A perfect mash-up of a library Racing to Read Storytime and an outdoor activity to get your kids moving, Storywalk at the Springfield Botanical Gardens was such a cute idea and very well implemented. One of the best library story-tellers was there, and she engaged the kids in cute songs and books about birds. Another girl, a college-aged bird lover, talked about how she learned to study birds, showed everyone a little birdhouse and a hummingbird nest, and read another book to her captive audience. The readers even complemented the main story, Have You Heard the Nesting Bird, with bird sounds for each individual page.
After a few stories, the kids and families were encouraged to make the craft of the day: a little construction paper tree, cupcake liner bird’s nest and blue cotton ball “eggs.” The kids could also take some paper to start their very own Bird Journal, something that the co-leader mentioned she loved to do even at an early age.
We grabbed the Bird Scavenger Hunt printout for a later time on our way outside, then followed everyone to the Storywalk area. Have You Heard the Nesting Bird was enlarged and posted page-by-page on signposts along a pretty little trail, leading past the playground, budding trees, and ending at a garden. My girls really enjoyed the walk, stopping to read the words and see the pictures on the posts as we went past each one. It was un-guided, but easy to follow.
After we finished the Storywalk, we spent time with many of the parents and kids at the playground outside of the Botanical Center at Nathaniel Greene Park. This play place is incredible, and if you haven’t brought your kids yet, I highly recommend it. Overall, this was a really cute and informative event, and we plan to go to the next one!
What You Need to Know:
- Ages: Best for preschool & elementary-aged children
- FREE
- Address: 2400 S Scenic Ave, Springfield
- This event is not a regularly-scheduled event, but check the website for upcoming an Storywalk (and lots of other events hosted by the Springfield Greene Libraries: https://thelibrary.org/kids/programs/
Hi! I am so tickled to come across your site and see your love for the Library! I’m Miss Sarah, one of the librarians, and the librarian who did this program. I’m so glad you’ve found The Library as a great resource for your family and we so appreciate all of your excitement and passion and sharing the library love.
Thank you, Sarah! I’m so glad that you found this site too (and I hope that you’ve found some fun ideas through these posts)!! It’s such a joy to read your comments 🙂 The girls and I absolutely love the library story time at Midtown Carnegie! You were the first person we met there for the Run off Those Winter Wiggles event, and we’ve kept coming back ever since. Thanks for making it so special for my (and many other) kids!