It doesn’t matter if it’s “Captain Underpants” or “Walter the Farting Dog.”
It could be a graphic novel, a picture book, a Scholastic magazine or the kids’ menu at a restaurant.
Whatever the vehicle for words happens to be, there is one goal for your kids’ summer vacation: read, read, read.
If they don’t, the slide they experience will be one much different than those at the playground or water park.
Research shows that students who don’t make reading a part of their summer routine experience the infamous “summer slide.” They lose some reading and cognitive skills gained during the school year and begin the next school year behind their peers.
And the loss is cumulative, which means that students don’t make it up when they return to class; they just fall further behind each year because the other children are moving ahead with their skills.
That doesn’t sound fun.
The problem is, for many kids, having a summer reading regimen doesn’t sound fun, either.
“They think, ‘Oh, it’s summer and time to relax and not worry about school,’ ” said Lindsey Patrick, children’s manager at the Nashville Public Library.
The goal isn’t to make summer a drag. Instead, it’s about creatively encouraging entertainment and education.
“We are trying to keep the brain active and coming up with fun ways to do it,” Patrick said.
Part of that is through the summer reading programs offered at public libraries and organizations throughout Middle Tennessee.
There are two keys: making sure children have access to books and then encouraging the adults in their lives to help make sure the pages are being turned. Reading four or five books over the summer can have a significant impact.
“We want them to return more confident and with increased reading skills,” Patrick said.
Numbers about words
1.8 million: If a child reads for 20 minutes every day, they are exposed to about 1.8 million words of text every year, according to a study published in “Reading Research Quarterly.”
121 hours: If families read together for 20 minutes a day, seven days a week, they get more than 121 hours of bonding time every year.
66 percent: The number of public school fourth-graders in Tennessee who were below proficient in reading in 2013, according to KidsCount.org. That’s an improvement from 74 percent in 2011.
39,000: The number of Tennessee children ages 1 to 5 whose family members read to them less than three days a week in 2011-12, according to KidsCount.org.
4X: Students who don’t read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma than proficient readers, according to a national report commissioned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
$50,000: For every year you read with your child, average lifetime earnings increase by $50,000, according to ReadingFoundation.org. You make a $250,000 gift to your child from birth to age 5 by reading aloud just 20 minutes a day.
Tennessee First Lady’s Read20 Book Club
The Read20 Book Club was created by first lady Crissy Haslam to encourage Tennessee families to read together 20 minutes every day. Each month, the club presents a new featured book that is meant to appeal to a broad group of elementary-age kids. Families are encouraged to read it aloud or independently. Learn more at http://tn.gov/firstlady/read20/.
2014 selections
May: “The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy” by Jeanne Birdsall
April: “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
March: “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame
February: “Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman” by Kathleen Krull
January: “Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Books From Birth
Through the Governor’s Books From Birth Foundation, children up to age 5 can sign up to receive one free book a month from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Call 615-253-3600 or visit www.governorsfoundation.org for information on enrolling children in the free books program or to donate. A gift of $12 provides books for a child for a year.
Nashville Public Library for families
The Nashville Public Library Summer Challenge encourages participation in reading and community activities to earn points. Points earn participants a coupon good for admission to attractions such as Adventure Science Center or Cheekwood, a book bag and a chance in random prize drawings for a Target gift card. The grand prize drawing is a trip for four to Dollywood. Additionally, the main library and each of its 20 branches have group point goals. If a branch reaches its goal, there will be an end-of-summer party for the community, and anyone participating in the program can come in the week after and have library fines waived. The goal is to have 10,000 people complete the challenge.
For groups
The Group Summer Challenge is for schools, day-care centers and other organizations with kids participating as a group. For more info, visit www.library.nashville.org/summerchallenge.
Middle Tennessee libraries
Each year the Collaborative Summer Library program, a 50-state consortium of librarians, develops materials for a yearly summer reading program nationwide. This year’s theme is science. Check out the local programs across Middle Tennessee. For children it’s “Fizz, Boom, Read!” For teens it’s “Spark a Reaction.”
Rutherford County
Linebaugh Public Library (105 W. Vine St., Murfreesboro) holds its summer reading program through July 25. With story time and science programs, the calendar of events is filled with educational entertainment. For more info, visit http://linebaugh.org/.
Sumner County
Gallatin Public Library (123 E. Main St., Gallatin) offers incentives for participation in its reading program in June and July. Children through age 12 receive prizes for reading or being read to for two, six and 10 hours. Youths ages 12-18 receive rewards when they finish books. There are pins, posters, jewelry and more. For more information, contact Sharon Thackson at 615-452-1722 or visit www2.youseemore.com/gallatinPL.
The Hendersonville Public Library’s program begins Saturday with the “Weird Science Carnival” and runs through July 19. Children ages 1 to 12 can register online or in the children’s department at the library (140 Saundersville Road, Hendersonville). Participants receive a reading log to track time for prizes. Readers between the ages of 12 and 17 can register online, read and enter to win a Kindle Fire. For more info, visit www2.youseemore.com/hendersonville.
Williamson County
Kids up to age 11 can pick up an activity log at any one of the six Williamson County Public Library locations. Complete six activities to earn a paperback book and 12 to earn a book bag. Activity logs are available for readers and pre-readers. Now through July 19, readers ages 12 through 18 can win an iPad mini, a Kindle Fire or a Barnes & Noble gift card just by reading a book. To be entered in the drawing, readers must fill out a paper form at the library or tweet their entry @wcpltn with the hashtag #yasrp. Tweets must include name, phone number or email, and title and author of the book read. Questions? Call 615-595-1278.
The Brentwood Library (8109 Concord Road, Brentwood) offers children and teen summer reading programs. Each child sets his or her own reading goal, choosing to track minutes or pages. If the child is too young to read, they may sign up to be a listener. Each child (or parent) keeps a list of books that they read. At the end of the summer, children who have completed their goal will receive a certificate and a special prize. There also are myriad activities, including story times, book clubs, and arts and science fun.
Wilson County
The Mt. Juliet and Lebanon libraries offer sign-up for their summer reading program on their websites, www1.youseemore.com/mtjuliet or www2.youseemore.com/lebanon-wilson. The activity-filled calendar focuses on science events, balloon fun and magic. Kids who reach reading log goals will be entered in prize drawings through July 11.
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