The long wait is over. EPIC’s “Storytime At Canalside: A Bicentennial Celebration” is once again being held “live in person” at the Pierce Lawn – the program is kicking off this Wednesday, June 23. This super successful educational and interactive program has been a huge success in past years, as it gives kids a chance to be entertained in an inspirational outdoor setting along the waterfront. Along with storytelling, there are plenty of other immersive aspects, thanks to all of the WNY organizations that participate in the activities.
Families will:
- Receive their own EPIC blanket and literacy pack to keep, as well as materials for all the day’s activities
- Hear a story (often interpreted in various additional languages)
- Observe a live science experiment with the Buffalo Museum of Science
- Make a craft with the Buffalo Public Library
- Engage in imaginative play with Explore & More Children’s Museum
- Do a movement activity with the YMCA
“Storytime at Canalside is a true community collaboration,” says Jamie Rackl, EPIC’s Director of Family Engagement and Professional Development. “Working with so many different partners is not only a wonderful experience for us, but a fantastic benefit for all the families that attend each week. Storytime is a great way to show families that literacy isn’t just reading a book. Science is literacy, art is literacy. Using our bodies and minds in thematic ways helps build skills that in turn will help children overall.”
“Storytime At Canalside: A Bicentennial Celebration” is sponsored by M&T Bank and the Children’s Foundation of Erie County. To learn more or to register for this free program, contact Alexis Tabacchi at 716-332-4129 or TabacchiA@epicforchildren.org – or just click here.
This year’s theme is all about celebrating the 200 years of Erie County, with special guest readers and weekly themes to represent the many different facets of the city.
Storytime’s summer themes are as follows:
- June 23: Looking Back at Our Roots: Indigenous Culture
- June 30: All Hail the Chief: Buffalo Presidents
- July 7: Wake Up & Smell the Cheerios: Buffalo Food
- July 14: Paint the Town: Buffalo Art
- July 21: Road to Freedom: The Underground Railroad
- July 28: City of Light: The Pan-Am Expo
- August 4: How We Roll: Buffalo Railroads
- August 11: The City of Good Neighbors
- August 18: 15 Miles on the Erie Canal: Buffalo Waterways
- August 25: Make Me Wanna Shout: Buffalo Sports