After registering, kids can visit their nearest Lambton County Library to receive a registration kit while supplies last. For every five books read during the Summer Reading Challenge, kids will earn one free book to a maximum of three book prizes. In addition to reading, kids can participate in activities to earn badges and be entered into prize draws. Each week, kids who have logged reading will be entered into a draw to win a block game.
Summer Reading Challenge
Full STEAM Ahead
June 29 - August 14, 2026
How to participate | Kids (0-12) | Teens (13-17) | Adults (18+) | Feature Events | Social Media Contest | FAQ
Registration opens June 20, 2026.
How to Participate
1. Register
Sign up on Beanstack or at any Lambton County Library location.
2. Read & Explore
Read books and complete STEAM activities to earn badges.
3. Win Prizes
Earn entries for weekly draws and grand prizes!
Choose Your Challenge
Kids (0-12)
Teens (13-17)
Adults (18+)
Earn activity badges while exploring the community for a chance to win a prize.
Outdoor Activities Badge:
Kids who complete one of the six listed activities will earn their Outdoor Activities Badge.
- Read outside: Use our curated reading lists below for inspiration.
- Look for celestial bodies in the night sky: Borrow a Telescope Kit for a better view
- Try a new sport or physical activity: Lambton County Library has a variety of Sport Kits you can borrow.
- Backyard bio blitz: become a backyard scientist and help the Canadian Nature Conservancy track biodiversity in your community. Borrow a pair of Binoculars to admire nature from a safe distance.
Use Your Own STEAM - Active Transportation Badge
Take a form of active transportation by getting somewhere with your own physical exertion instead of a motorized vehicle. Completion of this Active Transportation Badge will enter you into a draw to win a bike bell from Lambton Public Health.
Nutty Scientist Badge
Kids who complete one of the five listed activities will earn their Nutty Scientist Badge and be entered into a draw to win a Klutz Lego STEM Kit (or similar based on winners age).
• Kitchen chemistry: Did you know that cooking and baking are chemistry? Try cooking or baking something with a friend or relative.
• Be a Builder!: Be creative and build something. A tower, a blanket fort, a birdhouse, an obstacle course, the sky is the limit! Kids of all ages can build, whether it is with blocks, magnet tiles, or tools.
• Be an artist!: Art is full of science and math. Create something using any medium you choose and explore art concepts like colour mixing, symmetry, and perspective.
• Create a chain reaction!: From domino trains, to toppling towers, to Rube Goldberg machines, chain reactions are fun, and kids of all ages can make them.
• Try a science experiment at home!: You can do lots of simple science experiments at home!
Kids who complete the challenge by earning all the activity badges will be entered into a draw to win their choice of the following prizes:
After registering, teens can visit their nearest Lambton County Library to receive a registration kit while supplies last. Teens can track the number of minutes they read each day and earn book prizes at 200 minutes of reading, 400 minutes of reading, and 600 minutes of reading, with a maximum of three book prizes. In addition to reading, teens can participate in activities to earn badges and be entered into prize draws. Each week, teens who have logged reading will be entered into a draw to win a Chilly Moose Okanagan tumbler.
Earn badges while exploring the community for a chance to win prizes.
Use Your Own STEAM - Active Transportation Badge
Take a form of active transportation by getting somewhere with your own physical exertion instead of a motorized vehicle. Completion of this Active Transportation Badge will enter you into a draw to win a bike lock from Lambton Public Health.
Activity Badge
Teens who complete one of the five listed activities will earn this Activity Badge.
• Be a Coder: try Fiero Code.
• Create a Chain Reaction: From domino trains, to toppling towers, to Rube Goldberg machines, chain reactions are fun for all ages.
• Kitchen Science: create your own punch recipe, try a 'Nailed it!' challenge, or 'Is It Cake?'
• Art is Science: Make artwork of any kind.
• Backyard Bio Blitz: participate in the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Backyard Bio Blitz.
Teens who complete the challenge by earning all the activity badges will be entered into a draw to win their choice of the following prizes:
Log the books you read and participate in activities to earn badges to win prizes. Challenge yourself to read something different this summer! Each week, adults who have logged reading will be entered into a draw to win a paint set.
Earn activity badges while exploring the community for a chance to win a prize.
Challenge Yourshelf Badge
Get out of your comfort zone and read a genre that you haven't explored before! Six genres have been selected and reading lists will be available if you are looking for suggestions. Read one book in any of the genres listed below and earn the Challenge Yourshelf activity badge and be entered into a draw to win wireless, noise-cancelling headphones.
- about science “gone wrong”
- science fiction that takes place in outer space
- about a BIPOC scientist
- historical fiction about a scientific discovery
- non-fiction focused on science, technology, art or math
- a STEAM-y romance book
Outdoor Activities Badge
Choose one of the following activities to earn this badge and be entered to win a Chilly Moose Dockside Set.
-
Borrow a Telescope Kit from the library: View celestial wonders! What did you see?
-
Borrow a Sports Kit from the library: Explore a new sport at your own pace, practice skills, or enjoy a friendly game. Choose from Basketball, Pickleball, Baseball, Tennis, or Soccer. What did you try?
-
Join the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Backyard Bioblitz: This community science event encourages people to document local biodiversity by recording and sharing photos of plants, animals, and fungi in their own backyards, local parks, or neighborhoods. The event will take place July 27 - August 3, 2026. What did you see?
-
Read outside: on a deck or porch, backyard, at a park, on the beach. Sometimes reading is better outside! What and where did you read?
Lifelong Learner Badge
Complete one of the following activities to earn the Lifelong Learner activity badge and be entered into a draw to win a Space Observatory Escape Puzzle.
-
Sign up for a library card
-
Watch a virtual Author Talk – livestream or recorded
-
Try reading in Libby – eBook, eAudiobook, or eMagazine
-
Attend a library program
-
Try one of our art LinkedIn Learning courses. Options include:
-
21-Day Drawing Challenge
-
Animation Foundations: Drawing Cartoon Characters
-
Painting Foundations
-
Taking Great Photos with Your Phone
-
Are you interested in learning more about living things, or perhaps beginning to train for a career in the healthcare or medical professions? Try our Gale course "Introduction to Biology". What did you learn?
-
Learn coding with Fiero Code! Fiero is an innovative e-learning platform designed to turn you into a coding pro. Access this free resource and learn how to build websites, video games, phone apps, animations and more. What did you learn about?
STEAM Team Up Badge
Complete one of the following activities to earn the STEAM Team Up activity badge and be entered into a draw to win a Spikeball set.
- Make a recipe together! Cooking integrates concepts like chemical reactions, measurement, engineering structures, and creative presentation. What did you make?
- Completing this badge with kids? Try a simple science experiment. What did you try?
- Build something together. It could be building a Lego set or putting together furniture! What did you build?
Adults who complete the challenge by earning all the activity badges will be entered into a draw to win their choice of the following prizes:
Featured Events
STEAM Labs
Recommended for ages 6-9
Have fun with science at this S.T.E.A.M Lab where you'll explore chemistry, physics, technology, biology, and engineering with exciting activities and experiments.
How to Catch a Mouse with Simple Machines
Recommended for all ages
Saturday, July 4
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Learn about the science behind simple machines and have fun with some unforgettable examples!
Star Gazing Party
Veggie Car Creations
Recommended for all ages
Saturday, July 25
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Join us in the library to assemble your veggie car, then race it down the ramp at the Farmers' Market behind the library!
We will be providing veggies, wheels, axles, and tips on physics to help your veggie car meet maximum potential at our annual veggie car races.
Escape Rooms
Recommended for Teens
Hunt down the clues. Solve the puzzles. Find the shutdown code before time runs out and the robot overlords become unstoppable.
Teen Social
Recommended for Teens
Saturday, July 18
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Connect with other teens and have fun with video games, nerf wars, greenscreen, snacks, board games, crafts and karaoke at this after hours library social.
This event has been planned by Lambton County Library's Teen Advisory Council.
The Art of Kombucha and Fermentation
Recommended for Adults
Tuesday, July 7
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Discover the history and benefits of fermentation while learning how kombucha and other ferments can support health and help preserve food naturally. Presented by Kombucha Hound.
The Culture and Science of Kimchi
Recommended for Adults
Saturday, July 18
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Join us to learn about the traditions behind kimchi, the science of fermentation, and enjoy a guided tasting of several unique varieties. Presented by Jiak.
Magic of Sourdough
Recommended for Adults
Monday, July 20
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Discover the magic of sourdough in this hands‑on, beginner‑friendly workshop led by Cedarview Farm Bakery.
Understanding the Local Impact of the 1970s Oil Crisis
Recommended for Adults
Wednesday, July 22
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Join Christina Sydorko, Educational Program Coordinator from the Oil Museum of Canada National Historic Site to learn about the causes and local impacts of the 1970s energy crisis.
Science of Summer Bugs
Recommended for Adults
Friday, July 24
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Join a public health professional from Lambton County for an engaging and informative session on vector-borne diseases commonly found in our region, with a focus on mosquitoes and ticks.
Social Media Contest
Capture the fun and you could win a 3D Printer!
We want to see all the Summer Reading Challenge fun so we're hosting a challenge on Facebook. Snap photos of you, your child, or your teen participating in the Summer Reading Challenge. Share your pictures in the comments under this post (coming soon) by Monday, August 17, 2026 for a chance to win a Bambu Lab 3D Printer!
Not comfortable sharing your face? Wear the robot mask located in the registration kit to protect your privacy. No registration kit? No problem. Download a robot mask and join in on the fun!
Each photo you submit serves as a ballot, so the more activities you complete and share, the greater your chances of winning. The winner will be selected at random.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many registration kits are available?
There are 2,500 total registration kits available for teens and kids. Kits are distributed on a first come first serve basis. The kits include information about the challenge's programs and events, a DIY Sun Print activity, an Indigenous knowledge card about the sun, a robot mask you can decorate, and stickers.
Are there book prize options in other languages?
Yes. We have a selection of French book prizes available. You can select this option in your Beanstack account when you are eligible to redeem a book prize.
Yes. Those who wish to participate offline can track their reading with our offline reading tracker and share their progress with their local library branch to receive book prizes.
Why do we have a Summer Reading Challenge?
The goal of the Summer Reading Challenge is to help prevent the learning loss that happens during the summer months when school-aged kids and teens are not actively engaging the learning parts of their brains, and to provide adults with an opportunity to challenge themselves by reading new genres or learning new skills and information.