Keep the kids busy this summer season with the local libraries' challenges.
Tauranga City Libraries and Western Bay of Plenty District Libraries are both running reading challenges to keep the kids entertained these school holidays.
Tauranga City Libraries offers their annual Kia Kaha te Pānui Reading Challenge, with awesome prizes up for grabs, free craft activities, and the return of the programme's legendary finale parties.
Tauranga City Council's children and teens programme specialist Lauren Jones says the challenge is all about participants having fun and feeling proud of achieving their reading goals.
'We're excited to be using the free app Beanstack this year. Beanstack provides a really fun and easy way to track your child's reading, plus keep our young readers motivated.
'The app awards virtual badges to readers throughout the challenge which are kind of like a digital fist-bump to say ‘well done!'”
There's three categories of Kia Kaha te Pānui: the Mini Reads for ages zero-four, Summer Reads for ages five-10, and the Teen Reads for ages 11-18.
Kids who complete Kia Kaha te Pānui:
Summer Reads also receive an invitation to the finale party at Memorial Park, a prize book to keep, and a certificate.
Preschoolers
For the first time, the challenge extends to preschoolers with the introduction of Kia Kaha te Pānui: Mini Reads. This is a simplified version of the school-aged challenge.
Western Bay of Plenty District Libraries is running its BOB Squad programme until January 23.
BOB Squad is a free, take-home reading challenge for primary school-age tamariki with this year's theme ‘Sonic Sleuths', putting a sound and music twist on encouraging children to grow their reading skills.
Council's customer services manager Valeta Duncan says BOB Squad is a much-loved feature of the libraries summer schedule. 'We're looking forward to seeing local tamariki getting creative with the musical theme this year – they'll be having so much fun they won't even know that they're learning!”
BOB Squad missions
Participants collect a booklet at their local library, where they'll find 14 interactive missions to complete by January 23. Complete at least one mission or three mini missions to get an invite to one of the libraries' big finale parties.
BOB Squad missions include making a musical instrument, going on a sound hunt, creating sound effects, vibrations, and soundwaves plus more!
The booklet also includes 25 mini missions plus a reading log with heckboxes for every 10 minutes spent reading. Get your missions stamped at the library by January 23 to pick up an invitation to the finale party at Te Puke (January 26) or Ōmokoroa Library (January 25).
Or check out the Teen Summer Reading Challenge. This is designed for Years 7-13, so get reading and rating! Check out Tauranga City Libraries and Western Bay of Plenty District Libraries websites for more information.