Young children will now be able to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time through a new StoryWalk® installation at Spicertown Community Park in Austin. The Scott County Community Foundation’s Early Childhood Committee invites families to join the movement to combine literacy, exercise, nature, and family bonding.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in 2007. Her goal was to create something different, fun and interesting for adults to be active with children to help encourage healthy living. She came up with the idea to take pages from a children’s picture book, attach each one to a stake, and line them along a path. Since then, StoryWalk® has spread to all 50 states and 13 foreign countries.
Scott County’s fourth StoryWalk® installation is made possible through the generosity of a grant from Duke Energy Foundation. The grant was matched with a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. “This is a fun way for families to explore the new park together,” said Lisa Huber, government and community relations manager for Duke Energy. “Kids can enjoy nature while reading and use their imagination while interacting with characters in the story.”
The StoryWalk® will be installed on the walking path around the new park. There will be 20 signs displayed along the trail, and each sign will share an activity that a child can do to be interactive with their surroundings. The first book to be featured is Emma Stein’s First Hollyween by local author David Caudell.
There are three other StoryWalk installations in Scott County, located at Austin Community Park, Manaugh Memorial Park and Scott County Courthouse. The Community Foundation’s Early Childhood Committee rotates the books quarterly, so families are encouraged to check back often for a new book.
The majority of the books will be used from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library initiative, which is a program supported by the Community Foundation, United Way of Scott County, Friends of the Library, Kiwanis Club of Scott County, State of Indiana and numerous other donors. The Imagination Library provides free books for children from ages birth through five, mailed directly to their homes every month. In Scott County, there are currently 891 children receiving the age-appropriate books, and 2,269 children who “graduated” from the program when they turned five.
To celebrate this new StoryWalk® location, an opening reception and ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at Spicertown Community Park on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 4 p.m. The park is located at 1228 Gibson Drive in Austin. The community is invited to attend, with free hot cocoa and cookies served by Austin Elementary’s K-Kids. Visitors are encouraged to take photos and use the hashtag #ScottCountyStoryWalk to share with others. For more information on sponsoring a book, call the Scott County Community Foundation at 812-752-2057 or email info@scottcountyfoundation.org.
“The Early Childhood Committee dreamed of bringing something to Scott County that would unite connections with the youngest learners and their caregivers,” said Committee Chairperson Emily Jordan. “By utilizing the Scott County StoryWalk®, families will create a deeper bond and understanding for one another, and will develop necessary developmental skills such as social communication, motor, language development and cognitive skills. While our books will be focused on younger ages, the StoryWalk® project is for all ages and every ability level. We hope everyone enjoys this project the same way and as much as our committee has enjoyed working on it.”
For more information on sponsoring a book, please contact Jaime Toppe at the Community Foundation, 752-2057, email info@scottcountyfoundation.org, or stop in the office at 60 N. Main St. You may visit www.scottcountyfoundation.org and visit the StoryWalk® page under the Community Initiatives menu for a current list of the StoryWalk® locations and books.
