New Storybook Trail Opens at Red Bank Elementary
August 30, 2024 - Red Bank Elementary held a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new Storybook Trail on Thursday, August 29, 2024. The opening was attended by several community members, including School Board District 2 Representative Ben Daugherty and his family, Principal Lindsey Hagan, representative from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, and more. The trail is now officially open to all community members, welcoming families big and small.
Storybook Trails are popping up all over the country—with this being the second one to open in the Chattanooga area. This initiative is a collaboration involving the Governor's Early Literacy Foundation, Tennessee State Parks Conservancy, and Mountain Creek Park. The goal is to provide families with opportunities for outdoor reading that combine reading with physical activities.
The Storybook Trail program features children's storybooks on panels along trails, promoting adult-child interaction and bringing books to life in nature. This enchanting trail transforms a simple walk into a literary adventure. Pages of the book are displayed along the path, inviting children to immerse themselves in the story as they explore the great outdoors.
The book chosen for the Storybook Trail at Mountain Creek Park is "Wonder Walkers" by Micha Archer. In the book two curious children embark on a “wonder walk,” where they unleash their creativity by observing the world from a fresh perspective. They come up with thought provoking questions along the way such as: “Is the sun the world’s light bulb?,""Are branches tree's arms?,""Is the wind the world breathing?”. The panels also display words in both English and Spanish.
Much like the children in the book, the young readers walking the trail are encouraged to engage with their surroundings, sparking their own creativity and wonder. As they embark on their own “wonder walk,” they can create a dynamic and interactive reading experience that brings the story to life in a unique and meaningful way, inspiring them to see the world through a different lens.
Other attendees included:
-Ben Conner (school board member for district 5)
-Holly Berry (Red Bank Mayor)
-Stephanie Dalton (Red Bank Vice Mayor)
-Katie Mullins (the director of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library)
-Caitlyne Steward (district coordinator of community schools)
-Amber Reeves (who wrote the grant, Chief Academic Officer for Northside Neighborhood House)
-Chelsey Morehead, Community School Coordinator at Red Bank Elementary
-Other community leaders.