5 reasons why summer reading rocks

As you probably already know if you are reading this, summer is the busiest of year to be a youth services librarian in a public library. Running a summer reading program can be stressful but also amazingly fun and rewarding. While waiting for this year's summer reading program to start, I've definitely enjoyed the way my online youth service colleagues have written about this dichotomy. Angie sums up the chaos and fun of summer reading perfectly at her post on Letters to a Young Librarian. Sarah at Green Been Teen Queen gives another great account of what it is like to be a public librarian in the summer. They both show outsiders that summer reading is definitely not something to be run away from in fear!

I wanted to share a little bit of my own summer reading related positivity, so here we have my countdown of five reasons why summer reading rocks.

Reason 5:  You get to include fun and interesting outside performers
I don't typically use outside performers at my library very often, mainly due to budget reasons. However, in the summer all that changes, because I know attendance will be high. I typically get to include a least a few performers each summer. This summer we are having a magician, a pair of authors and a local artist visit my library. It adds a little variety for both the kids, and is fun for me to see as well.

Reason 4: It's the perfect opportunity to try new program ideas
More programs done each week equals more chance to those ideas filling up my Pinterest boards. The overarching themes of the Collaborative Summer Library Program also give me a chance to focus on topics I may not have previously thought of. For instance last years science themed summer reading program really strengthened my repertoire of STEAM program ideas.

Reason 3: You get to see kids you may not see during the school year.
There are some kids that can't make it into the library often during the school year, no matter how amazing your programs are. Summer is your time to see these kids and show them what the library is all about. The goal is for them to remember these positive experiences and become life long library fans.

Reason 2: The children's department gets to help the library build community good will
Summer reading is a great opportunity to show your community what the library has to offer. You have more families in to visit, more items being checked out and more programs to brag about. It is also a great time to partner with community organizations to fund prizes and programs. This works to showcase the positive of both organizations.

Reason 1: More kids + More reading = more fun.
This is really what it's all about. Summer reading brings together a children's librarian's two great loves: kids and books. There is really nothing better.

What are your favorite things about summer reading?

Fizz Boom Read!: Science Crafts for School Age Kids

A staple of my summer reading program every year is a program that consists solely of crafts based on the year's theme. This year due to popular demand I did two sessions of crafts for Grades K-2 and two sessions for Grades 3-6. The kids at my library always love to do crafts, but I have to admit I was a little shocked how popular they were this year.

Out of the several crafts we did, here are my favorites.

• Magnet painting: The K-2nd graders loved this one. I had a set of magnetic balls and bar magnets which we used to mix colors on paper plates. After the colors were mixed the kids turned the plates over to create a design on a piece of construction paper. You could pretty much create the same effect by using magnets and metal washers.

• Skeleton Hand Anatomy: I also did this one with the K-2nd graders. The kids traced their hands on black paper and used Q-Tips to fill in bones. Some kids even started to break up the Q-Tips to make smaller "bones". Paint could also be incorporated or you could have kids do their feet instead.

• Candy Chromatography: This was one that I saved for the 3rd-6th graders. They had a blast with it. They didn't even complain that there wasn't much extra candy to eat! To do this project all you do is place Nerds candy on coffee filters and use a straw or dropper to drop water on the candy. This creates cool designs on the coffee filters. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of this one. For an idea of how it turns out head here.

• Salt painting: Of all the crafts the 3rd-6th graders did the salt painting was the messiest. They drew a picture with glue on black paper and sprinkled it with salt. They then added a drop of water mixed with food coloring and watched it spread. I have to say it worked pretty well. I especially loved that one of the kids' project said "I love science!"

This post is part of Thrive Thursday, a blog hop in which librarians share school age program ideas. This month's roundup is hosted by Sara at Bryce Don't Play. Head over and check it out for more great ideas!

Teaching life lessons through Summer Reading

It's that time of year: Summer Reading Time. Most people (and all librarians) should know by now the importance of reading over the summer for school age children. Research shows it helps them succeed in school by preventing the "summer slide". Today I got to considering how in addition to this, it teaches a few valuable life lessons. Here are just a few I could think of. Feel free to add more in the comments!

Be patient: The kids at my library need to wait a least a few weeks to redeem reading logs for prizes. This is done mainly to promote honesty; there is no advantage to coming back two days later and saying you have completed your reading log. However, I'm sure this waiting period requires a little patience for at least some kids. Yoda values this virtue, therefore so do I.

Don't procrastinate: On the other side of the coin, there are some kids that procrastinate. You know, kids like this:

Some of these kids may learn their lesson when they miss out on the best prizes. We may be out of certain prizes by that point, and the selection of free books (their final prize) is a little more limited.

Practice makes progress: I confess I first heard this quote on an episode of "19 Kids and Counting", but I think it applies pretty well here. Kids that participate in Summer Reading get reading practice, and therefore progress in their reading skills. If Summer Reading participants don't realize this on their own, it is definitely worth pointing out to them.

Keep track of your accomplishments: Finally, kids that participate in Summer Reading programs learn to keep track of their reading achievements. Making goals and keeping track of how you achieve them is a major skill that will come in handy throughout life.

Reading/libraries can be fun. This is the most valuable lesson I think Summer Reading programs teach. As a librarian my hope is that everyone learns this at one time or another.

If you can think of more life lessons that would apply I would love to hear them. Hope everyone is having a great summer so far!