Description

Gentle Carousel's Reading with Horses is an annual summer literacy programs. Each week will feature a book by different authors and publishers and the ACTUAL equine character from that book to bring the story to life. Gentle Carousel's Reading with Horses is free to the public including summer schools and camps. Children will be able to select a new book each week they attend to build their own library at home. Children without a summer reading routine can lose one to three months of the reading skills they spent the previous school year building. The kickoff reading program will include Marion County Memorial Honor Guard, the mayor of Ocala and a ribbon cutting by the Ocala CEP. It will also include the debut of a coloring book for each child about careers in the horse industry. The coloring book is an educational project by the CEP's Equine Initiative Ocala, presented by Pyranha to teach local elementary students. Thousands of copies were printed to be distributed to Marion County schools this coming school year. Therapy horse Moonshadow is on the cover and will be at the first reading program to meet everyone. Gentle Carousel's Reading with Horses also invites assisted living programs to attend because everyone loves horses! Children pick out a stuffed horse plushy to give to each senior to take home with them. The therapy horses featured this year will be Moonshadow, Mercury, Sundance, Sweetheart, Sparkle and Circus.