The StoryWalk® Project
A creative way to get your Library out into the community, Developed by the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition to promote outdoor activity for kids, and is a combination of an engaging story, a scavenger hunt, and a walk around town. The basic design requires a book that can be taken apart, with pages laminated and placed on stakes along a pre-arranged walking path, but think of even wider possibilities:
NWKLS StoryWalk® Collection
NWKLS has offered Portable StoryWalks® for the past few years. In 2021, we secured a grant which made it possible for 7 of our libraries to obtain their own permanent StoryWalks®. Now that many of our libraries offer this service regularly, NWKLS wanted to make it less time consuming for our librarians as it can be quite the task setting up and designing to make them extra fun. To do this, we have created a collection of our past StoryWalk® stories (along with some new ones) that our libraries can reserve to use in both the Permanent and Portable StoryWalks®. Our Nex-Gen summer intern, Emily Bohl, graciously undertook the duties of die-cutting many designs and animals pertaining to each story so that our librarians wont have to. Upon request, NWKLS will also mount the stories and their decorations onto posterboard to fit the Permanent StoryWalks® before delivering the story to the library as well!
Check out the orange button below to see the list of available StoryWalk® titles!
To reserve a StoryWalk®, email Sierra Percival at spercival@nwkls.org with your library name and the dates you would like them.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson. All usage of the StoryWalk® mark must comply with these guidelines, and must be limited to use in connection with educational, noncommercial projects consistent with the StoryWalk®Project mission to promote literacy.
-
Partner with some local businesses to help defray costs or encourage participation during another event.
-
Design mini-games to supplement the walk along the way, incorporating activities involving city parks, wildlife trails, or other interesting landmarks in town or at school.
-
Instead of a story for older participants, create a walk involving local history, using items from your historical photo or document collections.
-
Have volunteers dress up as characters along the route, offering information or help along the way.
- Make sure you end the StoryWalk® at your library (with treats and/or prizes) to encourage walkers to check out related materials or to participate in another activity, like a craft, that reinforces the theme of the walk.