CARIBOU, Maine — Nearly 20 young children gathered in the Caribou Public Library to learn about farming on June 28, for the first week of the library’s summer reading program.
The six-week program began with a story and a lesson about soil. Children’s Librarian Erin Albers read “Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt,” a book by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal that explains the function of soil in a garden.
To add to their listening experience, children stood up when Albers read the word “up,” and sat down when she read the word “down.” All young participants received a jar of dirt to help with their understanding of soil and how it applies to gardening and farming.
As part of Caribou Public Library’s Summer reading program, preschool aged children learned about soil on Wednesday, June 28 and each filled a jar with dirt while Children’s Librarian Erin Albers read a book about the importance of soil in both farming and gardening. (Christopher Bouchard)
Subsequent weeks of the program will involve other aspects of farming, from seeds to equipment such as tractors, and even a day where children can interact with farm animals. According to Albers, a party will tie things up during the last week of the program.
In addition to the preschool program on Wednesday mornings, the library will also host a similar reading program with a farming theme for elementary schoolers (Kindergarten to fifth grade) on Mondays at 3:30 p.m., and a Mother Goose Story Time for children aged 0-24 months, during the same six-week period.
