articles

St. Lucie County Libraries Take Story Time Outside...

...Take a Walk, Read a Book, Have an Adventure

September 25, 2020


What if there was a way to encourage your child to read and be active and stay safe outside? Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 7 and running through Dec. 12, the St. Lucie County Library System will be presenting Pop-Up StoryWalks® at four locations throughout the county. This new outdoor storytime will take place Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon. (unless canceled due to weather or holidays).

A StoryWalk® is an outdoor reading experience where a children’s book is deconstructed and the pages of the book are displayed along a gentle walking trail. As you walk, families can read through pages of a book set on posts, get some physical activity and be outside all at the same time. Each book contains bright illustrations and invites active participation. The book titles were chosen by the library’s youth specialists to strengthen the literacy skills of preschoolers.

In this 10-book series, titles will be rotated through the county and each location will have a different story every week. No library card or registration is required; just show up and walk through at your own pace. Depending on how fast you walk, each StoryWalk® should take approximately 25 minutes.

StoryWalk® will take place from 10:00 AM to noon:

  • Wednesdays at the Oxbow Eco-Center, 5400 NE St. James Drive, Port St. Lucie;

  • Thursdays at the Kilmer Branch Library, 101 Melody Lane, Fort Pierce (green space just to the north of the building);

  • Fridays at the Morningside Branch Library, 2410 SE Morningside Blvd., Port St. Lucie (southeast side of the building);

  • Saturdays at the Lewis Branch Library, 2950 Rosser Blvd., Port St. Lucie (green space, just south of the building).

There should be plenty of room to spread out, but just in case, the library staff asks that anyone older than the age of 6 wear a mask. For those needing masks, St. Lucie County’s six branch libraries have re-usable cloth masks available for free, which are provided through the county’s Public Safety Department.

StoryWalk® is a program created in 2007 by Anne Ferguson in Montpelier, Vt., when she worked for the Vermont Department of Public Health. She found a tremendous ally in her local library, the Kellogg-Hubbard Library and through their collective efforts, a StoryWalk® has been installed in all 50 states and 12 foreign countries. The idea just resonates in so many communities, including in St. Lucie County.

For more information about the StoryWalk® program email yari-robinsonl@stlucieco.org  or call 772-871-5484. For more information about other St. Lucie County Library programs visit www.stlucieco.gov/library