Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.     For six weeks, an average of 30 children attended the Nederland Community Library Summer Reading Program. Last Tuesday, the participants, volunteers and students celebrated the summer and their last day of the program.

Divided into groups and spread out inside and outside the library, the summer readers delved into non-Newtonian fluids, got wet, and learned a lot about what combined chemicals can do.

Outside on the deck, the kids mushed up borax, glue, and water, added a couple of drops of color, and made their own personal slime. Some of them did not want to put their hands into the goo, but those who did found it was kind of like their personal play dough. They liked the feel of it. They especially liked watching the ingredients come together in a silky solid.

NCL SRP organizer Geneva Mixon got out the big guns for the bubbles. With handmade bubble “hoops” made with rope and sticks, she was able to produce bubbles about four feet long. When these giants popped, it was like a quick shower—soap, water, and everything!

Inside, kids made bubble blowers and pieces of pottery as a reminder of their great summer.

During the season, the Boulder County 4-H Club shared science activities, Tom Cornwall taught insects and sang Bug Songs, and the kids monitored the stream health of North Beaver Creek by sampling macro invertebrates. They did all of this while completing their reading goal.

This program is free. No registration is required and the volunteers work hard to engage the children in fun activities. The Summer Reading Program should be at the top of parents' list of things to do next summer.