Libraries fight summer slide

Summer break. That magical time where kids get to spend their days just being kids, away from the confines of the classrooms and pressures of learning new things day in and day out.

But statistics are disheartening when it comes to what takes place in the classroom once fall comes back around. For many teachers it means spending several weeks re-teaching what was learned last year. “Students experience significant learning loss when they do not participate in educational activities during the summer months. Research shows that students on average score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer than they do on the same tests at the end of the school year,” reports Bright Hub Education, an online teaching resource.

Area libraries in the Community Library Network (CLN) have been keeping kids busy all summer with an engaging summer reading program, which rewards kids for reading, being read to, listening to audiobooks, attending library events, and for volunteering in the community.

Jacob Smith, an Atlas Elementary student, was at the Hayden Library stocking up on new reading material on Tuesday afternoon. He has been active this summer with the reading program. “So far I have got books, a truck, and a pass to go rollerskating.”

The 6-year-old knows that it is important for him to read. “It will help me to think and to make my brain work.” He really enjoys reading about dinosaurs, bugs, and maps, and he likes learning about science.

His mom, Alda, said she is “grateful and thankful for the summer activities through the library.”

Harmony Anderson, 5, is just getting ready to start kindergarten this fall, and when asked about reading she was quick to point out that she doesn’t know how yet, but she is on the right track as evidenced by the pile of books her mom had set aside.

“We come to the library sometimes,” she said, “we needed to get new books to read.” Her favorite books to read are Paw Patrol.

This year 3,740 kids were registered for the Great Reading Adventure among the eight libraries in the network. For the second year the library has used an online system for kids and parents to log their reading time.

“We used to do paper tracking, and we decided this would be a great way for us to do an online piece so that if families are taking vacations, or if kids go to camp, they can access this 24/7 so that they can still participate all summer long even if they’re not able to come in, and it also eliminates the 'I lost my reading log' issue,” said Karen Yother, youth services coordinator for CLN. “Families can participate at their leisure. We know that the summer is a really busy time for families — the weather gets nice, they're out at the park, but we also know that this is just one more way for kids to engage with us.”

The online platform is an open-source-software-based website, which also includes games to play and activities to earn badges. The site tracks reading by the minute, with each minute earning a point. When readers get to 500 points they get their first prize, and they continue getting prizes every 500 points. Kids earn 25 points for attending library activities. Once kids have accumulated 2,000 points, they receive a pass to the end of summer celebration at Skate Plaza. Last year about 350 eager readers celebrated their accomplishments at the party.

The Coeur d’Alene Public Library has a similar reading program, with more than 1,600 participants using a reading-log bookmark to track their reading time. They can then return to the library for a prize for every three hours they read. This year’s theme is “Build a Better World,” and many weekly activities at the library were centered around this theme. Some activities included a guided Tubbs Hill hike, learning about “landscaping for wildlife” with Fish and Game and making birdhouses, and the World Travelers Club, where kids explore other cultures.

Not only is summer reading important to help kids transition to the new school year, but summer reading loss is cumulative. By the end of sixth grade, children who lose reading skills during the summer months end up behind their peers. “The few months of loss in reading skills compounds over the years; by the time children reach middle school, those who haven’t read during the summers may have lost as much as two years worth of achievement,” said education specialist Julie M. Wood in an article on pbs.org. “Children need to engage with books every day so they can maintain, and ideally strengthen, all the literacy skills they learned during the previous school year.”

Other than having their kids participate in library summer programs, parents can encourage their kids by letting them choose their own reading material. If they are given a choice in books, nine out of 10 kids are more likely to finish it.

If kids aren’t keen on the idea of reading, feeling pressured to do so may have a negative result. Parents can send the message that reading is a chore if they make children read before they get to do something more desirable. Instead, have a special place just for reading, and set aside time to read together.

When kids are allowed to watch TV, turning on the captions is a great way for kids to see the words that they are hearing. Keep books, magazines, and newspapers around the house, and let kids see that family members also read. Research shows reading at least six books over the summer will help lessen reading decline.