BROOKINGS Schools out for summer, but that doesnt mean kids should put away the books. The so-called summer slide a loss of academic skills during vacation is a real phenomenon that Brookings Public Library would like to help prevent.
Any bit of practice is going to help, because reading is a skill, Katherine Eberline, library childrens services coordinator, said. When Im talking to parents of preschoolers about early literacy, one of the biggest things that I try to promote is the joy of reading. If you dont see value in an activity or see an activity as fun, how much do you honestly want to invest in that?
She said because of this, kids often stop reading in the summer. According to a 2020 study by nonprofit testing group NWEA, kids in third through fifth grade who did not read over the summer lost an average of 20% of their gains in reading proficiency when the new school year began.
The whole point of (summer reading programs) is to help prevent summer slide, Eberline said. Kids can lose about two months worth of their reading ability if they dont engage in any kind of educational activities. We have the childrens program which is basically birth through fifth grade. We have prizes to encourage them to read. By encouraging them to do at least a little bit of summer reading, the idea is to keep them in practice.
The library features free camps and activities, encouraging kids to explore those topics further in books. They also offer a plethora of prizes gift certificates from Dairy Queen and Insomnia Cookies, and even a ride to school in a firetruck.
Last summer one of the moms came in it was like the first week and she was someone who had done the summer reading program for years, Eberline said. Her son was like, summer is here, and its time to get serious about reading. Its time to get my prizes. They were so excited about that. So those are all different ways we try to encourage reading.
In addition to the childrens program, the library also runs a program for adolescents.
The teen program works a little differently, because teens are motivated a little differently, Jenny Kluck, library young adult coordinator, said. Instead of tracking it like they did as kiddos, (teens get) a packet with I read slips. It just asks if you did any reading this week. If you did, you cut it out one each week and that gives you a scratch-off ticket. If you win right away, you pick a prize. If you dont win, you can enter into one of three grand prize drawings.
With higher academic expectations, teens have additional incentives to avoid the summer slide.
Once they get to about fifth grade on up, the focus shifts to always trying to get them ready for the next thing, Kluck said. In fifth grade, were getting ready for middle school. In middle school, were getting ready for high school. In high school, were trying to get you ready for college.
She runs a book match program to help rapidly changing adolescents discover books that still resonate with them.
Theyre not teens; theyre people who just happen to be at a different developmental stage, Kluck said. The ability in adolescence is just wild. You get some who are ready for adult books by seventh grade, but you get some high school seniors who are like, I am perfectly happy reading (Young Adult). Its interesting to watch their maturity levels change and grow.
The library also runs an adult summer program, in the hope parents will become good role models.
My dad wasnt much of a reader at all. But every time he did read a book usually a business book or self-help something he would start raving about what an insightful, cool book it was, Mikaela Neubauer, library community services coordinator, said. And that would make me want to read it. I remember reading these business, self-help and inspirational books all because my dad was excited about them. Its those little things kids pick up on that.
Prizes for the adult program include Wooden Legs gift cards and passes to McCrory Gardens. Neubauer said the reading goals are fun and quirky.
Everything from read a book from the 1990s, to write a letter to a friend, to read at a local restaurant, she said. Say you look at a challenge that says, read for two hours. Thats a lot, but then you think, I could do 30 minutes here, 10 minutes here, 20 minutes here. You start adding all those bits of time even if it isnt a marathon session youre still getting the benefits of reading.
She said those benefits are essential in the Information Age.
It gives you comprehension and critical thinking skills, Neubauer said. Being able to have comprehension skills when youre reading the newspaper is so important. Im no scientist, Im no expert, Im no teacher, but I do think anyone can benefit from reading.
All the librarys summer reading programs are free. No library card is required and registration is open all summer. Eberline said they hope to make reading for both young and old joyful and accessible.
In our society, you cant think of reading as an optional skill, she said. If you actually pay attention to how much print you interact with daily at the grocery store reading labels, or signs on the street or signage on a store we actually interact with a lot more print than people realize. If you dont have success navigating a print environment, you are missing out on a big slice of the world.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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