Combat summer learning loss with your public libraries

No one wants to think of school when the heat of summer is encouraging pool time and ice cream on the porch, but there are small things you can do to help your student be a step ahead when the school year begins.  
Summer learning loss is the loss of academic knowledge students acquire throughout the school year. Multiple studies have shown this to be a real phenomenon that most commonly affects math and literacy.
This is a critical issue for academic success as this loss can create a learning gap that widens each year and can ultimately reach into a student’s adult life by decreasing opportunities after high school graduation.
Luckily, there are things we can do as parents and guardians to help decrease this learning loss, without sacrificing the fun summer brings, such as visiting our local libraries.   
Each summer, our public libraries offer fun and exciting programs for our area youths that incorporate an engaging theme.
This year’s theme, “Color Our World,” celebrates the ability of art to enrich our lives. Our local librarians were happy to contribute some of their favorite reads to celebrate this year’s theme. Be sure to check out the list below; there are certain to be a few that will engage your readers.
Recommendations from Clyde Nix Public Library Director Starr Montgomery include:
• “How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow,” by Monica Sweeney;
• “Hello Neighbor! The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers,” by Matthew Cordell;
• “Who Was Frida Kahlo?” by Sarah Fabiny, Who HQ, and Jerry Hoare;
• “America: A History in Art: The American Journey Told by Painters, Sculptors, Photographers and Architects,” by William Scheller; and
• “100 Things You Need to Know About Alabama,” by Horace Randall Williams.
Recommendations from Winfield Public Library Programs Director (plus more) Hannah Birdsong and Library Director Regina Sperry include:
• “Be You!” by Peter H. Reynolds;
• “Hurricane Heroes in Texas (Magic Tree House #30),” by Mary Pope Osborne;
• “Smile: A Graphic Novel,” by Raina Telgemeier;
• “Tunnels,” by Roderick Gordon; and
• “The Housemaid,” by Freida McFadden.
Recommendations from Northwest Shoals Community College Head Librarian Lori Skinner (me) include:
• “The Squish,” by Breanna Carzoo;
• “End of Story,” by A.J. Finn;
• “Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club: Roll Call: A Graphic Novel,” by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma;
• “The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation,” by Rosemary Sullivan; and
• “Henry, the Dog with No Tail,” by Kate Feiffer and Jules Feiffer.
Visiting your local library will offer so many options for your readers to find a type of book that works for them. Encourage them to read, no matter what type of book they enjoy.  Audiobooks and graphic novels count as reading too!
Have them strike up a conversation with their librarian; we love to talk about books with our patrons of all ages.
Having them share what they have enjoyed, and disliked, in previous books they’ve read can help us find the perfect book to foster a genuine love of reading, which will pay off in retaining their literacy skills over the summer.
As a parent and guardian, talk to them about what they are reading and ask questions about the storyline to encourage critical thinking skills. A simple question, such as wondering why a character made a certain decision, will open a great conversation and encourage them to engage with reading on a deeper level.
If you can’t make it to your library in person, you have access to eBooks and audiobooks through Overdrive with your local library card. Download the Libby app from your devices’ app store or visit camellia.overdrive.com to access Alabama’s Digital Library provided by Alabama’s public libraries. You also have access to eBooks through the Alabama Virtual Library. Simply visit avl.lib.al.us and click on the orange E-Book Resources link at the top of the page.
Additional resources that can assist with math, science and literacy are available at no cost on the internet. Some of these resources may require the creation of a free account,  but offer online tutorials or activities to keep skills in practice over the summer. Resources include:
• Funbrain - funbrain.com;
• PBS Learning Media - PBSlearningmedia.org;
• Freckle – freckle.com/en-us/;
• Zearn – zearn.org;
• Duolingo – duolingo.com;
• Khan Academy Daily Schedules – keeplearning.khanacademy.org;
• National Geographic Learn at Home – nationalgeographic.org/society/learn/; and
• IXL Learning – ixl.com.
(Editor’s Note: Guest columnist Lori Skinner of Hamilton is the head librarian for Northwest Shoals Community College. She can be contacted at lori.skinner@nwscc.edu. Lori invites everyone to visit their local library and reach out with any questions.  This summer, Lori is spending time trying to connect her rising seventh grader with books to keep his brain engaged and combat summer learning loss.)