After the school bell rings for the last time, it is time to let the bugs, snakes and other creepy crawlers loose. No, not at your house, but in the imaginations of area children.

That is exactly what Judge George W. Armstrong Library in Natchez is doing with their summer reading programs. Armstrong Library has two summer programs, one for children in preschool through sixth grade and another for older children in seventh through 12th grades. The Concordia Parish Library has a similar setup with their Be a Star — Read program geared toward preschool through fifth-grade students and the teen program, Get Reel at the Library, set up for sixth through 12th graders.

Janet Echols Minor, children’s librarian at Armstrong Library, stressed the importance of maintaining a reading program after school has ended.

“Children do better on tests if they maintain or improve on their reading skills during summer vacation,” Echols Minor said. “We also have accelerated reading programs so they can get a head start on the next school year.”

Marianne Raley, coordinator for the teen program, added that the summer programs are also used to create a familiarity with the library and all the services it offers so children keep coming back.

“The point of it is to get the students to come into the library so they can learn about it,” Raley said. “We want to show them that the library is fun and we do make noise here.”

The noise making programs at Armstrong Library this summer will be centered on insects and nature. The younger ages will participate in a program called Catch the Reading Bug while the teen program is entitled Metamophosis at Your Library.

“We brought in new books about different types of insects and have activities and speakers coming in to teach the children about them,” Echols Minor said.

The first speaker planned for the young children is Felder Rushing from Jackson. Rushing is a gardener from Jackson who has a radio show that can be heard on Mississippi Public Broadcasting radio. He will be talking about different types of insects and plants.

The teen program will consist of crafts, games and book discussion all centered on the our six-legged friends. The group may even raise butterflies from a cocoon.

Raley said that nationwide libraries are losing interest from the teens and pre-teens and it is no different in Natchez. To combat that, the annual kick off event will be geared more toward that age group this year. The band The High Strung, who are touring for the third time on the National Rock and Roll Library Tour, will perform a 90-minute program at 2 p.m. on June 10. For the first hour the band will perform their music but the last 30 minutes will be a little different. The band, with the help of the audience, will write a song on-stage.

The Be a Star program at the Concordia Parish Library will have a variety activities including a puppet show, musical and variety shows and a visiting home economist.

Catch the Reading Bug programs for first through sixth graders are scheduled for each Tuesday from June 17 through July 15. Two sessions are planned, a morning program from 10 until 11:30 and an afternoon session from 2 until 3:30. Preschool and kindergarten-aged children’s programs are planned for 10 until 10:30 a.m. every Friday from June 13 through July 18.

Metamorphosis activities are scheduled for 3 until 4 p.m. on Fridays from June 20 through July 18.

Be a Star — Read programs are plannedfor different days from June 2 through July 11. The bookmobile from Concordia Parish Library will be in Monterey at 10:15 on Monday mornings. Activities at Clayton Library are scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on Fridays. Both of these offerings are for first through fifth graders.

Programs at the Vidalia Library will be on Tuesdays. Preschool programs are at 9:30 a.m. and first through fifth grade programs are scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Ferriday Library will have activities on Thursdays. Preschool children will meet at 9:30 a.m. and the older children will follow them at 10:15 a.m.

Teen programs at Vidalia are planned for 11:15 a.m. on Tuesdays. Activities are scheduled for Ferriday on 11:15 a.m. on Thursday and Clayton Library will have sessions at 11:15 on Fridays.

More information on the programs, as well as registration information, is available by contacting the libraries.

Armstrong Library can be contacted at 601-445-8862 and the Concordia Parish Library can be reached at 318-757-3550.