Read to Reef Program Lets Kids Earn Free Admission to Aquarium

It’s back by popular demand.

In the Read to Reef book club, now in its third season, Baltimore’s National Aquarium has teamed up with the Enoch Pratt Free Library to offer local kids an opportunity to earn free entry to this local treasure.

Here’s how it works. Local school students in grades 5 and below with an Enoch Pratt Library card can visit any branch of the Pratt Library, show their card to an employee and, in turn, receive a bookmark and booklist with the titles of aquatic/conservation-themed books. The bookmark allows students to track the number of books they’ve read. Once kids have read five books, they simply take the completed bookmark to any branch of the Pratt library and receive four admission tickets to the National Aquarium. Take note: The deadline to sign up is March 31, 2017!

The Read to Reef book club provides a great way for families to gain access to this beloved attraction. In the program’s inaugural year, 4,770 children participated in the Read to Reef book club, resulting in 23,850 books read and almost 10,000 free visits to the aquarium. This time around, the program aims to add to these already-impressive numbers.

“Reading is not only a cornerstone to a life-long love of learning, it also nurtures skills like imagination, curiosity and compassion. Our city’s children will build upon these stories and skills, inspiring a generation to care for our oceans and the creatures that inhabit them,” says Jenny Hamilton, community programs manager for the National Aquarium.

Note: Visits must be redeemed by June 11. Some blackout dates apply. And remember, the deadline to register is March 31, 2017. For more details on the program, visit the website.

Photo courtesy of the National Aquarium.

About Elizabeth Heubeck

Elizabeth Heubeck, a native of Baltimore, is a former editor of Baltimore's Child and the mother of two teenagers. Currently, she spends much of her spare time wishing she was a gourmet cook (or at least a solid short-order cook), hoping the piles of laundry would disappear and, in the warmer months, battling weeds in her flower beds.

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