Rock Island Public Library
The Rock Island Public Library (RIPL) has been partnering with Spring Forward in a formal manner since 2016 by bringing kids to the library and the library to kids! RIPL isn’t just an amazing place to go in the community; they are a hands-on, joyful staff that develops dynamic programs and integrates them into our programs. With the kickoff to our relationship in 2016 the RIPL hosted a “Read for the Win” challenge among Spring Forward site locations. In that week-long program, 264 kids read for 5,721 hours, and the kids at Frances Willard Elementary took the trophy by logging the most hours!
When asked to share a favorite memory of working with Spring Forward, Sue Foster shared, “Rocket into Reading is always a lot of fun. It’s so wonderful to watch the kids from being very hesitant and not believing their rocket will fly to absolute surprise and joy when it soars. It’s so encouraging to see the kids reaching new heights by continuing to learn and grow.” Sue Foster, Youth Services Director, Rock Island Public Library.
Rocket into Reading is a program for 1st and 2nd grades designed to promote reading at grade level by third grade. Library staff shares a story, provides information about space activities, and works with students to create and shoot off homemade paper rockets. RIPL staff leave teachers with extra space activities to do with kids. It promotes both reading and STEM interest.
At Spring Forward, we can attest students are totally enthralled with the Rocket into Reading program. The students love to be creative with their rockets and enjoy learning about space adventures which opens their minds to a great big world!
The RIPL is incredibly hands-on with Spring Forward summer programs, and they always answer the call to participate in extra events throughout the year! The RIPL staff says “In addition to six years of summer reading challenges and reading encouragement to Spring Forward campers, we’ve extended enrichment to Spring Forward kids through field trips to library events. Among the events include the new I-74 virtual reality station at the Downtown Library, summer programs with Absolute Science, and a unicycle program at the Martin Luther King Center with the Hanson family. Through a grant from the Rock Island Art Guild, we were able to bring our “House that Jack Built” Reading by Design summer art program to Spring Forward camps. More recently, we’ve also brought our Hug-A-Book Rocket into Reading activities and Library2Go bookmobile to Spring Forward summer sites.
On behalf of all the Spring Forward staff and students we would like to give a “hip-hip-hooray” to the Rock Island Public Library for their servitude in our community and all the amazing efforts they put forth to provide engaging and dynamic programming for youth!