Story Walk Blends Literacy, Nature, and Activity in Jenkins Park
By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor
Photo courtesy of Dade County Public Library – Young visitors to Jenkins Park have already enjoyed perusing the current story displayed on the story walk. Readers can return periodically to enjoy rotating stories.
Visitors to Jenkins Park will notice the fresh addition of a “story walk” which brings reading to an outdoor setting. Mindy Haworth (library branch manager) said, “As a library, you want to put literacy in as many places as possible. The point of the story walk is to get people reading and engaging.”
The addition has already garnered attention from young readers at the park, and stakeholders will celebrate with a ribbon cutting on April 12th at 11 a.m. (all are welcome to join). Library representatives/board members, the Alliance for Dade, and other stakeholders will gather at the Jenkins parking lot to mark the official opening.
Organized by the Dade County Public Library, the project relied on the skills of local welding company Dade Fabrication and was funded by several partners: private donors who gave through the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, the Alliance for Dade, and The Groovy Nomad. Haworth explained, “Everything for this project is from money that was donated to the library. None of it was operating funds.”
For $750, local businesses can sponsor a story, and The Groovy Nomad sponsored the first one. With the initial instruction and installation paid for, further support from businesses will cover copyright and printing fees for additional stories. Sponsors will have their branding on the posters, and the library will rotate through the stories seasonally (or more often, depending on how many are sponsored).
Of the purpose of the story walk, Haworth said, “It brings a picture book to the community in a place that’s not the library. It promotes reading in a non-traditional environment, allowing families to combine reading with physical activity and giving children the opportunity to develop literacy skills while playing.”
The large printed pages include prompts that encourage young readers to think more deeply about the story or do something active/in the natural environment related to the story.
Story walks can be found in many communities, including 24 Tennessee State Parks. (They call them “Storybook Trails,” and they’re funded by the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation). In addition to visiting several of these in person, Haworth also viewed photos online from story walks in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.
As Haworth researched story walks, she learned that they are best placed where people already visit. She had the idea of putting it along the Town Creek Trail, but with Jenkins Park already drawing high numbers of visitors, she opted to start there and consider expanding to the Town Creek Trail if funds become available in the future.
