As the sun begins to set later and later, and days slowly creep warmer and warmer, the summer mindset is beginning to set in. As a public librarian, this means the inevitable creeping ever closer…summer reading. To get the school-aged learners in my area excited about summer reading last summer, I tried a “Summer Camp” at my branch for the first time. If you are thinking about something similar for your library, check out the scope of the program and tips for hosting your own below!
What is it?
Last summer, I planned and hosted a 10-day “camp” for kids in grades 2-5 (or ages 8-12). It was spread throughout the summer, two days a week for five weeks. Each “session” or day of camp was 2 hours long. Kids enjoyed learning about how the library works, engaging in teamwork games, and completing STEM challenges. This program was pre-registered to ensure that the number of kids in attendance was small, since I was hosting this program alone.
What did it entail?
Each week was filled with activities where participants learned about a number of different things: the dewey decimal system, the engineering design process, teamwork, famous artists, and more. Planning was one of the biggest time consumers, in addition to prepping materials. I found a great resource online, Mizzen Education, that has ready to go lesson plans on a variety of different topics. I adapted several of their activities for use last summer, and plan on using even more for this year’s camp! One of the kids’ favorite activities that they mentioned week after week, including in their end of program evaluation, was an escape room that I designed.
What did it look like in practice?
Each day followed the same structure, 45-minutes of an activity, a 15-minute snack break, and then another 45-minute activity. Sometimes these activities wound up being shorter, just depending on the interest of the participants. We started each day with a small round of games as an ice breaker, and usually ended the day with a fan-favorite game during pick up – Silent Ball. The age of participants was specifically selected to also allow for campers to participate on their own. While I welcomed caregivers and parents to stay (and some did!), some did drop off. Because of this level of independence, we did spend a lot of time talking about rules and expectations for the program, which was participant led.
What would you do differently next time?
While I would call the program a success, I also learned a lot to improve the program for this year. First, I am now using 20-minute blocks for activities to hopefully keep participants more engaged. While this means more planning per day, I am shortening the length of the program as well. Instead of running for five weeks two days a week, the program will run for four days at the end of June. Now that I have a year of the program under my belt, I also feel more confident in the number of participants that I can accept. I am also centering all of my activities around this year’s summer reading program – which is a bingo-esque game for library patrons to complete. All of the activities that we complete at the 2025 version of camp will allow participants to check off a box on their bingo board.
I want to do this at my library!
If this article inspired you at all to get creative and excited about summer reading and learning, know that it does not have to be a huge lift to host your own camp. One day I put out a bin of legos and had the participants build bridges for 20 minutes, and then compete to see who could hold the most weight! The kids loved everything hands on, and by the end of the summer were sad for it to be over. From the mouths of babes, it was a “fun” and “amazing” experience that I hope they get to enjoy again this year!
Featured image courtesy of blogger.
Annaliese Melvin (she/they) is a children’s librarian at a neighborhood library in Washington, D.C. Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to the DC-area in 2020 to become a special education teacher after graduating with her bachelor’s from Arcadia University. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and transitioned into the library field. Annaliese currently works to bring more inclusive programming to DC Public Libraries for children of all ages. She is passionate about equity, inclusion, reading, and Philadelphia sports.
This post addresses ALSC Competencies 1.7, 3.1, and 3.6.
Vickie
Please tell me more about the photo where your campers are trying to retrieve their library card from the ‘sewer’. That activity looks like a hoot! How did the card ‘fall’, how did they retrieve it and what did they do to keep from falling back into the ‘sewer’ again?