StoryLane | Community & Family Literacy Activity

Are you looking for a unique and super fun way to engage your community or family in reading? Look no further than StoryLane!

The brain child of a friendly neighborhood book club, StoryLane features one entire children's book spread out page by page across 16 different houses. The pages of the story book are laminated and posted on signs in the front yards of participating houses. Each board with pages from the story on it also has a small sign displayed indicating at which house the next page(s) of the story can be found.

In addition to the enjoyment of reading a new story and the thrill of discovering where the next page of the book is, StoryLane also offers families an activity-rich handout to take home when they are done reading! Handouts are filled with comprehension questions, research ideas, literacy activities, and sometimes, even recipes. They make for hours of fun after the reading is done and support important literacy skills for elementary-age children.

 Part story time, part scavenger hunt, StoryLane is a safe, family-friendly, literacy-promoting activity for children and their parents. Families can currently enjoy StoryLane on Montview Dr. (off Coleman Ave. off Merrimon Ave.) Start at house #5 and follow the directions at each sign. While on Coleman Ave., watch for another story walk which has sprung up in numerous yards. Note: Street parking is limited and stories are changed out every 3 weeks. Please watch for traffic.

Next up for StoryLane: Jan Brett's, Town Mouse Country Mouse, up August 7th, 2020.

Create Your Own StoryLane

If you are looking to create a StoryLane in your neighborhood, talk to your neighbors and see who can join you! Then, select a children's book you all would like to post and plan it out:

• Are there copyright issues you need to check for the use of the book in this way?
• How many pages are there and how many houses are participating? (It's totally fine to have more than one or two pages per yard - just spread them out among several signs).
• Do you have a way to make legible copies of the pages of the book and laminate them?
• How will you buy/build your signs? (You can find yard sign holders from many online retailers; or consider building your own signs or simply finding a way to attach signs to existing posts or fences in the yard.)

Make a day of it! Once you have all your supplies assembled, work with your neighbors to put the signs together, verify the pages are in order, and make mini-signs that tell readers where to go next. Laminating everything ensures that signs don't get ruined by bad weather. Pro tip: Use Washi tape (colorful duct tape) to decorate boards/signs so they are vibrant yet waterproof.

Then, post signs in yards and spread the word!

StoryLane not only cultivates a love and enjoyment of reading for children young and old, but it provides the perfect family activity to do together during periods of quarantine and social distancing.

If you create a StoryLane in your neighborhood, let us know! Leave a comment below and we can feature your Story Lane on the blog.