Photo: Community members gather together to cut the ribbon and celebrate the installation of a StoryWalk at the ASUMH Walking Trail.
The Baxter County Library and Arkansas State University – Mountain Home (ASUMH) have partnered together to install a StoryWalk along the ASUMH walking trail.
The StoryWalk is said to be a way for adults and their young children or grandchildren to combine literacy skills and healthy exercise as they walk around 1,600 feet to each of the 16 reading stations. Each station will contain the pages of a children’s book. The library will feature a new children’s story approximately every three months.
The first StoryWalk story features the children’s book, “A Way with Wild Things,” by the author Larissa Theule, and illustrator Sara Palacios. It is described as a picture book about finding confidence in the things that bring you joy.
The StoryWalk is a free activity for all and is accessible during normal trail hours. The story begins at the ASUMH trailhead, which is located next to McClain Hall. Parking is available in the first lot to the right after entering through the Hurd Gate from Highway 62/412. The Baxter County Library’s event calendar can be found by visiting BaxLib.org/Events or the Library’s program guide for StoryWalk.
Baxter County Library Director Kim Crow Sheaner states, “Reading aloud to preschool aged children is the single, most important thing you can do to get them ready to start to learn to read. The StoryWalk project aligns with our Baxter County Early Literacy Project mission, which is to equip all Baxter County children with the early literacy skills they need to be prepared to enter kindergarten.”
Anyone interested in sponsoring the StoryWalk program may contact the Library Foundation Coordinator, Adeana Estoll, at foundation@baxlib.org.
Funds for the StoryWalk stations were provided by the Baxter County Library with American Rescue Plan Act funding received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Arkansas State Library. The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
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