Preventing Summer Reading Slide
by Laura Honish, Mayville Reading Specialist
As a reading specialist, this time of year I start to fret about what is called, "Summer Reading Slide"!
It's time to say goodbye to our students for the summer. They won't have the consistent structure of the school day to help their brains grow. They won't have teachers reminding them to read. Sometimes our students fall victim of summer reading slide. This year, we made a concerted effort to teach our kids what summer reading slide is and how to prevent it!
We defined the term, "Summer Reading Slide" at Parkview and talked about it often in the last days of school. We showed them what a Little Free Library looked like and talked about where they are placed around town.
A few weeks ago, I found out about an organization in New York that donates children's books to people and communities in need. That organization is called Hindi’s Libraries and was started in honor of Dr. Hindi Krinsky who passed away at the age of 32. To continue Hindi's legacy, family and friends started Hinid’s Libraries in her children's schools, and in just a few short years, they have collected more than 120,00 books which they’ve donated to more than 400 organizations throughout the world.
I appealed to them and within just a few days I received a big box full of children's books! We are incredibly grateful to this organization for all that they do, and for supporting our small hometown community. The books we received will be used to stock the Little Free Libraries of Mayville so that our students can keep reading during the summer. “Summer Reading Slide” will not happen to our students!
Sincerely,
Laura Honish
Interested in finding out more about the Little Free Library program? Visit the website at https://littlefreelibrary.org/ or take a walk through town and keep your eyes peeled – finding them is half the fun!