Can we talk about Summer Reading Programs in YOUR library?

[athomeontheprairie]

I know there are librarians on here. And parent's with really great ideas.And many of you use the library. Please help me!

 

I help plan my town's SRP for the library. What I want is to encourage more kids to read (and read more than one book over the summer). What happens is, regardless of the prizes, my readers read and my non-readers come to the library because it's something fun to do when there isn't much else in the town. (Suggestions on how to get parent involvement?)

 

I want to hear what your library does to promote reading? I want to hear about motivations that work. I want to hear what happens at your library that you DON'T like (in regards to Summer Reading).I would love to hear stories about programs that get the kids excited to check out books or prizes that motivate them to read more.

 

FWIW, my program is for kids k-6. Most of those kids will be grade 4 and down. And while participation is about 45 kids (more than 15% of my town!) I usually only have 30 kids each week. If you suggest a some type of reading competition, tell me how YOU would make it work for those ages. (counting pages/books varies greatly between a 6th grader and a k'er)

[Jean in Newcastle]

For  younger kids (grade school and lower), they have what looks like a black and white game board (sort of like Candyland).  They color in one square for each 20 min. of reading.  For older kids that would be reading they did on their own.  For  younger kids that could be listening to their parents read.  Halfway through the game board they get a small reward from a local business (some years this was a Pizza Hut personal pizza from the Book It program), in more recent years it has been something like a coupon for a free chocolate from our local candy store.  At the end, they get a bigger prize - one year it was a small art set, I remember.  They are also entered into a drawing for a larger item (like a tablet) that only one child will win. 

[FloridaLisa]

I can't speak to motivating kids at large, but with my own nonreading child, a book club worked wonders. WONDERS. Or what about chapter book readings that left them hanging week to week? What about getting parents engaged by giving parents a coupon that they could distribute to the child for 15 minutes later at bedtime for reading (distributed at their discretion). What about working with a local hardware store to give a flashlight to each child (they have cheap ones for $1 at Walmart) and have a kick off challenge to read under the covers with the flashlight after bedtime? <--- that idea needs to be tweaked but you could do really fun things with it. You could have an "undercover reading" theme and try to find all of the undercover readers in town. 

Edited February 13, 2016 by FloridaLisa

[rutheart]

In my county, they offer "Book Bucks", which can be spent at the library for various small toys and other items, ranging from pencils to tote bags and t-shirts (most of it is Oriental Trading Company stuff). The way you earn Book Bucks has varied over the years. Sometimes, you get one for every 5 books read. Sometimes it was for every hour spent reading (recorded in 20 minute chunks). Last year, it was for completing reading challenges (i.e. reading under the covers with a flashlight, reading outside, reading in the car, etc.). The reading challenges is the only system that my children didn't participate in. My kids kept reading, but they refused to change how they read just to check a box. I haven't asked the librarians if overall participation was low that year, or if it was just my children.

 

Ruth

[Um_2_4]

I don't love our local summer reading program, so I'll tell you why: it is more about getting bodies in the library and less about reading, also they push the popular books I would rather skip. Guess how my kids discovered wimpy kid books?? Yep, our 1st summer here.

The Prize was (I think still is)a scholastic paperback of their choice off a rack and a reusable bag with some vouchers for local businesses (donut shop, Mcd fries and a couple other things we never used). It required at least 3 stamps from the local library in a certain period of time. And the reading requirements were not that much (and they counted by books, not pages or minutes for K-8th). My kids read  that in one week, so they were just waiting on getting the 3 stamps to get their prizes. (I had no car, so we only went every 2-3 weeks and stocked up then).

But here is the reading program I loved as a kid (I still remember it LOL): reading lists were completed (I think 10-20 books per list based on grade level), signed by parents, turned in and you got "promoted" through some ranking system up on the wall (each year was a theme, star wars, butterflies, frogs, dragons, etc.....) AND you got small prizes for each list. Sometimes a new book, sometimes a little toy, coupon for ice cream, etc. At the end their were big prizes for the top levels donated by some companies. Those on the top level got invited (with parents/familes) to a special after hours library party (pizza, punch, games, etc).

As a parent, I would love to see that: the prizes spread out to encourage continued participation, not like here, 1 form and my kids are done for the summer. And prizes that we could actually use, not coupons for restaurants that many may never go to. Several required an adult to purchase a meal and at many of the restaurants, there was not much we would eat and it would cost $$$ to go ($40+) even with the free kids meal. More instantaneous rewards or easily redeemable things (frozen yogurt or the like).

[Sherry in OH]

The summer reading program pamphlet for elementary school aged children contains a 60-day calendar.  The children mark off a space for every day they read at least 20 minutes.   10, 20, 30, and 40 days of reading earn prizes.  40 days also earns an entry in a drawing for the grand prize.  Reading 50 days earns an extra entry. 

 

The library hosts multiple programs during each week of the summer.  Attendance at these programs may be substituted for reading on those days.  Library staff stamp or initial the pamphlets of children who present them.  Programs range from story time to themed clubs, movies to art workshops to special guests. 

 

Several area daycares take their charges to the library on a weekly basis.  This provides an opportunity for children whose families do not visit the library to participate in the reading program. 

 

Other than the children in daycare, I don’t know that summer reading programs reach anyone who doesn’t already frequent the library.  My children are voracious readers.  They participate in the program because they like to get prizes.  Especially prizes for something they'd do anyway.

 

The prizes are usually coupons,  happy meal/Oriental Trading Company toys, books, and baseball game tickets.  The grand prize varies.

 

The elementary, teen, and adult programs at my library are okay.  I dislike the preschool program because I feel a reading program should promote reading.  The program my library uses for preschoolers does not do this because some parents complained that reading to preschoolers was too difficult.  

[Chris in VA]

In Dallas, you got a free coupon for a Slurpee at 7-11 redeemable when you signed up. My boys remember that, because it's the only time they got them, and we would sign up the first day after school got out. Then you'd keep track on a chart --I think it was minutes, but it might have been books--and when you read a certain amount, you brought the chart to the librarian and she gave you a nametag to decorate and hang on the wall in the library, and a coupon book from local businesses that actually had good coupons in it. If you read to a certain level (maybe 10 hours?) you got a pair of tickets to the Dallas Children's Theater, which was GREAT. We read and read aloud every summer to get those tickets. Summer Reading was just a great memory for my boys. (That and the free city pools...lol)

 

Here in VA it's not so great, but dd still did it for a while. They do coupon books as prizes and sometimes a free book.

 

One "non-summer" program that gets a lot of kids in and reading is the Read to the Dog program (I know it has a better name, but can't think of it!). Kids can read to dogs that come in. The dogs all have their Canine Good Citizen cards and are really sweet. Maybe you could do something like that as part of Summer Reading.

[HomeAgain]

Our libraries collaborate with various other agencies in town and makes a big theme of it.  If they do a music one, they invite various performers: individual and group musicians, dancers, etc, and pair up storytime books to go along with it.  There are various activities throughout the week for those who are available during the day and those who can only get there on the weekend or in the evening.

[MrsMommy]

I'll tell you what I hate about ours. The majority of the prizes are free meals for the readers at various local restaurants (that we don't normally frequent because we can't afford them), but only if you purchase an adult meal for each. There are two parents and five children here...you do the math. We almost never end up using them, because I can't afford to buy five meals at a restaurant we can't afford to eat at just so two of our children can redeem their "free" meals. I'd rather just go to a restaurant we all actually love going to, and pay the whole bill myself, and call it a day...and it would still probably cost less!

[Dmmetler]

On the read to the dog, one of DD's herpetology feeds online highlighted a "read with a lizard" program-a person who had multiple bearded dragons would, during warm months, bring a few lizards in for kids to read to. For kids with allergies or dog phobias, the lizards allowed them to read to an animal, too.

 

There was a sweet video of a little boy reading to a lizard, who appeared to be watching the pages quite attentively :).

 

DD offered to volunteer her snakes. I think that might be a hard sell, even though Pinkie Python makes a pretty good math buddy.

[Artichoke]

Our summer reading program is all online now except for the big ending program. It's focused more on using the library's programs instead of reading. My kids lost interest when the format changed.

[kbutton]

For  younger kids (grade school and lower), they have what looks like a black and white game board (sort of like Candyland).  They color in one square for each 20 min. of reading.  For older kids that would be reading they did on their own.  For  younger kids that could be listening to their parents read.  Halfway through the game board they get a small reward from a local business (some years this was a Pizza Hut personal pizza from the Book It program), in more recent years it has been something like a coupon for a free chocolate from our local candy store.  At the end, they get a bigger prize - one year it was a small art set, I remember.  They are also entered into a drawing for a larger item (like a tablet) that only one child will win. 

This is largely what ours is like, but we have more prizes at various increments. Also, the parents have the option of having kids do larger increments of time. That way, parents can require more if they want to do so, and opt to use audio books or read with their kids--it's really a no questions asked thing where parents are allowed to judge how suitable the materials are for their child. They also have a weekly program on Fridays, but we usually don't make it for that--it's anything from magic to nature presentations, I think. Sometimes they do crafts. Besides the drawing at the end for a large prize, the kids who complete all the hours required earn a t-shirt or bag, and they make sure they have appropriate sizes as much as they can (since it goes all the way down to toddler, some of the toddlers end up with shirts a bit too big if they are tiny). It alternates between t-shirts and bags each year.

 

The other library that does a program has you read 20 books. Books over 100 pages are allowed to count every 50 pages as one book. I think they have something that says "age-appropriate books" in the rules but leave that up to the parents. They just don't want a neurotypical 6th grader reading picture books.

[barnwife]

I will tell you what made me, a voracious reader, quite participating when I was a kid.

The format changed to "read XXX minutes" (I can't remember the exact amount) and win a prize. I did that in less than a week. When I went in to get my prize, I inquired about what the next challenge or whatever was.

And the answer was "Nothing. Once you've read 1000 minutes you are done."

I never signed up again. I remember thinking that the prize I'd gotten wasn't worth the hassle of signing up. 

As for our current library, last year (for preschooler/early readers) it was read XXX books and get a stamp. Stamps could be redeemed for various Oriental Trading type prizes. 

I don't like it. First, you are only allowed to count so many books each week. Second, I don't want OTC junk. We have enough junk in the house.

[HSmomof2]

We have a fairly large library system, and summer reading for kids/teens is tracked in 20 min increments. After 5 hrs, there's a small prize related to the program's theme. After 10 hrs, a $5 coupon to use in fines. At 15 hours, there's a zoo pass and free pizzas. There is also an 'extension' program for the kids that read a lot with additional prizes (free books mostly). There are multiple programs going on each week during the summer. They also started an adult summer reading program last year---same format as the kids. Prizes included free books, fines coupon, a stylus, and a drawing for a Kindle at the end. It was quite popular last year with adults.

[scoutingmom]

We haven't done ours in so long.... I just remember thd prizes just weren't worth my hassle.

 

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[JustEm]

My library has the kids reading program from birth to middle school think. They also have an adult reading program. The kids is tracked by minutes. Being read to counts also for all ages! My older kids love this because they would spend a lot of time reading to each other and to their siblings because it would count for everyone. It encouraged a lot of sibling bonding and they have continued reading to each other. The prizes were given every 10 hours that were read. Prizes were a book, tickets to a baseball game, coupons for local restaurant, entry into the big prize (tablet).

[Excelsior! Academy]

Our library has changed their program throughout the years.  They offer a signup bag of some kind with goals, stickers, ice cream cone certificates, etc.  Then after each goal you get a coupon booklet, small prize or are entered into a drawing for the big prize.  

 

I hate the way they are doing it now.  You log minutes online.  It took me ages to enter everyone and to log their minutes.  The database is not set up to duplicate information even in a single family, so I had to add name, address, phone, for every person to sign up, then log on to each account and update them individually.  The process was so time consuming for my large family I refuse to participate anymore.  And like someone said upthread the coupons where you purchase one adult meal for a free kid meal doesn't fly when you have 3 adults and 8 kids.  

Edited February 14, 2016 by Excelsior! Academy

[Incognito]

Well, I only did the program last year, and probably won't do it again, but I will tell you what I liked and didn't like about it.

 

Liked:

 

They gave good, age-appropriate books as some of the prizes (we are part of a small library, so probably about 50 or 60 kids do the program, and they bought books for various ability levels and let the kids choose one).  The book prize was just from a "random prize draw" (which every kid won).

 

Our format was you got credit for checking off each day you read.  No time or page amount.

 

They dropped the candy each week prizes for prize draws for better things (kids win often).

 

The library activity each week is finding a little character that is hiding around the library - when you find it you enter a slip to win another random draw prize.  The preschoolers had an easier thing to do - they identified an animal I think.

 

Disliked:

 

We read every day any ways, so it was just checking off a calendar for sort of no reason.

 

The prize at the end was a medal - the kids get medals for everything they participate in.  We didn't bother to pick it up.

 

They also gave ice cream cone prizes, and my child who won one doesn't eat dairy (and would have really rather had a book!).  It wasn't a big deal, but my child was mildly disappointed since the other kids had already won books and they thought they would too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MrsBasil]

Our reading program is more of a hybrid. There's levels based on ages and it has activities to do, some from the last couple years included star gazing, reading comic strips, finger painting, observing and drawing bugs, attending a library program, making a Rube Goldberg machine, designing your own super hero and write about him or draw him/her etc, and logging a certain amount of reading time. Prizes were stickers for each completed section, a book at the end, and a coupon for a free frozen yogurt. I think there were drawings for a few big ticket prizes.

 

I liked it. My kids really had fun with the suggested activitiesComplaints I heard from other parents were annoyance at needing to be involved and that it felt like parent homework.

[bettyandbob]

Kids get a coupon book for completing a reading log. 20 books for k-6. 8 books for 7-12. If a young child is reading really long books ( my then first grader read some HP) the librarian will count them as 2 or 3. Coupons are for things like mini golf, ice cream, water park passes. It's a long a of things. They do get stuff in there that teens enjoy. For younger families its kind of a treasure hunt using all the coupons in summer.

For additional logs they get to post something on the library wall.

Throughout the summer the libraries have fun guests and activities (favorite authors, a reptile group, musicians). Usually something once a week at each branch.

There are multiple book clubs for multiple ages and interests throughout the year.

[AmandaVT]

Our library has a neat program. Each summer they choose a theme - last summer was space I think? The children who want to participate get a little booklet and they fill in which books they've read. Books that are part of the summer's theme have their own page in the booklet. The library also has a few space themed programs throughout the summer. I can't remember what they were because we didn't go them - but they're usually books, games and projects relating to the theme of the summer. The summer decorations in the library were space related and many of the display books were space related as well. They had handouts for space book ideas by age group (k-1, 2-4, middle school, etc).  I can't remember the prizes either, but I think kids would get a prize when they handed in their booklet. 

 

They also do a really cute thing for the younger kids - teddy bear sleepover. It's usually towards the end of the summer - the kids can each bring a teddy bear or stuffed animal and they have a kickoff party. After drop off, the librarians take lots of pictures of the animals during their "sleepover" and post to the library's FB page. It's really cute and the kids love seeing their animals have a sleepover party and the antics they get into. :-)