The time is now in McClain, Cleveland and Pottawatomie counties — the Pioneer Library System invites community members of all ages to have what they say can be their best summer ever with Summer Learning Challenge 2023!
Seasoned participants will know it as SLC, and that it’s a fantastic way to continue learning during the summer months.
Ashley Welke, director of Community Engagement & Learning at PLS, knows just how crucial this time of year is for students.
“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. Research shows that students who fall behind over the summer are less likely to graduate from high school or go on to college,” Welke said.
SLC is not only for younger students, however. With categories for early childhood, children, teens and adults, this is one summer activity the whole family can enjoy, a library represenative said.
The program is underway and runs through August 15. SLC encourages participants to log their time spent reading and learning. Once logged, each minute of learning becomes one point, and that point goes toward a community goal of 11 million points.
Conveniently, learning time also includes attendance at PLS summer programs like Yoga with Alpacas, Extreme Animals, Hula Hooping with Inspyral Circus, Spaghetti Eddie concerts, Create & Take Maker events, Superhero Round-Up, among other interactive summer programs offered at the 12 PLS libraries.
Upon meeting the community learning goal, PLS will donate books provided by the Pioneer Library System Foundation to children enrolled in WIC programs throughout the PLS service area of Cleveland, McClain, and Pottawatomie counties.
If staying sharp, learning new things, and giving back to the community weren’t enough, participants can also continue logging points to earn prizes.
Participants complete the SLC upon reaching 1,000 points and can select items from their library’s treasure chest at every point badge earned. Those signed up in the early childhood, child, and teen categories also get a free book at 500 and 1,000 points, thanks to a generous donation provided by the Pioneer Library System Foundation.
For each age category, every 1,000 points logged will earn an entry for the grand prize drawing. Grand prizes at each branch will include SmartMax building sets for Early Childhood, STEAM robot building kits, and Lego Brick building box sets or fort building kits for the Child category, Polaroid camera kits for Teens, and indoor herb gardening kits for the Adult category.
SLC is about much more than prizes, however, librarian Kim Zahller reminds participants.
“The best thing about SLC is the fact that your brain is engaged in one of the healthiest activities one can imagine — an activity that is building sophisticated pathways in the brain, igniting imagination, expanding vocabulary, improving empathy, concentration, and social-emotional skills!” Zahller, a 25-year SLC veteran at PLS, said.
“Not only that, but also when grown-ups read to children, play games with them, help them with experiments, take them to zoos and museums and parks or learn a new skill with them, it also strengthens bonds and encourages play, which is children’s most underrated mode of learning,” she said.
For more information about Pioneer Library System’s Summer programs visit pioneer. beanstack.org and pioneerlibrarysystem. org.
