Why Johnny Decided to Read
When summer comes and school lets out, do Christian books stand a chance against the ball field and the swimming pool?
It so happens that at the Holland Heights Christian Reformed Church library in Michigan, summer is the busiest time. Over the last six years, librarians have found that with a modest reward system, they can process 100-200 checkouts a Sunday.
The first year featured "Peter Pebbles"—smooth oval stones gathered from the nearby shores of Lake Michigan and decorated with sticker seals and markers. Children earned a "Peter Pebble" for every ten books read. Each week the staff used cards to keep track of titles read, and by the end of the summer, 70 stones had been awarded.
"The next year we offered a wide assortment of sea-shells—augers, clams, cones, cowries, whelks, and many more," says head librarian Milton Essenburg, "and a giant clam shell for the person who read the most books." A sale at a nearby craft store helped keep the cost down; parishioners wintering in Florida were also able to bring back boxes of shells at low prices.
Since then it's been peacock feathers, a series of three ribbons, panda-topped pencils, and Scratch 'n' Sniff stickers. "Educators have long recognized," says Essenburg, "that children need 'extrinsic motivation' to learn. As they grow older, I'm sure our children will continue to read purely for the sake of the experience. But in these young years, we think it's good to attract them through our summer reading program."
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