Dream Big, Read! Summer Reading Kicks Off at the Chelsea District Library

Posted: Jun 7, 2012 at 2:00 PM [Jun 7, 2012]

The Chelsea District Library’s Summer Reading Game, “Dream Big, Read!” is blasting off June 8th, and this year more than ever everyone is on board! On Thursday, May 31, more than 1000 North Creek Elementary and South Meadows Elementary students were visited by CDL Youth and Teen Librarians, who came to talk about what fun kids can have at the library this summer.  Librarians came prepared with fairy wings, a Frisbee/UFO, and lots of exciting events happening this summer.  

 

“Dream Big, Read! is about being what you want to be, and I want to be a fairy princess!” cried teen librarian Edith Burney, dressed in a set of cloth wings.  She wiggled them for the delighted crowd of Kindergartners in the Media Center at North Creek Elementary.  In the librarian’s comic sketch, librarians Karen Persello and Robin Linkowski were the voice of reason.  “That’s all fine, but Dream Big, Read! is really about space exploration, stars and planets, the night sky and creatures of the night” explained Persello to the audience. 

 

Head of Youth & Teen Services, Persello, also explained what summer reading is all about, “After working so hard at reading during the school year, I’m sure you all want to keep up your reading skills during the summer, so we want you to read, read, and read all summer long!” The library offers incentive prizes for reading. This year the library will be giving each child a prize for the first five, ten and fifteen books they read, and chances to win big prizes, including four tickets to Cedar Point, a bike from Aberdeen Bike & Outdoors, a telescope and a Nintendo DS.  Everyone who reads 20 books receives a free book.  Teens are offered slightly different prizes, which include gift certificates to Best Buy, Target, Gamestop and Barnes & Noble. 

 

 

The librarians also talked about the big Kickoff event on June 8th, on the library lawn.  At the Kickoff, from 12-2pm, kids sign up to promise to read all summer, do games and crafts, play in a bounce house, sing Karaoke and see Baffling Bill the Magician performing with his magical bunny, Gus at 2pm.  The elementary students were very interested in Gus, but even more excited by the prizes that were being offered!

 

Children too young to read can also participate, if parents read to them.  “I purchased special prizes and board books for babies and toddlers,”librarian Robin Linkowski said, as the First Grade classes assembled for their presentation. “It’s important to get into the habit of reading, and it’s helpful for children to listen to a wide vocabulary of words, even when kids are as young as a day old.  She related a story she had heard from another library, where a woman in labor had stopped on the way to the hospital to sign up for summer reading.  “That is by far the youngest Summer Reading registrant I’ve ever heard of!”

 

School principal Marcus Kaemming made an appearance during the first and second grade presentations, reminding students to keep reading.  “Remember that being good at something takes practice.  Want to be a good basketball player? You have to learn to dribble and shoot the ball.  Reading is the same way.  The Chelsea District Library will have tons of books that you will love to read!  Keep it going.”

 

Earlier in the day, the three librarians had put on a similar show for school wide assembly at South Meadows Elementary.  Kids dressed in vintage styles for Decades Day cheered as librarians tried to guess which grade was going to read the most.  Lisa Nickel, the principal of South Meadows, was impressed with the show.  “The students are excited to join in the fun of the Summer Reading program at the library. Listening to them in the hall after the assembly, many are excited about the High School robotics team’s event on June 27th, as well as the possibility to win tickets to Cedar Point or the Nintendo DS.” 

Students at  Beach Middle School are also sure to participate in summer reading with the strong support of principal Nick Angel.  “The staff at Beach Middle School strongly supports extension of learning into the summer months and reading is an important component of this. Research has proven that summer "reading loss" can be combated by students participating in structured or unstructured reading programs or opportunities. For middle school students specifically, students who read an average of 4-5 books per summer, are able to close reading gaps and raise their reading efficacy. The Chelsea library is an integral part of summer learning here in Chelsea and we have strongly encouraged students and parents to utilize what the library has to offer. “

 

For more information about summer events at the library, or to sign up for summer reading, check out the Chelsea District Library’s website at www.chelsea.lib.mi.us or call the library’s reference desk at 734-475-8732.