Summertime is the busiest time of the year for public libraries across the country. A child's reading abilities can backslide during those months, a situation that libraries try to prevent by offering a variety of enticements to visit the library. Unconventional activities such as craft-making and movie showings generate initial interest, but librarians hope that reluctant readers will ultimately be attracted to books. Too many kids think of reading as a chore they do for school rather than recreation, and summer reading programs can turn that attitude around.
If you visit a library children's room during the summer, you will find colorful posters, signs, and other graphic-rich materials that produce a "something's happening" atmosphere, inspiring kids from pre-school age to teens to sign up for the program. Librarians often set reading goals, awarding token prizes along the way and maybe one larger prize at the end of the program (sometimes a book) to ensure a big finish. In the process, children can discover that they like reading for reading's sake, that reading can be even more entertaining than watching TV or playing a video game. This early love of reading, this eagerness to soak up words on a page (or a screen), will serve them their entire lives. And so will the libraries that nurtured it.
Once upon a time, librarians launched their summer reading programs individually, perhaps brainstorming with staff from neighboring libraries. They would choose a kid-pleasing theme such as dinosaurs, insects, or astronomy, and then develop activities around it. Eventually an entire state decided to organize for a more cohesive event. Then two states joined together, and another and another, until the cooperative grew to forty-six states strong.
Librarians are still free to do independent programs, but most are happy to join the co-op. A library's summer reading program takes a big chunk of its operating budget, and pooling all this funding produces dazzling materials that single libraries could not afford by themselves. The cooperative hires a well-known children's book illustrator who designs bookmarks, posters, buttons, stickers, t-shirts, and other materials, which are produced en masse by one chosen company. Add television PSAs and newspaper ads, and the Cooperative Summer Library Program is a national campaign that rivals any commercial enterprise.
Librarians usually stimulate children's interest in their summer reading program by visiting schools during the spring, but some parents may still be unaware of this months-long event. If you don't know how much your local library can enrich your child's vacation time, get with the program. When you see your son or daughter immersed in a book on a hot summer afternoon, you won't regret it.
The author, Teresa Ash, has been sole proprietor of Rivershore Reading Store for twenty-five years. The company specializes in reading stickers and library stickers, both generic and custom-printed, plus other promotional products for summer and year-round reading. They also serve Title I Reading Programs. Find them at http://www.libraryfun.com
If you visit a library children's room during the summer, you will find colorful posters, signs, and other graphic-rich materials that produce a "something's happening" atmosphere, inspiring kids from pre-school age to teens to sign up for the program. Librarians often set reading goals, awarding token prizes along the way and maybe one larger prize at the end of the program (sometimes a book) to ensure a big finish. In the process, children can discover that they like reading for reading's sake, that reading can be even more entertaining than watching TV or playing a video game. This early love of reading, this eagerness to soak up words on a page (or a screen), will serve them their entire lives. And so will the libraries that nurtured it.
Once upon a time, librarians launched their summer reading programs individually, perhaps brainstorming with staff from neighboring libraries. They would choose a kid-pleasing theme such as dinosaurs, insects, or astronomy, and then develop activities around it. Eventually an entire state decided to organize for a more cohesive event. Then two states joined together, and another and another, until the cooperative grew to forty-six states strong.
Librarians are still free to do independent programs, but most are happy to join the co-op. A library's summer reading program takes a big chunk of its operating budget, and pooling all this funding produces dazzling materials that single libraries could not afford by themselves. The cooperative hires a well-known children's book illustrator who designs bookmarks, posters, buttons, stickers, t-shirts, and other materials, which are produced en masse by one chosen company. Add television PSAs and newspaper ads, and the Cooperative Summer Library Program is a national campaign that rivals any commercial enterprise.
Librarians usually stimulate children's interest in their summer reading program by visiting schools during the spring, but some parents may still be unaware of this months-long event. If you don't know how much your local library can enrich your child's vacation time, get with the program. When you see your son or daughter immersed in a book on a hot summer afternoon, you won't regret it.
The author, Teresa Ash, has been sole proprietor of Rivershore Reading Store for twenty-five years. The company specializes in reading stickers and library stickers, both generic and custom-printed, plus other promotional products for summer and year-round reading. They also serve Title I Reading Programs. Find them at http://www.libraryfun.com