Downtown Hiawatha StoryWalk® Begins May 6, 2021
The library is excited to announce our newest project just in time for the Big Kansas Road Trip that’s an interactive reading experience like never before: a downtown Hiawatha StoryWalk®! Read along with the story Is Your Mama a Llama? written by Deborah Guarino & illustrated by Steven Kellogg and answer fun questions along the way. To participate in this fun community-driven activity, register for the challenge on your MPL Beanstack account (or pick up a paper booklet at the library), start at Stop #1 at Thrivent Financial, then end back at the library to claim a prize for completing the whole StoryWalk®!
Families will be able to walk around downtown Hiawatha and follow along with the story by reading each page at different business windows. You can find the business directory below and even print out your own challenge booklet that has all the same questions posted on each window and on Beanstack.
We plan to provide the StoryWalk® throughout our Summer Library Program that will end July 16. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
What is Beanstack?
As patrons might remember from last year, the library provided the digital reading tracker ReaderZone to add to our virtual summer services. After listening to patron feedback, we decided to try out a different platform for 2021: Beanstack. As an added bonus, the library can use Beanstack year-round, so we are able to provide the StoryWalk® challenge questions on Beanstack in addition to our Summer Reading Challenge coming later in May. Beanstack will be available to all patrons starting Wednesday, May 5.
Beanstack has a smooth and easy-to-use navigation and can be accessed either through their mobile app or online via a desktop computer.
Anyone can sign up as the account creator and then add readers to the account, allowing flexibility for families with multiple people who want to participate in the reading challenge. Parents can use the app just for their kids, too, if they themselves do not want their own reader profile.
Patrons over the age of 13 can find other patrons on the app with unique friend codes and see a leaderboard for books or minutes read.
Library staff members will be able to help anyone add to their reading log & activity challenges while visiting the library, as well!
We understand if some patrons would rather only use the paper booklet, so anything and everything found on Beanstack will be available as a physical copy!
To get started with your own Morrill Public Library Beanstack account, follow these steps:
- Click here to go to hiawathalibrary.beanstack.org.
- Choose “Register an Individual or Family.”
- Fill out the registration form, then add readers to the account.
- Register for the Downtown Hiawatha StoryWalk®.
- Follow along at each stop and fill in the challenge questions or do the suggested activity.
- End the story at the library and claim a prize for completing the StoryWalk®!
