Between The Lines March 2022
Welcome to Between the Lines! Our new reading challenge program for elementary school age children. Each month we will have new reading challenges and other activities for grades K to 8 with all kinds of different themes and adventures.
Track what you’ve read this month by printing out the reading log provided in this post or pick up a copy at an MPL branch nearest you. Fill out your sheet as you go and once you’ve completed all of the challenges for the month you will get the opportunity to recommend a book to all library users on a bookmark! Plus, your recommendation will be added to a reading list and posted on our website.
Let us know what challenges you’ve completed and what you’re reading using the hashtag #MPLBTL. We cannot wait to see how you complete each of the monthly challenges!
March Reading Challenges:
Read a book with a colour in the title 
March 18 marks Holi, the festival of colours in India. Let’s celebrate by reading a book that has a colour in the title. There are a lot of great titles to choose from at MPL, for example: Red is best by Kathy Stinson or One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss or Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. Pick the best one for your reading level, and check out our reading list for ideas
Read more about Holi by visiting National Geographic Kids https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/pages/article/holi.
Read a book by a female author
March 8 is International Women’s Day, a holiday that honours women and promotes women’s rights. Honour some fantastic female authors by reading a book by one of them! Pick any book by a female author of your choice.
Not sure which female author to choose? Using your library card, check out our online database Novelist K-8 or K-8 Plus. The advanced search will allow you to narrow your search for female authors and age ranges, for example 0-8, 9-12 or Teen.
To learn about the history of International Women’s Day, check out these articles: Brittanica Kids and National Geographic Kids.
Read a book or magazine article about an animal you know very little about 
World Wildlife Day is March 3. Celebrate all things animals, by learning about an animal that you know nothing or very little about. We have lots of great animal books in our physical collections in the library branches under the category heading “Animals” and as e-books on Overdrive Kids or Hoopla for you to read.
We also have e-magazines on Overdrive. Great titles that would have animal articles are National Geographic Kids, National Geographic Little Kids, Owl, Animal Tales, and Chickadee.
Bonus activity: When you are reading about a new animal try to find an interesting fact that you would like to share. You can add that to your tracking sheet about the book.
Read a book with a type of water on the cover or in the title
March 22 is World Water Day. “Water is the most important liquid on Earth”. There are still 2.2 billion people in the world living without fresh water and 82,400 of those people are right here in Canada. Let’s mark the importance of water, by reading a book with it on the cover or in the title in some way. Remember water can be a lake, sea, ocean, river, stream, raindrop, aqua, waterfall, pond, pool, splash, or the scientific name of H2O. Get creative with what water you find and take a look at our reading list for suggestions.
Learn about Canada's Great Lakes through our "Kids Explore the Great Lakes Series" on March 8 and March 15 both 11:00 to 12:00pm
Beyond Books
Make a craft with your family
March is craft month! What a great time to try a new craft with your family! Crafts work on fine motor skills, critical thinking, coordination, spark creativity and are a great bonding exercise for families. Crafting is also a great indoor activity to do on those cold and snowy winter days! Try searching for craft ideas on World Book’s Activity Corner and our Creativity Ideas for Kids reading list
Go skating at one of the Markham Outdoor rinks
While Crafting is an indoor activity it is also very important to do an outdoor activity and stay active in the winter. Take advantage of the great outdoor skating rinks that Markham has to offer before they are gone. Check the schedules and closing dates of all the outdoor rinks ahead of time as once the weather gets warmer the outside rinks will be closing. This is a great opportunity to try them before they are gone for the season.
What Else is Happening in March?
| Nutrition Month. Stay safe and eat well this month and the rest of the year | March 1st is Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) |
| March 2nd is Dr. Seuss Day is a day to encourage children and teens to read | March 4th is Zhonghe Festival or Blue Dragon Festival marking 1 month from the lunar new year |
| March 13th starts Daylight Savings Time. Don’t forget to Spring your clocks forward an hour starting at 2:00 am. | March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day |
| March 20th is the First Day of Spring | March 21 is Nowruz the Iranian new year |
| March 21st is also World Poetry Day, read a great poem or give writing one a try | March 26th is Earth Hour, take the hour to turn off everything electrical between 8:30 and 9:30pm |
| March 31st is Crayon Day, a great day to make a drawing or do a colouring page |
Events to Look For
Markham Public Library Programming:
- MPL’s variety of “Books and Reading” Programs
- March Break Programming
- Reading Buddies
- Kids Explore the Great Lakes Series March 8 and March 15 both 11:00 to 12:00pm
The City of Markham Programming:
How to register for a program with the City of Markham: https://www.markham.ca/wps/portal/home/recreation/programs/registration-information/05-registration-information
- March Break Programs
- Family Programming for all ages
- Markham has a multitude of winter paths open to the public which are a great way to explore the city in the winter and get out in the fresh air. Find a list of them here:
Visit the Varley Art Gallery. They also have a great variety of programs to offer
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