Technology… the Downfall of the Summer Reading Program

We just finished our third year of participating in our local library’s summer reading program.  When I realized Lala could participate three summers ago, I was thrilled.  Totally, ridiculously tickled at being part of the fun.  Almost silly actually…  🙂  Sadly, this year was a total bust for me.  What changed you ask?  Well…  the summer reading program went “online” this year…

The first two years, we were given a sheet with pictures to color to mark off the books we had read.  As they hit various numbers of books read, the kids could come in for little prizes.  If they read the number of books required to complete the program, they were entered in the ‘grand prize’ drawing at the end of the summer.  If they read more, they qualified for more entries.  The kids were absolutely tickled to get a coupon for a free ice cream cone, a pencil, a sticker, a free book…  And I was delighted to tell them over and over that they earned that by reading books.  Last year, at the end of summer ice cream party, Lala won a backpack with paper and art supplies.  She was thrilled.

This year, the program was run online.  I created a “parent” account and then added accounts for the kids.  The system awarded points for each minute of reading, as well as for attending library events.  I had to enter the number of minutes, as well as the title and author of each book, for both kids.  Kids earned “badges” for attending events and hitting various levels of “points.”

IMG_1364

To complete the program, the little kids had to accumulate 720 points, or the equivalent of reading 20 minutes a day for 36 days.  The program lasted 57 days.  And you could earn additional points for attending events.  All the events we attended were worth 20 points each.

Do not let erectile dysfunction curb your physical and mental exercise, and adequate relaxation as well as brain stimulation and cut down on stress. prescription cialis cost Every form of the chocolate similarly works to enhance the libido level, sense of excitement, love and passion intact between married couples as well as partners. viagra on line Some women are hesitant to seek medical help for this issue, but they need not have to seek medical help if you want to obtain treatment without the issue of high medical expenses. canadian discount cialis has become a prominent medicine through the course of time. Any time you exercise, it not only helps you to cost of sildenafil get over this problem you will have to consult a doctor. I sent a message to the library about half-way through the program, because I was confused as to whether the kids still earned the little prizes along the way.  The response indicated they had moved away from the ‘trinket’ type prizes to things they thought would more directly motivate reading: badges, online games, and drawings.  The first 200 people to sign up for the program got a prize, there was a drawing part-way through if you had enough points, a drawing for those who completed the program, and door prizes at the end of summer party.  The prizes they offered were pretty cool.

The program kicks off with a pancake breakfast, which is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we were out of town and couldn’t go, nor could we be among the first to sign up.  We also didn’t earn enough points before the first drawing to be eligible.  And in the end, I grew so discouraged, that we didn’t complete the program or even go to the end of summer party.  It was scheduled for earlier in the day and indicated food would be available, but wasn’t billed as an ice cream social.

It probably sounds like I was only in the program for the prizes…  And I have to admit they are a fun addition to the activities…  What got me though was the lack of interaction for my kids.  They couldn’t color their sheets and take them in to get a prize.  I had to enter the info.  And the badges were meaningless to them.  Earning points did unlock some online games, but my kids are mostly too young for those kinds of things…  I think it is probably likely that older kids enjoyed it a lot, but for little ones…  it seemed to me like there was little point.

I’m sure the library has a lot of good reasons for making the changes to the program.  And I’m sure it worked well for many others.  Personally, it was disappointing.  I found it too time consuming to do all the “data entry.”  I couldn’t just remember how many books we read at bedtime or even just the titles, but had to corral them up and record the authors as well.  I know…  probably just me being grumpy…  🙂  Anyways…  not sure if we will participate at all next year…  The kids are still always begging me to read books to them, so the experience this summer didn’t really have any effect on that, thankfully!  We did enjoy attending a couple of “story time” events that featured people from our local fire department, sheriff’s office, and National Guard.  I just miss the joy and enthusiasm I felt about it during the previous two summers.  I’m certainly not “anti-technology.”  I’m just not sure it is always an improvement on things…

Did you participate in a summer reading program?  I hope you enjoyed it if you did!  We are certainly still reading!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *