Summer Story Camp
Help Southwest Harbor Students Climb,
Not Slide This Summer
Did you know...
"All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer (White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004)."
- The National Summer Learning Center
The Library has a two-step strategy to turn this “summer slide” into a “summer climb" for community children. It begins with Summer Story Camp - a week long session where local children are inspired to read and write, dance and sing. Developed by Children's Librarian Susan Plimpton with literacy specialist Rachel Kohrman, Summer Story Camp provides summer reading support for children ages 5 - 12 years old.
As Summer Story Camp enters its third year, we are so excited by what we have planned. We are expanding the program another week to accommodate more children and hiring music, science and art teachers to augment the curriculum overseen by the literacy specialist. We are also coordinating it with our Summer Reading Program to extend the benefits of a week at Summer Story Camp in an effort to combat the "summer slide." Registration begins the first day of Summer Story Camp and runs in tandem with that program. However, in an effort to reach all summer children, the Summer Reading Program is open to all children residing on Mount Desert Island for the summer (including year-round and summer residents, and vacationers) regardless of participation in Summer Story Camp. Each week, participants bring their reading logs into the library, have a book talk with the librarian and chooses from donated prizes. Audio books and family read-alouds are encouraged. Families who bond over a great story are creating wonderful memories and lifelong readers.
Both programs are offered by the library at no charge to participants, and we depend on generous donations from individuals, organizations and special events like the Mother's Day Sale to cover the costs each year.
We need your help. It costs $180 per student to put on the Summer Story Camp, and the Library is committed to keeping attendance "free" to participants. A library staff member and one of our volunteers has donated 2 hand knit lace shawls and a baby quilt for the first 3 donors to sponsor a child at Camp for $180, however, we are grateful for any contribution you can make to help support Summer Story Camp and the Southwest Harbor Public Library.
If you would like to support Summer Story Camp, please contact me at 244-7065 or susansplimpton@gmail.com.