© 2020 TD Summer Reading Club
Summer is here! This is the season for outdoor activities such as beaches, splash pads, swimming, and camping. While it’s important for kids to get outside and safely enjoy the summer weather, especially after months of quarantine, it’s also important for children to read over the summer. Studies have shown that reading can help children avoid what is known as the “summer slide,” a loss of academic skills or knowledge over the summer months. So, what can you do to keep kids reading this summer?
Although Vaughan Public Libraries remains closed to the public, you can still get books for your children (and yourself!). VPL is now offering curbside pickup at all ten locations. Just fill out the form on our website to request an appointment at the location of your choice. You can arrange to pick up holds or have staff prepare a selection of materials for your family based on your interests. Please note that for now, we are unable to transfer items between branches and are limited to what is on the shelf at the pickup location. If you want to request specific items at your location, you can search the catalogue, then, on the search results page, click Available Now on the left side of the screen and check off the box for your pickup location.
Our digital collections are also here for you. VPL offers access to several online platforms with books for kids. OverDrive and Hoopla Digital have downloadable ebooks and e-audiobooks for all ages. Another great online resource is TumbleBook Library, which has books for kids of all ages that are available instantly, no downloading required. Many of the books have a read-along feature with an audio recording and highlighted text, which can help struggling readers. TumbleBookCloud Junior and Teen Book Cloud are similar. Cantook Station has ebooks and e-audiobooks in French.
© 2020 TD Summer Reading Club
For many kids, participating in Summer Reading Club programs at the library is a summer highlight. This year, TD Summer Reading Club has gone virtual. This free program is for children ages 0-12. To sign up, parents or caregivers can create a free account online. You can then add your children to your account. Each week, sign in and let us know how many days your child read for 15 minutes or more. Every week that kids report reading, they will be entered in a draw for a weekly prize, and if they read in French, they will be entered in a draw for a French prize at the end of the summer.
If you need help finding books your child will enjoy, library staff are here for you. You can reach out to us by phone, email, or social media through our Ask Us service.
Here are a few reading recommendations to get you started, based on popular children’s titles.
Facebook? Have you been on a date filled with unbearable silence? Did you ever go blank in the middle of a presentation with the audience staring at you? Being human is all about being awkward, and that’s ok.