Students read summer away

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joanna M. Kresge
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  The summer reading program at the Barksdale Base Library began June 2 and runs until July 21. 

The SRP is designed to prevent summer learning loss and produce avid readers through a series of incentive-based games, reading contests and craft activities for children in sixth-grade and below. .

On average an elementary school student can lose approximately one-to-two-months worth of knowledge over summer vacation. This number varies across age, grade level and subject matter and is due to out-of-school influences and a lack of learning opportunities throughout the summer. The SRP strives to avoid this learning loss. 

"Incentives to read that are offered by the library's SRP encourage reading in an informal and fun setting, and help to maintain their levels of reading," said Fran Morris, 2d Force Support Squadron library director. "It is our hope that participating in the SRP will make a difference in their skills when they return to school, as well as foster the love of reading, which in itself contributes to better reading skills." 

Each year more than 95 percent of libraries around the country participate in the SRP, all with a common theme which changes each year. This year's theme is "Be Creative @ Your Library," the activities are centered around the performing arts, visual arts and literature. 

"The Barksdale Base Library collaborates with the State Library of Louisiana to provide children's programming for the SRP," said Ms. Morris. "Children are the active participants in various age-appropriate activities that motivate them to read and succeed. The goal is to foster self-confidence, creativity and imaginative thinking in Louisiana youth." 

There are two categories in the program, the reader program for school age children who can read on their own, and the read-to-me category for those children who cannot yet read. Each group has a set number of books they must read. Children who are in the reader category have to read ten books, while the children in the read-to-me category must have listened to 25 age-appropriate books. 

"Many of the children continue to read beyond the required totals to reach their personal goals," said Ms. Morris. 

So far the library has more than 130 children signed up in both categories for the SRP, many of which are from the child development center and the youth center on base. 

"We are always trying to get involved with the library whenever we can because it is all about developing those good habits like reading at a young age," said Victor Santana, 2d FSS Youth Center program director. "The first day of the SRP the library comes to the youth center - they have stations set up with hands on activities and story time to introduce the children to the program, then they can go over to the library and get their books" 

Each child tracks their progress in reading logs, receiving small prizes as they reach milestones. At the end of the program they are awarded a personalized reading achievement certificate. 

"As children record the books that they read, they are able to select small incentives from a grab box as well as guess the number of pieces of sidewalk chalk in the guessing jar on display at the circulation desk," said Ms. Morris. "The more books a child reads, the more opportunities they have to guess. Bicycles are prizes for the ones who guess the correct number for the reader and read-to-me categories." 

A ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. July 21 marking the conclusion of the SRP. 

The summer reading program is open to all military dependants sixth-grade and below. For more information on the SRP, or to sign up your child, contact the base library at 456-4101.