—Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Adri Sietstra Carrie Winkler and her daughter, McKaylee, age 8, check out the children’s section at Kendall Young Library Tuesday afternoon. KYL is encouraging kids to keep reading over the summer by providing activities and programs for the whole family.

With summer in full swing, Kendall Young Library is reminding the community that there is an activity for every age happening at the library.

“We’ve got lots to offer for the kids and the parents,” Kendall Young Library Children’s Librarian Linda Brown said. “It’s a fun activity for them to go to the library together and do our activities that we have here.”

• Preschool story time

Youngsters can attend preschool story time on Tuesday mornings from 10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. This program is for kids ages three to six-years-old who have not attended kindergarten yet. The program is free and no registration is required. Story time runs through July 25. Kendall Young Library will be closed on Tuesday, July 4 for the holiday.

“This summer we have our story times back again,” said Brown.

Each week centers around a special theme:

June 27: Construction Zone; July 11: Home Sweet Home; July 18: A visit from the Blank Park Zoo (beginning early at 10:30 a.m. instead of the normal 10:45 a.m. start time); and July 25: Around the Town.

• Ready, set, go!

School age programs have also begun. Kids who have finished kindergarten through fourth grade can participate in an assortment of fun activities each Thursday afternoon from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Today’s theme is Lego Landmarks.

“We’re just going to be doing a lot of things related to the theme “Building a Better World“. We’re going to be building towns, doing special Lego buildings, and will have someone here to do Lego motors and gears,” said Brown.

Themes include:

June 22: Lego Landmarks; June 29: Build a Bridge; July 6: Build a Town; July 13: John Laird, with Hamilton County Conservation, will be presenting a program about eagles and osprey; July 20: Lego Challenges (Motors and Gears); and July 27 Chalk Painting

“That’s going to be exciting,” Brown said.

Special Shows

• Science Show-tastic on Wednesday, June 28 from 6 to 7 p.m. Kids and families are welcome.

“I’ve heard that they are really good,” said Brown.

• Big Machine Night at the library happens on Wednesday, July 12 from 6 yo 7 p.m. Kids and families are welcome.

“That’s going to be outside on the north side of the building. “The city is going to block it off so we can have the big construction trucks out there,” said Brown. “Kids can go out there and talk and visit and maybe even sit inside one of those big vehicles.”

• Magic Show will take place on Thursday, July 20 from 6 to 7 p.m. Kids and families are welcome.

“We’ve had the magician quite a few years in a row and every time he comes he gives a different program so we are really looking forward to him,” Brown said.

• Reading Logs

“The Friends of the Library are supplying free books for kids that bring back the June reading log,” said Brown. “I’ll have June, July and August reading logs.”

“In July and August I’ll be giving away food coupons and a prize from the treasure chest too,” Brown said. “We want kids to keep up their reading skills in the summer, so we make it fun.”

Brown also encourages kids to stop in at the library for surprise contests over the summer.

As part of the library’s Summer Reading Program June 1st through July 30, Kendall Young Library will be challenging teens to read for a cause. In honor of this year’s reading program theme of “Build a Better World,” for every reading log the teens complete this summer, the library will donate one dollar to the Webster City Food Pantry, an extension of Upper Des Moines Opportunity.

“It makes it special when they come here to the library. It is their library,” Brown said. “I tell kids that all the time. It’s your library.”

Contact Brown at (515) 832-9100 with questions.