Discover Summer for Children
Discover Summer for Children
Children ages 6 - 12 are invited to go, find and explore with DC Public Library this summer!
Discover Summer Prizes | Be A Super Reader | Discover Summer Events | Complete Your Discover Summer Gameboard | Summer Learning
This summer, DC Public Library invites your family to Discover Summer, a city-wide celebration of reading and learning at home, at the library and out in your community. Reading for 20 minutes a day is one of the best ways to set up your child for success. Discover Summer's 6 - 12 program supports your child's continued learning through STEAM. STEAM allows children to build critical skills through hands-on learning. It is about lifelong learning through collaboration. What is
- Science: Science teaches critical thinking skills and shows children how to learn through process.
- Technology: Technology is an integral part of how we live and learn and it is important to know how to use it.
- Engineering: Engineering encourages iteration and how to create, test and modify to improve something.
- Arts: The arts allow children to express their creativity, observe and contemplate.
- Math: Math is more than 2+2! It also helps children identify patterns and how to use logic.
Discover Summer Prizes
- June: 3D Animal Kit
- July: Tiny Planetarium
- August:
- Tickets to a Washington Nationals Game
- Coloring Poster of D.C.
- A free book of your choice!
Click here to get started by registering for Discover Summer 2022!
Be A Super Reader
Discover Summer Events at Your Neighborhood Library
123 Andrés | Characters and StoriesIn this program, Andrés and Christina invite the audience to co-create stories and songs with them. You will help them draw out different elements – like characters and settings – from the stories and songs, like Ten Little Birds/ Diez Pajaritos, and also make up new stories and adventures on the spot! You will use your imagination, and sing and act out the stories together.
Karen O. Brown Karen O. Brown’s workshops strengthen curriculum and deepen learning for all ages. Karen’s inspired and welcoming approach to teaching draws students in as they discover the joys of artistic exploration.
Diane Macklin | Water Wonder TalesHow do people thrive in adversity while maintaining the bonds of family and community? Through Storytelling! Diane Macklin, Master Teller, stirs a savory blend of stories seasoned with truth, wit, and humor. Water Wonder Tales explore stories that connect us to the vast expanse of oceans, rivers, streams, and puddles that make this planet our home.
Mad ScienceMarvels of Motion | This interactive event is all about the fundamentals of moving science. Learn about matter and molecules. Explore the forces affecting earth, such as gravity, with our Mad Science antennae. Explore Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion with some exciting motion demonstrations, including our Newton-mobile.
Spin, Pop Boom | The audience will be amazed when the Mad Scientist is able to defy gravity in this energetic and spectacular special event. Foaming cups and steaming chemical reactions will introduce children to a world of exciting chemistry, while centrifugal force demonstrations and our Mad Science windbag will show them some fun physics.
Up, Up and Away! | This spellbinding special event introduces children to the principles of air and pressure. Hot air balloons, vortex generators and even a hovercraft will help children understand the power of air.
The Uncle Devin ShowThe Uncle Devin Show® is an interactive musical experience for children by renowned drummer, Devin Walker. The show cultivates the minds of children through percussion instruments and is a dynamic cross between DC’s Trouble Funk and Schoolhouse Rock. The entire family will experience the rhythm of Uncle Devin’s infectious blend of Jazz, Funk and DC’s official music, Go-Go.
Check out the DC Public Library events calendar to see what is coming up this month for Children Ages 6-12 at your library!
Complete Your Discover Summer Gameboard with the Library
Working on completing your Discover Summer Gameboard activities? The DC Public Library has everything you need to Discover Summer! Read on to learn about resources that will help you check off all of your Discover Summer activities and get you one step closer to completing your gameboard!
Make a Top 10 List of What You Want to Do This Summer
Check out these picture books and chapter books that celebrate the magic of the season, explore activities you can do and explore the realities that many children and families face over the summer months - nervousness about meeting people at camp, taking responsibility for siblings, trips to see new family and more.
Visit a New D.C. Landmark
D.C. has so many iconic landmarks on the National Mall like the Lincoln Memorial, The Washinton Monument and more. This summer we invite you to check out some of the other interesting monuments and spaces around your neighborhood! Check out the DC Public Library's Discover Summer Interesting Places Guide to find a fun place to visit near you!
Attend a Library Event In Person or Online
Check out upcoming events for children ages 6-12 at a neighborhood library near you!
Read a Biography About Someone You Admire
Check out great picture book biographies on amazing individuals who have left their mark on the world from musicians to artists, to scientists, to athletes and more!
Check out great audiobooks for a variety of interests and reading levels with your library card from Overdrive or tune in to the Library's family podcast Secret Passage!Read a Graphic Novel
Log in to Comics Plus with your Library Card to gain unlimited access to thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from popular publishers like Archie Comics, BOOM! Studios, Valiant and many more!Play a Game With Your Family
Pop by your neighborhood library for a game night! Whether you want to get active playing video games on a Wii or want to play board games, there are fun options for everyone!
Read a Book About A Scientist
Learn about pivotal figures in science, technology, engineering and math.
Draw A Picture of a Favorite Character from a Book
Get inspired and learn drawing skills with these fun books that share tips for drawing animals, plants, objects and more for kids!
Take a Walk in Your Neighborhood, Talk About What You See
Take a walk around your neighborhood or head out to discover one of the many beautiful green spaces around D.C. highlighted in the DC Public Library Discover Summer Parks Guide!
Design Your Dream Library. What Would it Include?
Designing your dream library is a fun activity that encourages your child to think about design and how spaces are created as well as let their imaginations run wild to build the space of their dreams! To do this activity you can:
- Get out some drawing materials, paper, crayons, etc.
- Talk about what you do as a family at the library now and then think about what you COULD do at the library - the sky is the limit in this imaginary space!
- Start to draw out the different spaces you'd like to create for those activities like a blueprint.
- After you have your space drawn out and decorated the way you'd like, talk about what you've drawn. What did it feel like to imagine a dream space with no limits? What did you learn about yourself as you thought about what you'd put in a library designed just for you?
Stop by your neighborhood library to connect with a children's librarian! View all library locations and hours to find a library near you.
Do an Experiment or Try a New Skill
Learn and perform different experiments with Miss Tara's STEM Time series! View the whole playlist below.
Write a Letter to Someone
Summer Learning with the Library
DC Public Library Summer Challenge is supported by:
