[OPLINLIST] ODNR Explore the Outdoors challenge & Summer Reading Program

[Janet Ingraham Dwyer]

Please excuse cross-postings.

 

Dear Librarian,

 

As you prepare for this year's Summer Reading Program, we wanted to make
you aware of a great opportunity that will coincide with the Make a
Splash theme.

 

The State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
(ODNR) have partnered to promote this year's Summer Reading Program and
a program designed to help children reconnect with their natural world.
ODNR has launched a statewide campaign called Explore the Outdoors,
designed to ignite children's interest in the outdoors. 

 

The cornerstone of this campaign is the Explore the Outdoors challenge,
in which Ohio's children are challenged to turn off their TVs, video
games and computers and get outside. In April, more than 750,000 outdoor
activity guides will be distributed through the public school system to
children, grades 1-5. The guides feature 10 outdoor activities for kids
to complete-many of which are water related and lend well to the Make a
Splash theme (for example, activities include: Splash in a Stream,
Paddle a Canoe, Catch a Fish, Swim with a Buddy, Explore a Wetland).
Children can complete these activities at Ohio parks, forests and nature
preserves which are listed in the back of the guide. They must then
locate an Explore the Outdoors poster at participating location welcome
centers and kiosks. The poster will contain a "secret code" that
participants should record in their activity guide (for example, the
code for Paddle a Canoe might be "lifejacket"). Once children have two
or more codes they can fill out and send in a detachable mail-in
postcard, located in the back of the book, and will be entered in a
drawing. Winners will be drawn each month beginning June through
December 2010. Prizes include:

 

*	Chartered Lake Erie fishing trip for four
*	Free camping getaway at an Ohio State Park
*	Weekend stay at an Ohio State Park lodge 
*	A year's subscription to Highlights or High Five magazine

 

The guides will also be made available to libraries to distribute as
part of the Summer Reading Program. We hope that this publication will
offer your summer reading patrons an opportunity to really make a splash
this summer by connecting with both books and nature.

 

Each library that participates in the program should encourage patrons
to write down the name of their local library before sending in the
detachable postcard. Those children that participate in the program
through the Summer Reading Program will then also be eligible to win a
gift basket of children's nonfiction books from Boyds Mills Press, which
includes books from their Earthworks series. These books also correspond
with the Make a Splash theme, including titles such as Rivers, Oceans
and Creatures of Earth, Sea and Sky.

 

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources also has a wealth of materials
and assistance they can provide, including naturalists and staff members
that may be able to visit local libraries and discuss topics related to
nature and Make a Splash activities.  

 

If you're interested in partnering with ODNR and would like copies of
the Explore the Outdoors activity guides, please contact Jason Fallon at
614-265-6842 or jason.fallon at dnr.state.oh.us. 

 

We also encourage you to visit www.exploretheoutdoorsohio.com
<http://www.exploretheoutdoorsohio.com/>  for additional information
about the campaign. We thank you for considering participation in this
worthwhile program and hope you have a successful Summer Reading
Program.

 

Sincerely, 

 

Janet Ingraham Dwyer                            Jason Fallon

State Library of Ohio                              Ohio Department of
Natural Resources

Library Consultant                                  Marketing
Coordinator

jdwyer at library.ohio.gov
Jason.Fallon at dnr.state.oh.us

http://library.ohio.gov/youthservices 

The State Library of Ohio provides services and resources to assist
state government and libraries in providing the best service to all.

 

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