Summer at Russell Library
GeoMission
GeoMission is a name we created to describe an activity similar to “geocaching”. Geocaching is the activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website. We will not be using specific GPS coordinates, but we will give you detailed mission directions each week.
We will have weekly GeoMission directions on our website. We will also have paper directions at the Children’s Desk. The new box will be available to seek on Friday mornings. The GeoMission Team will swap in a new box every Thursday afternoon!
There will be 12 GeoMission locations spaced around the Middletown area. One week the box will be hidden in the library but the other locations will all be outdoors. The location will change each week, so you can only seek one box at a time.
Each week the GeoMission team will be hiding a box for you to find. It will be approximately the size of a lunch container. The box will contain a small notebook, a stamp and a variety of stones. The first family to find the box will receive a prize they can pick up in the Children’s Department at the library.
No, we understand that families often have busy summer schedules. It’s up to you to decide how many boxes you’ll seek. If you find them all, great! If you just find a few, that’s great too.
Happy seeking!
Remember to respect the environment. Do not leave any trash and take care to leave the box and the space exactly as you found it.
Summer Reading by Age
Ages 0-12
Come in to the Children’s Desk to pick up your Summer Trail Tracker.
- Complete any 10 Trail Tracker Activities and join the party at Crystal Lake on Saturday, August 13, from 1-3pm!
- Participants who complete 10 Trail Tracker Activities by August 31st will also receive a personalized Book Recommendation Bookplate to add to any Russell Library children’s book of their choice!
Come play at the Library this summer!
Ages 12-18
Looking for somewhere to Volunteer this summer? Fill out this form to Volunteer at Russell Library.
Each book you log in READsquared earns points toward digital badges and enters you into a weekly drawing for a Downtown Middletown Gift Card! Once you’ve earned enough points you’ll receive a completion certificate you can print. (Please note, gift cards must be picked up in person at the library.) Click here for the 2022 Middletown High School Summer Reading List.
Ages19+
Each book you log in READsquared earns points toward digital badges and enters you into a weekly drawing for a Downtown Middletown Gift Card!
Once you’ve earned enough points you’ll also receive a completion certificate you can print. (Please note, gift cards must be picked up in person at the library.)
Drawing Dates for Downtown Middletown Gift Cards
June 13, June 27
July 11, July 18, July 25
August 1, August 8, August 15, August 22, August 29
Rockfall Eco StoryWalk Project
A StoryWalk® is a fun, educational activity that places a children’s story (literally a book taken apart) along a popular walking route in your community. Ours is at Crystal Lake in McCutcheon Park here in Middletown!
Directions to our storywalk: From Randolph Road (Route 155), turn south onto Millbrook Road. Follow Millbrook Road for 1.5 miles and take a right onto Livingston Road. After 0.2 miles, take the first right off Livingston Road into McCutcheon Park!
Click the icon for a link to the location of Crystal Lake Park in Google maps.
The book for August is From River to Raindrop by Emma Carlson-Berne.
How does water from a river turn into a raindrop? Follow each step in the water cycle―from evaporation to condensation to rainfall―in this fascinating book!
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center @ Crystal Lake
Acknowledgements
Funding for the Eco StoryWalk® Project and the Denision Pequotsepos Nature Center Events was supplied by the Rockfall Foundation. To find out more about the work that the Rockfall Foundation does promoting and supporting environmental education and conservation in the Lower Connecticut River Valley check out their website.
Our summer program is made possible in part by Summer Enrichment Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Connecticut State Library.
Many thanks to the Friends of Russell Library for funding our summer events. Learn more about the Friends and how you can help, too!
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
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library hours
Monday-Thursday: 9am – 8pm
Friday & Saturday 9am-5pm
Address
123 Broad Street
Middletown CT 06457
Phone
(860) 347-2528, X1147