StoryWalk promotes both happiness and health

PONDERAY — Reading and the outdoors are both important when it comes to the physical and mental health of children. Therefore, combining literacy with nature is an ideal way to keep kids healthy.

Kaniksu Land Trust and the East Bonner County Library District partnered up to do just that and, on Thursday, launched the second permanent StoryWalk in the community. This year, the organizations teamed up with the city of Ponderay and Panhandle Animal Shelter to bring a StoryWalk to McNearney Park.

"(StoryWalk) is a special thing because it brings so many people together," said Marcy Timblin, the library's public relations specialist after a group of community members from the library, KLT, animal shelter, and other community members, including some local seniors, gathered for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting Thursday morning.

"But at its core, StoryWalk is about getting people outside, getting people to read and getting people to connect with their family and their community," Timblin added.

StoryWalks encourage children — and adults — to explore, touch, smell, listen and enjoy. To create the StoryWalk, a children's book is deconstructed and the laminated pages are posted in wooden display boxes along a designated walking path. The stories are changed monthly. The first story along the McNearney Park path is "Night Tree," by Eve Bunting. Shortly after the ribbon-cutting, the group was joined by Kootenai Elementary School students who braved the chilly morning to read each page.

Cameron Murray, programs development associate with KLT, said a big part of her job is encouraging kids to get outside. She actually encourages everyone to get outside through KLT's Park Rx program, which is used by local practitioners to prescribe outdoor time to patients. Also, she said, a lot of people don't realize there is a park behind the animal shelter and hopes the new StoryWalk will draw community members to it.

"We love this," Murray said. "It’s such a great opportunity, both for kids to get outside and to encourage literacy. It’s a really great initiative and we’ve got such great partners helping out with it."

In addition to the aforementioned partners, local Boy Scouts built the display boxes, Murray said.

Ponderay Mayor Steve Geiger expressed his appreciation as well for all the people who brought StoryWalk to the community.

"As a city, anything we can do for the kids to enhance their enjoyment is obviously top priority," Geiger said. "We have a lot of great folks in our community who give to us ... It's amazing how much this community gives back to the city."

PAS staff and volunteers also promote community and activities for local youth. Marcia Kirby, the shelter's volunteer coordinator, said the shelter hosts field trips for elementary students each year. When visiting the shelter, the kids are each given a copy of "Maddie's Tail Wag," an activity book designed to teach youngsters about proper animal care. It is provided through "Maddie's Fund," a family foundation created in 1994.

Suzanne Tugman, KLT outreach and communications director, said studies show that when kids feel safe in their community, there is a sense of belonging, which leads to lower crime rates, as well as happier and healthier attitudes.

"So community is a really important thing," Tugman said. "That's what we are focused on at Kaniksu Land Trust ... we are most interested in building community in a way that children can thrive."

StoryWalk has the potential to impact healthy child development. According to a 2008 Archives of Disease in Childhood whitepaper, reading aloud to children "promotes the development of language and other emergent literacy skills."

"In addition to building literacy skills, reading aloud to children allows us to condition our children's brains to associate reading with pleasure and gives us an opportunity to strengthen our bonds with them as we discuss issues raised in the text," EBCLD’s Children’s Services librarian, Suzanne Davis, said in a statement. "We read to entertain, of course, but also to reassure, inspire, explain concepts, and arouse curiosity. Reading really is a wonderful way to bond with your children."

The first permanent StoryWalk is located at Dover Bay. These and future locations accommodate the attention spans and energy levels of children and most will also be pet friendly, Murray said. Currently, Dover features "Merry Moosey Christmas" by Lynn Plourde and, as mentioned, Ponderay features "Night Tree." As stories are updated each month, they are listed on the KLT and EBCLD websites at kaniksulandtrust.org and ebonnerlibrary.org respectively.

Individuals, families, school groups and everyone else is invited to take advantage of this free initiative for fun, family and mental and physical fitness.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.org and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.