On June 2, Camp Verde kids, ages 12 and under, joined students both regionally and nationally as underwater explorers through the “Oceans of Possibilities” Summer Reading Program, hosted by the Camp Verde Community Library.
The program was developed by the Collaborative Summer Library Program, a non-profit organization that creates material for libraries to keep kids engaged in reading throughout the summer.
Every year, there is a different theme.
“I’d say, every summer we have over 100 children [participating],” Leticia “Letty” Ancira, Camp Verde Community Library Children’s Librarian said.
For the kickoff celebration, the library was bustling with activity, which included a special interactive performance by children’s entertainer Jan Sandwich.
Sandwich has been working with children throughout Arizona and the Southwest for more than 25 years, adopting up to 12 different personas to educate children through her stories, songs and more.
For her “oceans” performance, Sandwich appeared as Mother Goose and told an animated story of “The Little Tugboat who learned about oceans of possibilities.”
Her performance included a magic show, songs and an additional pirate story.
Over the next several weeks, children will learn about oceans and sea creatures through reading, art activities, “STREAM” classes and more.
“We’re following the [science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics] letters, and we added the ‘R’ for river, so they can learn about the Verde Valley,” Ancira said.
Retired educator and Camp Verde resident Sally Epperson will be leading the STREAM classes.
“The lessons that I’m teaching are a supplement to what schools teach under the [STEAM] heading,” Epperson said.
Some of Epperson’s lessons will include making a “crystal” coral reef, a Morse code project and a river lesson, which will take place at Rezzonico Park next to the library.
“I’m going to ask them to pick up a small rock or pebble that they can carry in their hand and a small twig or a piece of bark, and when we get down to the river, we’ll talk about the current and the flow,” Epperson said. “Afterwards, I’ll give them some background on the river and where it originates and where it ends up.”
For the reading portion, children will have a goal to read 10 to 15 minutes per day.
“A lot of books get ordered, I try to buy a lot of non-fiction books,” Ancira said. “I wanted them to see all those beautiful real pictures from National Geographic about oceans, turtles and more.”
To inspire the children’s creativity, a large art installation will hang near the entrance of the children’s section of the library.
Camp Verde Artist Mary Rush was recruited by the library to design a backdrop for the installation after her previous work with the library including a Plein Air workshop and exhibition in the library gallery.
Rush said she collaborated with the library on the back-drop design, which is based on a similar wall-to-wall, “totally immersive” installation, which featured a black-light to illuminate the surface of objects.
“[The library] wanted to do a little piece of that [installation],” Rush said.
The children will add pieces of their original art to Rush’s “coral reef” over the next few weeks.
“Every week there will be an ocean art activity; making fish, jellyfish and more to put up onto the reef,” Ancira said.
“It’s going to be a work in progress,” Rush said. “We’ll be figuring it out as we go.”
According to Epperson, a lot of work has gone into the program.
“I’ve been meeting with Letty for 8 weeks now,” she said.
Epperson said that working with the library has been helping her to find new purpose since retiring after 40 years of teaching.
“This whole thing has just been so good for me personally, to pull things together and make this work appear,” she said. “You’re around people and you are producing some-thing that is needed in society, where you feel good about yourself, and what you’re doing.”
According to Ancira, even travelers can enjoy the perks of the program, since it is a national program.
“Summer travelers can keep it going across states,” she said. “It’s very interactive, it’s very fun and you have a lot of participation from the children and their parents.”
