Summer vacation is just around the corner, and for kids who have been working hard throughout the school year, it’s the time for a much-needed break.
It’s also a dangerous time for students to lose some of the knowledge they gained over the school year.
That’s where your local library comes in.
“There’s something called the ‘summer slide’ that we hope to try to prevent by keeping kids engaged and learning and reading throughout the summer,” said Corinna Manion, youth services supervisor at the Durango Public Library.
This summer, the libraries in Durango (and its branches), Bayfield, Ignacio, Mancos, Dolores and Cortez will offer something for all levels of reader: Programs will include activities for pre-readers, children and teens.
“I think that engaging kids in their community over the summer is really important to prevent loss of literacy skills and things like that,” Manion said. “Even pre-readers – making sure that you’re reading to your children – just keeps building those skills. And we hope to make it fun so they actually want to do it.”
It’s the key element of fun that, according the Colorado Department of Education, is so important when it comes to hooking kids on reading. The department says that kids who feel that reading is fun tend to do it more often, which is why summer-reading programs that incorporate fun activities and social opportunities are themselves more successful.
“A lot of kids when they’re in school, they have to read; everybody’s reading the same book for a class,” said Sandy Irwin, director of the Durango library. “What I’ve always loved about reading in the summer is you can read whatever you want.”
Durango’s summer program will get started with a kickoff party from 10:30 a.m. to noon June 3 at the library.
“It’s all ages, so families are welcome,” Manion said. “It’s going to be lots of different crafts; we’ll be doing some things outside, snacks, giveaways and things like that.”
And then it’s a summer filled with not only reading but shows featuring magic, music, comedy and, on July 25, Luke Renner: The New Mexico Yo-Yo Slinger.
There are also special events planned, such as a Lego Club, tabletop games for tweens and teens, Minecraft for tweens and teens and reading to Clare, a specially trained service dog.
Teens can also check out special programs geared to them: There will be fun classes for Fandom Tea Blending, making pet toys for the humane society; an Iron Chef competition; PowerPoint Karaoke; Sharpie tie-dyeing; button-making; and Legos for teens.
There’s also a new addition this year that the library is looking forward to.
“The big thing we’re excited about is we’re adding a coding program for tweens and teens,” Irwin said.
The class, to be held on two Fridays in June and two in July, will teach teens and tweens basic coding skills. Advance registration is required for the class because of limited space.
The Cortez Public Library also has a big summer planned for its younger readers. And like Durango, the staff is trying to prevent summer slide.
“If they don’t practice their reading, then they get back in school and they’ve lost all that they’ve gained,” said Laura McHenry, children’s librarian at the Cortez library. “I explain to kids, I say, ‘How do you get better playing sports? You practice.’ Same with reading: We’re not born reading; it’s an acquired skill. And it’s a habit.”
Along with logging their reading and vying for prizes, Cortez will feature performers throughout the summer. The summer reading program is broken into two age groups: The children’s program is for kids ages 0 to 12, and the teen program is those 13 to 18.
McHenry said that while summer reading is important, it needn’t be an all-encompassing summer slog.
“Go out and play games and run around and get outside but incorporate this into your day,” she said.
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