This July and August we encourage you to Feed Your Mind with our summer learning program. No matter your age, read and take part in activities that encourage exploration and learning in a way that is unique to YOU—and earn the chance to win great prizes along the way! There are happenings for all ages! Here are some of the ways you can participate:

Sidewalk Art

All Ages Summer Learning Kick-Off!

Saturday, July 8th | 10am-12noon | Front Lawn
All ages | Drop-in

Let’s decorate the library’s front walkway with sidewalk chalk! Drop by, grab a piece of chalk, and get drawing! We'll have an ice cream truck parked out front to really complete the summer experience. While you’re here you can learn about our Feed Your Mind summer learning program for all ages.

Feed Your Mind - Feed Your Community

Did you know 1 in 9 teens and children in CT don’t have enough food? That’s according to FeedingAmerica.org, whose research also estimates 12% of people in New Haven county alone struggle with food insecurity. So this summer, the Wallingford Library is hosting a food drive for Master’s Manna because we know it can be hard to Feed Your Mind when you don’t have enough to eat. Master’s Manna is a Wallingford nonprofit that provides food and other services to those in need. Donations will be accepted in bins at the top of the stairs all throughout summer reading.

Teens and Adults will compete against the Children’s Department to see who can donate the most food! While you won’t get a prize entry for donating food, you can be assured that you’re feeding your own mind and the mind of someone else in our community.

This summer WPL invites adults to take part in Feed Your Mind, a summer program for adults. Earn buttons and the chance to win great prizes by taking part in activities that encourage you to feed your mind. Participation is easy and fun, and the best part is that you can do it your way!

Sign Up
?
We are very excited to announce the fourth annual Collaboratory Summer Program, “Some Assembly Required,” which begins on July 3rd. The program is a maker contest consisting of multiple categories with one grand prize. For 2023, we’re connecting to the library’s summer reading theme: Feed Your Mind. The categories this year are: Art, Best-Looking Baked Food, Best-Looking Cooked Food, Best-Looking Fake Food, B&W Photography, Color Photography, DIY, Textile Arts, Upcycling, Videography.

Submissions will be made by email and will be collected July 3rd through July 31st. A winner from each field will be chosen through voting via the library’s social media. Votes will be collected from August 1st through August 19th, and the winners will be announced the following Monday, August 21st. In the event of a tie, Collaboratory staff will be the tie breakers.

The winners of each category will receive a special laser cut prize and a $25 gift card to the Wallingford business of their choice. The project that receives the most votes overall will receive the grand prize: a Collaboratory-made trophy along with a $100 gift card to the Wallingford business of their choice. We can’t wait to see what you cook up!

Full Contest Details

This summer Feed Your Mind with new reads, creative experiences, and of course food! As always, anything you read will earn you a prize entry. But this summer you can also complete tasks that let you Feed Your Mind to earn prize entries. You can even participate in a food drive to benefit Master’s Manna, it will be teens and adults vs children to see who can donate the most! Open to all entering grades 6-12.

How to Participate

Simply fill out the entry form for each book or activity you complete. You’ll put your name and contact info on each entry. (We heard you last year that you didn’t like registering!). Books and activities may be logged beginning July 3rd.

Read

Earn one prize entry for anything you read this summer! Manga, books, fanfiction, audiobooks, graphic novels- it all counts! Bonus entries can be earned for each book if you write a short review.

Complete Activities

Complete one (or all!) activities designed to Feed Your Mind this summer. Complete the activity and tell us what you did to earn the entries. Activities are:

 - Visit a place you’ve never been (virtual visits count!)
 - Spend time outside, enjoying nature
 - Pick up litter in your neighborhood, or anywhere
 - Try a new food or new cuisine
 - Attend a WPL program
 - Try a new hobby
 - Complete an art or craft project
 - Meditate or practice yoga
 - Get moving! (Whatever feels right for you!)
 - Do something nice for someone else
 
Entries may be submitted online, or through a form at the Information Desk.

Entry Form (opens July 3rd)
?
For students entering grades K-6:

When registering, you will be asked to create a username and password to access your summer reading account. Please ask at the children’s desk if you have any questions or have trouble setting up your account. The last day to log your reading is August 19th.

To complete the program and earn a FREE book from the Wallingford Public Library’s Book Seller, you need to read 600 minutes this summer.

If you finish early, keep going! By reading 1200 minutes before the program officially ends on August 19th, you will earn a chance to win one of our Grand Prizes.

For added fun, beginning Monday, July 3rd there will be missions to complete at the library. Complete missions to learn ingredients for a mystery dish. Solve the puzzle for an extra chance at a Grand Prize!

For babies, toddlers, and preschoolers:

Spend time reading as a family! For every five books your family reads together, you will earn a strawberry to add to our berry patch and be entered into a drawing for a gift basket. You may read the same book more than once – we know that’s how many preschoolers enjoy their favorite books.

For added fun, for every 5 books you read (up to 30 books), stop by the library for a scrumptious scavenger hunt. Search around the tree for hidden pictures and earn a sticker for finding them all!

Create a Summer Learning Account