Ah summer… The familiar smell of chlorine and sunscreen, the freedom of endless unplanned days, and the inevitable boredom that comes from three months off of school.

Families can spice up their summer and support their community institutions by registering for the Summer Reading Program at their local libraries.

This year the Scappoose Public Library offers a fresh, unique plan for summer fun! Kids of all ages are invited to “Level Up” with us by attending free programs and tracking their reading progress.

In addition to fan favorites such as Music & Movement, LEGO Open Play, and storytimes, the library will be bringing special guests to share their expertise. From jugglers and musicians to puppeteers and herpetologists, they’ve got all your special interests covered.

As part of the library’s mission to make science, technology, engineering, arts and math education affordable and accessible for their patrons, it is bringing local museums to the library. The Columbia River Maritime Museum will be on hand to teach us some maritime games, and OMSI will be exploring the lives of bats, solving crimes using forensic evidence and dissecting squids.

In case you missed Bigfoot at the library’s Outdoor Festival, you’ll be getting another chance to see an elusive mythical creature as Pyxis, the real-life unicorn, is welcomed to the library.

Get ready to get messy with opportunities for painting, gluing, rescuing gummy worms, trading stickers and racing potato cars. Tweens and teens will have special programming just for their age groups with activities such as learning to play D&D, Henna, Outside Games, KindergarTEEN, trivia and crafts.

Children will be rewarded for continuing to maintain the habit of reading over the summer. Kids that are readers grow up to be adults who read, creating an informed populace capable of critical thinking.

All program participants will receive a free book of their choice upon registration and again at completion, having read for 40 days of the summer.  Every 10 days, children will choose a favorite charm to add to their wristband or keychain, creating a personalized expression of themselves.

The library has been receiving wonderfully generous community donations to create an epic Treasure Chest that children can choose from when they complete the reading challenge. Signing up for the reading challenge is easy: Just pop into the Scappoose Public Library and let them know you’d like to “Level Up!”

Stop by the library or check out its website at scappooselibrary.org for more information.

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Emily Armstrong is the youth services clerk at the Scappoose Public Library.