This summer, Maine’s Gardiner Main Street program partnered with Literacy Volunteers of Greater Augusta to bring a StoryWalk downtown.
The goals for the event were two-fold: to promote family literacy and to introduce people to downtown businesses.
StoryWalks have taken place in all 50 states and 11 countries. For the basic event, laminated pages from a children’s book are attached to wooden stakes, which are installed along an outdoor path. As children follow the trail, they are directed to the next page in the story.
Gardiner Main Street changed the format slightly to include a business-introduction element. The StoryWalk began at the downtown library. The story pages were posted in front of downtown businesses and children were asked to find a specific item related to the story in the business. Once children had found and checked off all of the items on their lists, they returned to the library to claim a small prize.
StoryWalk was developed by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, in Montpelier, VT, which provides information and resources, including a fact sheet with useful guidance such as project costs, book preparation, copyright issues, and more.
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