Following a summer of record attendance and library card sign-ups, the Sachse Public Library is set to feature a summer full of activities designed to keep area children engaged with their local library and reading over the summer.

This year’s program will begin with a kickoff party from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 3, with readers logging hours until its conclusion Saturday, July 29. 

The theme for summer reading this year is “All Together Now, said Senior Librarian of Programming Shelley Salcido, with an emphasis on togetherness and kindness.  The “All Together Now” theme is chosen nationally and used by libraries across the United States, she said. 

“We take it and do our own spin on it,” Salcido said. “We’re going to focus on kindness, bright colors and unity.”

Throughout the summer, there are several weekly events scheduled with performers asked to connect back to the overall theme by emphasizing kindness or unity, she continued. Some shows will focus on animals’ interactions with one another while others will connect their talents to positive character traits.

Similar to last year, hours will be logged using a digital platform called Beanstack, which will be accessible either through beanstack.com or through the company’s mobile application. Readers of all ages are eligible to participate in the summer reading program and can enter a prize drawing for every 10 hours of reading completed with a maximum of 10 entries between June 3 and July 29.

“They can basically choose what they want to enter,” Salcido said. “If they really want, say, the LEGO kit, they can put all 10 entries in that. They can also spread out and put an entry here and there as well.”

Other prizes for the contest include family memberships to both the Dallas Aquarium and Perot Museum, a beginner guitar, a sand and water table and more. All prizes for the summer reading program were provided by the Friends of the Sachse Public Library.

To log time, Beanstack has a built-in timer that can be stopped and started whenever a participant in the program reads. For those not wanting to worry about simultaneously reading and timing, a manual entry option is available.

Additionally, Salcido said the program is a way to combat the “summer slide” that tends to occur when students do not engage in reading or academic activity over the summer months while school is out.

“I was an educator for 23 years and the ‘summer slide’ is real,” Salcido said. “The research is out there that if a kid reads for 20 minutes a day and maintains that they can stay on grade level and excel past it. This is the greatest and most fun way to stay engaged with reading.”

For the full story, see the May 18 issue of The Sachse News.