For the first few months of our blog we have been emphasizing the second part of our mission which is encouraging families to get out together and explore the great Adirondack outdoors.
We have shared the essentials in planning and packing for a hike – favorite family hikes - hikes with spectacular views without even having to climb all the way to summit.
We launched and told you about our affiliate page which features guides and maps for preparing and safely exploring the trails and lakes and river and waterfalls and mountains throughout the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park.
We’re going to spend a few weeks now on our primary mission, which is to inspire young people to set down their electronic devices to become and remain engaged with reading!
We are now in the midst of our 18th year meeting and speaking with parents and grandparents who care deeply about their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and students and who want to help insure them a bright future.
Some of the teachers we meet during school visits now were contemporaries of Justin’s and children themselves when were first met them during our earliest school visits!
Justin is also a father now and I, a grandfather, and we are in this sojourn with you doing all we can to help keep our precious ones on course emotionally, physically, spiritually and academically.
The latter is why I began writing with Justin in the first place – so he would grow to have a command of the English language and be able to articulate his thoughts and ideas in print and interacting with an audience of one to one thousand.
Our children and grandchildren who are in school are about to enter a time that has come to be known as the Summer Slide. It is the time that begins when students are released from school in June until they re-enter school in September.
Research has shown that children who read during the summer have the best chance of staying on pace when returning to school in the fall – but those who do not read begin to fall behind.
And every summer a child loses ground adds up over the years, causing them to fall further and further behind.
“The adage ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it,” proves true for children who spend a summer without books and reading. Without reading role models and someone to read to them, without printed material, and without new experiences, the reading skills grow rusty and waste away.” Jim Trelease, author of The Read-aloud Handbook in brochure, Summer Reading
Since research has also shown that reading 4 – 6 chapter books during the summer is enough to alleviate this summer loss, we decided to create a special offer with 4 – 6 of our chapter books to help combat the Summer Slide.
The Avoid the Summer Slide special begins right now! Look for the special codes on our website store – CODE: AVOIDTHESLIDE4 or AVOIDTHESLIDE6
Of course, we know we are not the only answer. Among recommendations by experts to help children stay on track with reading skills during the summer are: regular library visits, summer reading programs at your library, listening to books on tape, read-a-loud times at home and on vacation, and bookstore visits.
Question: What are your plans to help your children and grandchildren avoid the Summer Slide?
Behind-The-Scenes
The Adirondack Kids® #18 is at the print shop right now! Here is a sneak peek at one of Carol VanRiper’s illustrations that will appear in the book. The Adirondack Kids® #18 is set for release July 4, 2018!
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© 2018 Adirondack Kid Press, Ltd.
