The Carol Hannemann Mercer School Forest is now home to the Mercer Public Library StoryWalk®. Visitors to the forest can enjoy the book OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal, during the month of December.
A StoryWalk places pages from a picture book in signs along a path, so participants can have fun reading aloud together as they walk. It’s a family-friendly activity that encourages building literacy skills and physical activity.
The StoryWalk loop at the Mercer School Forest is about 0.3 miles long. Visitors can also explore the other trails in the forest and check out the yurt, composting toilet, and trapper’s cabin on the property. The school forest is located in Mercer on the east side of Martha Lake Road, just north of Roamer Road.
The Mercer Library StoryWalk is available thanks to funding from the Friends of the Mercer Public Library with support from Mercer School and the Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department. Members of the Friends of the Library and students from Mercer School helped move the signs to their new location. Mercer School has been working to improve community access to the school forest for the community and hopes that families and residents will visit to view the story.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and was developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in 2007. Since then, hundreds of libraries throughout the United States and beyond have shared stories in their community through StoryWalks.
For more information about the Mercer Library StoryWalk® or any library programs, visit mercerpubliclibrary.org or call the library at 715-476-2366.
Members of the Friends of the Library and Mercer School assisted in moving the StoryWalk® signs to the Carol Hannemann Mercer School Forest in November. Pictured L to R: Friends of the Library members Tom and Eileen Donlan; Zach Wilson of the Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department; Mercer School students Ben Joustra, Hunter Saarnio, Laken Walker, and Ona Ruiz; and Friends of the Library President Beth Wetzler. Not pictured: Friends’ members Mike and Gail Ondresky and Library director Teresa Schmidt.