Fall is a great time for kids (and their grownups) to get outside. Two Scarborough non-profits have teamed up to make those alfresco adventures easy and fun.
In the children’s section of Scarborough Public Library, you’ll see an assortment of colorful backpacks that patrons can browse and check out. They have something for every age and interest – birds, the ocean, dinosaurs, even trash. The packs contain toys, activities, and of course books to engage children in outdoor adventures.
Three recently added backpacks from Scarborough Land Trust encourage kids to visit popular trails around town. Each contains activities related to a theme – wildlife at Blue Point, trees at Fuller Farm, insects at Pleasant Hill.
Packs from Maine Audubon Society can be used anywhere. They focus on birds (learn to use a bird call), plants (learn about edible wild foods), and wildlife (identify animal tracks).
The backpacks have been “super popular,” says Youth Services Manager Deanna McNamara. They are in high demand, with some kids checking out the same pack multiple times.
McNamara has an expansive view of a library’s role within a community. (Just like library director Nancy Crowell, featured on page 6). She once worked at Biddeford’s McArthur library, which lends recreational equipment like fishing poles and snowshoes.
McNamara and her colleague Amanda Brogan recently created a “Waste Warrior” pack inspired by a library in Georgia. “We thought it was a great idea and a wonderful opportunity to encourage families to learn about and participate in ways to help keep our planet healthy and resilient.” The pack comes with garbage bags, gloves, safety vests, and a trash grabber “claw”.
McNamara will soon debut a bread making pack equipped with a pan, recipe, instructional video, science kit, and books. More cooking packs may follow, along with packs to accompany the library’s free museum passes (page 28), and more outdoor-themed packs. McNamara wants every family to find something that sparks its interest.
Grab a pack and go. It’s never been so easy to enjoy fall in Scarborough.
A PACK FOR EVERY KID
Backpacks contain a user guide, children’s books related to the pack’s theme, paper activities like word searches and coloring pages, drawing supplies (in some cases), and tools to encourage users’ discovery of the pack’s topic.
SCARBOROUGH LAND TRUST
Blue Point – wildlife guide, binoculars, forest animal puzzle, leave-no-trace guide
Fuller Farm – tree tape measure, tangent tree height gauge and instructions, clipboard
Pleasant Hill – insect jar, insect eye toy, magnifying glass, clipboard
SCARBOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY
Construction – toy construction vehicles, trucks-themed game and puzzle
Dinosaurs – dinosaur toys, knowledge cards, pocket guide, matching game, and puzzle
Ocean – seashore guide, magnifying glass, textured sand rollers, beach pails and shovels
Waste Warriors – garbage bags, gloves, trash grabber tool, safety vests
MAINE AUDUBON SOCIETY
Birds – binoculars, bird call instrument, bird and nest photo cards, bird watching tips
Plants – tree and wildflower guides, edible foods guide, specimen box with magnifying lid
Wildlife – scat and track guides, wildlife and bugs guides, animal-track rubber stamps
