“Symbiosis” was the BIG “Word of the Day” for our second Summer Reading Story Hour.

Guest Presenter, Pam Martin, from the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, brought a cast of plants & animals to illustrate how Nature is all about RELATIONSHIPS (a great tie-in to our All Together Now theme 🙂 ).

First, we talked about how people & pets are beneficial to each other. Kids said that they fed & watered & took care of their pets. They also said that their pets were: protectors, face lickers, &  good friends.

Then, we learned about the relationships between:

Milkweed & Butterflies,

Buffalo & Buffalo bur,

Coyotes & Badgers & Prairie Dogs,

&  Tarantulas, Narrowmouth Toads, & Ants,

to name a few.

Kids got to look at a Narrowmouth Toad & pass around a piece of Buffalo hide.

Then, they got to dress up as critters & plant life from this area.  So many different components make up the food web around us: algae, cattails, crayfish, blood worms, ducks, turtles, frogs, dragonflies, beavers, & even minks. It was a fun way to show how everything is connected.

Our final library guest (and the star of the show!) was Clyde, the juvenile opossum.  He loved his snack of cat food & nuts; he showed off his long balancing tail, & when story time was over, this nocturnal cutie curled up into a ball for a well-deserved nap! We learned that opossums help us by eating lots & lots of ticks.

Afterwards, the 34 kids in attendance received a coloring sheet, checked out books, picked out Brag Tags & snagged some cookies.  Newcomers decorated book bags & made puzzle pieces. And, everyone was welcome to add some stickers to our collage.

If you haven’t signed up for Summer Reading (all ages can participate!), drop by the library during any Open hours to enroll (& catch up on Crafts!).

And, while you’re here, check out the marigolds by our front walk. Earth Day participants helped plant them, & flowers are now blooming! Did you know that marigolds help keep away mosquitoes?  Another symbiotic relationship to celebrate!

Weeding volunteers are always welcome, by the way- especially among the rocks along our north side by the building. (Take a photo & document your work, & there might even be a cookie or treat in your future!)