A New Purse Can Help A Child Learn To Read! 12-06-09

Miss’ Purse-n-ality (Melissa Scotting) will be hosting a special purse party at her home on Sunday, December 6th, from 1-3 PM. This party is just in time for Christmas and is the perfect place to find just the right gift for any ladies on your list. The party will be held at 905 9th Avenue Southwest, Pipestone. Bring a friend and have a great time!

25% of the proceeds from the party will go to Meinders Library to help fund our new program, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten. The program is a reading program open to children from birth until 5 years of age. It is designed to promote awareness of the critical importance of literacy skills in children even before they reach school. The program will also help parents realize and participate in the acquisition of these skills as they step into their irreplaceable role as their child’s first teacher. The ultimate goal is to encourage parents to reach to their children from birth until they begin attending school, and beyond. Once children are exposed to books, they tend to develop a life-long love of reading and that same exposure will help them enter into school ready and willing to learn.

When a child is registered, they receive a book bag (colored canvas and paintable!), a bookmark, a colored pencil, a bound reading log, and a special sticker. For every twenty books recorded in the reading log, participants may go to the library to have their log stamped and receive another sticker. Once 500 books have been read, the child receives a paperback book. Each year, during Children’s Book Week in May, a party will be held to celebrate those children who reached 1000 books during the previous year. At the celebration, each child who completed the program will get a certificate and a paperback book. The children must complete the program before they start kindergarten.

Meinders Library is open from 10 – 8, Monday through Thursday, and 10-5 Friday and Saturday. If you have any questions or if you would like to reserve or renew a book, please contact the library at (507) 825-6714. We look forward to seeing you at the party!!