Keeping busy schedules in mind, we scheduled these programs back-to-back so that children could attend the Summer Reading Program and then go directly to STEM and STEM, Jr. without having to come back later. Children ages 5 – 12 got to work hands on with candy as they learned everything about basic statistics. By dividing up the candy by color, the children were able to find out percentages based on how many pieces of a certain color they had. STEM documented their findings through bar graphs and pie charts while STEM, Jr. placed colored circles on the white board to make a conjoined bar graph. 

            We were fortunate enough to have Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson and Janice Baskin as our instructors. They will be teaching the STEM and STEM, Jr. program again on Thursday, July 21, at 11:45 AM which will be right after the 10:30 AM program with the  Critter Keeper. We hope you will join us to learn about local plants, leaves, and stems.

            This project is made possible by an awarded grant from Save the Children to support early childhood literacy.

"The Fisherman and his Needy, Greedy Wife"

            The Calhoun County Library had Porkchop Productions perform a play as part of the Summer Reading Program last week.

            The second program for the Summer Reading Program was Porkchop Productions who performed their play titled, "The Fisherman and his Needy, Greedy Wife." On Thursday, June 23, 2022, at 10:30 in the morning, we had a great crowd laughing their fins off!

            This fisherman was a bad fisherman who never caught fish and his wife was not happy. She gave him the ultimatum that if he didn’t catch a fish by the end of the day, they were moving away from the sea. He was very nervous and anxious since he didn’t want to leave his home. Luckily, he caught a fish…but not just any fish… a magical fish who granted him three wishes if the fisherman would agree to throw him back into the water. The fisherman agreed and gave the three wishes to his wife to try and make her happy.

            The first two wishes were easily granted. First, the wife became a young and beautiful social media influencer with more followers than Ariana Grande and Tom Holland combined. Second, she got a mansion with 15 bedrooms, 3 pools, a personal chef, and a voice-activated flat-screen television. With her third wish, the wife wanted to be the queen of all the land with a fancy crown, cape, and many jewels. The magical fish refused to grant the third wish as the wife was getting greedy.

            After some turmoil and a little self-reflection, the wife returned to her old self and finally realized that she should be happy with what she had.

            This play, "The Fisherman and his Needy, Greedy Wife" by Porkchop Productions had a great message for everyone. The actresses also promoted an anti-pollution message, “Give a hoot, don’t pollute.” Because fish only have one home, they shouldn’t have to live in our trash that we carelessly throw away.

            Next week, in observance of July 4, we will not be having a Summer Reading Program on Thursday, July 7. The following week, we will host Mr. Tim Sonefelt and Larry the Duck for a spectacular show! That’s on Thursday, July 14 at 10:30 AM. Don’t miss it!

            Thank you to Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Funding received will support our summer reading program! Special thanks to Save the Children!

Summer Reading Touch Tanks

            The South Carolina Aquarium visited Calhoun County Library last Thursday to educate everyone about the animals that live in our oceans.

            The first program for the Summer Reading was the South Carolina Aquarium on Thursday, June 23, 2022. With a crowd of over 100 people, we were all educated about many things about the ocean.

            The equipment used to dive into our deep oceans is called remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). They have cameras, lights, and arms to inspect as much as possible. However, a huge portion of our oceans is still undiscovered because of the immense pressure that is at the bottom of the ocean. We know more about space than we do about our oceans. Isn’t that crazy?

            What we have found at the bottom of the ocean is shocking. We would expect there to be tons of creepy creatures down there and there might be, but it has been made known that even our trash has made it that far. That is why it is important to always recycle and reuse. We don’t want to harm an environment before we can uncover what it has to offer.

            Fun facts:

                1. Sea stars (starfish) have an eye on each end of their arm.

                2. Horseshoe crabs have blue blood that is used for many medical inventions such as vaccines.

            The crowd got first-hand views when the animals came out! A few touch tanks were available for people to see how certain creatures felt. There was a sea urchin, sea star, hermit crab, conch crab, and horseshoe crab. Many children and adults came up to the table to touch these harmless animals. It was a huge hit with hands-on learning from the South Carolina Aquarium for our Summer Reading Program’s first performance.

            Each week, we will have a fun in-person program that starts at 10:30 AM on Thursdays with a provided snack. Next Thursday, June 30, 2022, is the “Bathtub Pirates” puppet show by Grey Seal Puppets. Come watch a kid save the day against pirates using only a bathtub toy as his ship!

            We would like to thank everyone who came to enjoy our summer reading programs. These programs are made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the South Carolina State Library. Thank you to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation; the funding received will support our summer reading program! Special thanks for support from Save the Children!

A Splashy Kickoff

            Last Thursday, the Calhoun County Library celebrated the beginning of summer reading with a splash!

            On Thursday, June 9, at 10:30 AM, the Calhoun County Library held an outdoor kickoff party. There were little pools for young children to splash around in, and the St. Matthews Fire Department created a fun splash zone by spraying their hose for people to run through. There were also crafts for all ages, water games to be played, giveaways from the Save the Children Foundation, and a frozen treat from Pelican’s SnoBalls of Orangeburg.

            This kickoff party was a fun start to our summer reading programs that are now in full swing. This year, we have two simultaneous summer reading programs for some extra competition for adults and children alike. These programs are entitled Oceans of Possibilities and Adventures to BOOKland. They are both in progress, and we are ready for patrons to register and join in on the fun!

            To register and start logging your and your children’s reading time, visit the Calhoun County Library website to get the account link, or you can download the Beanstack app directly on your phone. Registering is simple, but our Library staff is here to help if you need it. Once your account is set up, it’s time to read! When you reach the pre-set reading time goals, come to the Library to get a weekly prize and craft to take home. A drawing for the grand prizes of bikes and Kindles will be at the finale.

            Each week, we will have a fun in-person program that starts at 10:30 AM on Thursdays with a provided snack. Next Thursday, June 23, 2022, is a hilarious skit by our perennial favorite, Porkchop Productions. Everyone is sure to laugh so come on down and enjoy!

            We would like to thank everyone who came to enjoy the celebration kickoff party. This program is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the South Carolina State Library. Thank you to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation; the funding received will support our summer reading program! Special thanks for support from Save the Children!

Start Reading This Summer

            Two summer reading programs are now in full swing at the Calhoun County Library, and we’re ready for everyone to make a splash! We know our patrons are avid readers, so we have added a second summer reading program for some extra competition: Oceans of Possibilities and Adventures to BOOKland. They have both started, and we are ready for patrons to join in on the fun!

            To register and start logging your time, visit the Calhoun County Library website to get the account link, or you can download the Beanstack app on your phone. Once you have an account, it’s time to read! When you reach the pre-set reading goals, come to the library to get a weekly prize and craft to take home. The drawing for the grand prizes of bikes and Kindles will be at the finale.

            Each week, we will have a fun in-person program that starts at 10:30 AM on Thursdays with a provided snack.

June 9, 2022 is our Summer Reading Program Kickoff Party full of water games, crafts, frozen treats, and even a firetruck. Wear your swimsuit and prepare to get wet!

June 16, 2022 features the South Carolina Aquarium who will be teaching about ocean habitats with fun activities and live animals.

June 23, 2022 is a very funny skit by Porkchop Productions. Everyone is sure to laugh!

June 30, 2022 is a show by Grey Seal Puppets about a kid saving the day against pirates using only a bathtub toy as their ship.

There will not be a program on July 7, 2022!

July 14, 2022 we welcome magician Mr. Tim and his sidekick Larry the Duck as they catch waves and perform magic right in front of your eyes.

July 21, 2022 is a creepy, crawly favorite. Join us for two shows with the Critter Keeper! The first is at 10:30 AM, and the second is 1:30 PM.

July 28, 2022 is our Summer Reading Program finale! It is going to be packed full of games, treats, awards, prizes, and will even have a special reading with Cocky. Come celebrate all the reading you accomplished!

            Come have loads of fun at the Calhoun County Library and enjoy a summer of reading and learning.

            This project is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the South Carolina State Library. Thank you to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation; funding received will support our summer reading program! Special thanks for support from Save the Children!