There are lots of fun ways to keep cool this summer and earn your Connect Your Summer Badges too. Read a book about an animal under a shady tree and earn your Make Tracks Badge. Or make a cool treat, and earn your Chow Down Badge. Go see a movie in a chilly theatre and earn your Curtains Up Badge. You can even go swimming in a lake or pool for your Go Wild badge, and read a favorite book on a raft.

Great moments in the summer Olympics by Matt Christopher

G is for gold medal: an Olympics alphabet by written by Brad Herzog and illustrated by Doug Bowles

Great Olympic moments by Michael Hurley

Inside the Olympics by Nick Hunter

The complete book of the Olympics by David Wallechinsky and Jaime Loucky

Gold by Chris Cleave

How to watch the Olympics: the essential guide to the rules, statistics, heroes, and zeroes of every sport by David Goldblatt and Johnny Acton ; diagrams by Belinda Evans

Igniting the flame: America's f

Come on out and see your Plymouth Whalers play some awesome hockey on Saturday, August 4, 2012. Not only is this their Alumni skate game, with players coming in from teams all over the country, but the Whalers are collecting canned goods for Gleaners. There are two ways to see the game:  you can pay $10 for a ticket at the door or you can bring 10 cans of food to donate to a wonderful group. For more information, see the Plymouth Whalers website.

Movie Challenge 5: watch two (or more) movies about a musician to earn your Curtains Up Badge. To earn a super secret badge too, make a comment to this very post here ranking what you watched.

The bodyguard [videodisc] by Warner Bros. Pictures

Ray [videodisc] by Universal Pictures

Amadeus [videodisc] by the Saul Zaentz Company

Clues

1. Michigan's number 1 public health crisis with 32% of the population being affected
2. Root cause for most chronic illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes and heart diseases
3. Can be prevented or intervened by maintaining a healthy diet
4. Regular physical activities or exercises is a key component to not getting this problem
5. An annual physical exam which checks for the Body Mass Index (BMI), cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure is a good way to inform you of where you stand in this crisis

Send your guess to askcpl@cantonpl.org with the subject line "Medical Mystery #3". After you send your guess claim your Sleuth It or Be Well badge. The contest winner must solve all four mysteries this summer to win the prize. Good Luck!

This is Week 2 for our Medical Word Search game. For the Be Well badge, the challenge is to successfully complete all 5 Medical Word Searches to be in the prize drawing. The Medical Word Searches are available at the Help Desk. Take one, have fun, return when done! It's that easy.

Join us on Saturday, July 21 for a power walk around the lake adjacent to the library in Heritage Park from Noon-12:30 PM. Meet at the "clock" and kick your summer off on the right foot. Bring your walking buddy, whether it's a 2-legged or 4-legged friend. We'll also have our last walk next Saturday, weather-permitting: July 28

Reading an eBooks is an excellent way to earn your Geek Out Badge.  With hundreds of titles available in the Metro Net Online Lending Library you are sure to find something to download to your Nook, Kindle, iPad or other compatible device.  Once you finish your book, don't forget to log on and claim your badge!

Are you dazzled by all the wonders in the night sky? Do all the wonders and mysteries of the universe(s) intrigue you? Then take advantage of Jack Brisbin's wonderful presentation for young astronomers, kids going into 5th - 8th grade. Join us on July 18, from 7:00 - 7:45 PM. 

Have you earned your Go Wild badge yet? If not, summer isn't over yet--so you still have time. Now that the weather has gotten better, be sure to get out and Go Wild by taking a walk in the woods or at a park, enjoying Art in the Park this weekend, July 13, 14, and 15, 2012 in Downtown Plymouth, or run through the sprinkler to cool off. No matter what you choose to do, Go Wild and have fun!

Comic-Con 2012 is underway this weekend in San Diego, California. Your favorite books, movies, and TV shows are all present at this pop culture extravaganza. Get into the spirit by catching up on your favorites.

The hobbit, or, there and back again by J.R.R. Tolkien — Peter Jackson adds to his Tolkien trilogy with two movies based on this book. You can also find it in adult fiction.

Chess is a great way to exercise your mind this summer, and July 20th is International Chess Day. Chess is played world wide by millions of people and calls for some good strategy and thinking skills. If you would like to learn more about chess or try your hand at a game, open chess is available at the library on July 22, and on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month. You could also play or learn chess for your Conquer it or Game on Badge.

Friday, July 13th is Embrace Your Geekness day.  It's a great day to proudly proclaim you are a geek. Remember, the definition of a geek can be "a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest."  Everyone has a little bit of geek in them.  What are you totally interested in?  Is it comic books?  Technology? Sports?  A particular TV show?  Show your Geekness by visiting the library dressed like a geek and get entered into a special drawing.

Stop by the library and challenge yourself with a hula hoop! Besides conquering your coordination, hula hooping is great physical activity, too.

Bubble gum and hula hoops: the origins of objects in our everyday lives by Harry Oliver

Who left their tracks behind in the library? It’s up to you to find out! Here’s how:

1. Print a log or pick one up at one of the library help desks
2. Find a set of tracks somewhere in the library. (Hint: you may find some in the nonfiction sections)
3. Find the number listed on that set of tracks.

Hey Kids,
I hope you are having as much fun earning badges for Connect Your Summer as I am. I've earned some by reading really good books, a couple more for doing some fun things here at the library, and few by coming up with some creative ideas all by myself. I'm sharing my badges so you can see all the things I've done. I love reading all the things that you have done to earn badges too. Keep up the great work!
I'm trying to decide what badge I should earn next, and I need your help. Find the poll and vote for what badge I should earn. If you do, you can claim Geek Out Badge. Thanks for your help. Bear Hugs,
Thorndyke

On Saturday, July 14, from 2:00-3:30 PM, teens can learn the art of emcee from a talented artist. Enjoy a brief rap performance, learn about the background of Hip Hop and DJ, and finally write some rhymes of your own. Registration opens June 26.

This unique program combines interactive storytelling, beautiful music, full audience participation and hands-on fun with musical instruments. From 2:00-3:00 PM on Friday, July 13, The Storytellers present music and instruments from the Caribbean, West Africa, North America, Brazil, Australia and other countries. Children will be invited to play various instruments at this memorable storytelling concert.

[BW music by buttons.butterflies is licensed under CC BY SA 2.0]