Pioneer Library System moves from summer reading to learning challenge

May 26—Pioneer Library System has kicked off its Summer Learning Challenge, which has added additional components to its annual reading challenges.

Children, teens and adults throughout Cleveland County will have a chance to get credit for reading during the summer and have the opportunity to win prizes.

The learning challenge provides activities and challenges for students representing four categories: early childhood, children, teens and adults.

Ashley Welke, director of community engagement and learning for the library system, said it is important for students to engage in learning activities to keep them away from what is known as "summer slide."

"Summer is such an important time! Our goal with SLC is to prevent summer learning loss and engage community members of all ages in connecting, reading, and learning," Welke said. "Research shows that students who fall behind over the summer are less likely to graduate from high school or go on to college."

Brooklynn Bors, programming specialist for the library system, said summer slide hurts students academically. Those most susceptible include students with working parents, economically disadvantaged, and those without access to books and engaging activities throughout the summer.

Summer learning 'crucial'

"Summer is a crucial time for learning. Summer slide is a loss of skills while students are out of school," Bors said. "This leads to an achievement gap among students and is typically due to a lack of opportunity.

"The Summer learning Challenge gives everyone the opportunity to strengthen and build their reading and learning skills."

Bors added that students should read books that interest them, and that even engaging in comic books will expose kids to language, spelling, and new vocabulary.

"All types of reading are important," she said. "Fiction, nonfiction, audiobooks, comic books, newspapers, magazines, it all counts. Regardless of the input, whether we're reading words on a page or listening to them, our brains process words in the same way."

Kelsey Williamson, branch manager for Norman Public Library East, said she has done summer programs since Pioneer Library System was started, in 1960.

"One of the neat things to note is that we have shifted to a Summer 'Learning' Challenge concept vs. Summer 'reading' over the past few years," Williamson said. "I love that PLS has started focusing on all kinds of learning including reading, participating in library events, and activities like getting active and healthy in your community."

Minutes equal points

As part of the challenge, participants are encouraged to log the time they spend on reading and learning. Each minute becomes a point and points will provide participants opportunities to win small prizes, and individual points are added to a pot of community minutes.

Pioneer Library System's goal is to reach 11 million points from May to Aug. 15.

If Pioneer reaches its district goal, it will donate books to children enrolled in WIC programs throughout its service area, which include Cleveland, McClain and Pottawatomie counties. Bors said last year, the system donated over 5,700 books.

Williamson said the library system partners with Norman Public Schools and different homeschool groups to come up with reading recommendation lists for the summer learning program.

"We support summer reading recommendation lists and provide readers advisory for materials that will encourage and support the development and level of each child's learning and reading," she said. "Our goals are all about fostering a love of reading and learning and sometimes that simply means getting the right book in a child's hands at the right time."

In addition to reading, students can earn points from attending library programs like Yoga with Alpacas, Extreme Animals, Create & Take Maker, Superhero Round-Up and more.

Williamson recognized that for many families, reading can be very difficult, but she encouraged parents to carve out some time out of their day to read together.

"As a former children's library staff member, I am a believer of the quote from Emilie Buchwald, 'Children are made readers on the laps of their parents,'" she said. "Parents and caregivers can model a love of reading and learning in their daily routines, talk to their kids about what they are reading and learning, and simply engage with what their children are interested in."

Learners can log their minutes onto the Beanstack app, which should be familiar to Pioneer patrons who have done past summer reading challenges. The free app can be downloaded onto Apple or Android devices, and uses the patron's library number to log in minutes.

"Beanstack is an online platform where participants can join the Summer Learning Challenge and log their reading and learning activities from anywhere," Bors said. "Everyone can log their reading time and fun learning activities through Beanstack."

Brian King covers education and politics for The Transcript. Reach him at bking@normantranscript.com.