Summer Reading Activities

Summer is coming soon, and we have lots of great activities for kids planned at Allerton Library. You can register for these activities anytime between May 12 and the day of the activity you're interested in. Sign up for all, some, or none - it's up to you! There's no penalty for no-shows or cancellations. To sign up, stop by the library at 201 N. State St., call us at 762-4676, or email me at klawson.allerton@gmail.com.

Activities are on Monday mornings and Tuesday afternoons. We will also have weekly teen book club meetings, baby lap times, and storytimes. Stop by the library or go here to view monthly calendars.

June 4: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at 10 a.m. Kids will do crafts based on the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. One will be a picture of food coming down from the sky with pipe cleaner and muffin cup umbrellas, and the other will be a food picture mixing/matching activity.

June 5: Building with Food at 2:30 p.m. Kids will make buildings from toothpicks and mini marshmallows, and will test their cookie stacking skills.

June 11: Three Ravens tour at 11 a.m. Kids will go to the Three Ravens restaurant on the square and will get to see how the restaurant works. We will all meet at the library at 10:45 and then walk downtown to the restaurant to be there when it opens at 11. Parents should make sure that small children are accompanied by an adult or caregiver.

June 12: S’Mores and Stories at 2:30 p.m. Kids will listen to stories in a tent and enjoy microwave s’mores.

June 18: Potluck Picnic at 10 a.m. Kids will play picnic games like a Penny Toss, Relay Race, Clothespin in the Bottle, and a Hoop Jump. Parents can bring recipes for a recipe exchange. Juice & snacks will be provided.

June 19: Iron Chef at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. At both programs, kids will have access to several kinds of food and will be able to put together their own dishes – but they have to include the Secret Ingredient! The 2:30 program is for children ages 3-7 and the 3:30 program is for children ages 8 and older.

June 25: Food Detectives at 10 a.m. Kids will try to identify the kind of squished candy bar in each plastic bag. They will also try to guess condiments based on taste and spices based on smell.

June 26: Gross Food at 2:30 p.m. Kids will assemble different kinds of foods to make “gross” items, such as Ritz cracker & pretzel stick spiders, cheese & pretzel boogers on a stick, etc.

July 2: My Plate, My Pancake at 10 a.m. Kids will do a craft based on the “My Plate” healthy eating model, and do a pancake & frying pan craft.

July 3: Bean & Pasta Mosaic at 2:30 p.m. Kids will make mosaics by gluing pieces of pasta and beans onto construction paper.

July 9: Butterflies & Bees at 10 a.m. The Macon County Conservation District will come to the library and do a presentation about how bees and butterflies eat. Kids will learn about pollination and honey making and will get to taste some local honey.

July 10: Pondering Pizza at 2:30 p.m. Kids will learn how all the ingredients on a slice of pizza begin on farms, are processed, distributed, and made into a tasty meal. Cheese pizza will be served.

July 16: Making Healthy Snacks at 10 a.m. Monticello’s 4-H group will lead a workshop for kids where they can learn about healthy snacks and then make their own.

July 17: Cooking Up History at 2:30 p.m. Kids will learn about the kinds of things pioneers used to eat and how they were grown and made. There will be several hands-on activities.

July 23: Spaghetti Painting at 10 a.m. Kids will make paintings using cooked spaghetti instead of paintbrushes.

July 24: Ice Cream Sundae at 2:30 p.m. Kids will make a pretend ice cream sundae with craft pom poms and sequins for sprinkles.