Summer of Wonder: Tacony Explorers Program

This Summer, the Community Development Corporation partnered with the Tacony Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia to host the Tacony Explorers Program. Thanks to a generous grant from the William Penn Foundation and the help of the library’s staff and volunteers, we were able to provide a total of 136 programs over the course of the Summer! Every Monday-Friday we held literacy programs at 11AM, STEM programs at 1PM, and crafts and enrichment activities at 3PM. The library and CDC also provided free books and snacks at the end of each program.

Throughout programming, we had 167 participants between the ages of 1 and 16, with the most attendance coming from students grades K-6. 111 of these participants came just for the STEM programming--perhaps Tacony has a large population of future scientists? The most popular activities included Snap Circuit building, cup stacking challenges, making slime, and geode smashing. Participants (and assisting staff) took home beautiful crystals, homemade buttons, and memories of a fun and informative Summer!

As we all jump back into the school year, keep an eye on the Tacony Library’s social media to find out when the Free Library’s Literacy Enrichment After-School Program (LEAP) starts up. After School Leaders will soon be providing homework help and fun programs!

Links in this article: https://www.facebook.com/TaconyBranch/

Written by Amarynth Ruch

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