For 7 weeks, starting on July 6, 2020, we help elementary age kids use all their senses to explore the nature right in their backyard, from nesting birds to fireflies, from rocks under the ground to clouds in the sky, all while enhancing literacy skills.

Participating families will receive a weekly email as well as a kit of hands-on materials for exploring the natural world around their home. Emails will include a link to lessons on the weeks theme, recorded stories, craft how-to videos, and coloring pages. The weekly kit, which will be available for pickup at the Ford Library, will include materials for the craft, as well as the occasional exploration tool (such as a magnifying glass or a bug box) or book to keep. By the end of summer, each kid will have collected a small explorer kit and a small set of fiction and nonfiction books of their very own! This program not only gets kids outside in the summer sun, but also supports literacy by introducing new concepts and contextual knowledge, giving opportunities to draw and write on each week’s theme, and the chance to listen to works of fiction and non-fiction.  

Enrollment is now closed. 

Weekly Themes