We have written recently about using science school shows or a school assembly based in history or social studies to entice kids to visit the library over the summer or on holidays. Well, here is an article about a pair of librarians in two completely different parts of the country collaborating on a series of projects to achieve the same end.

http://coolcatteacher.visibli.com/share/RbACKZ

John Schumaker of Brook Forest Elementary in Oak Brook, Illinois, and Shannon Miller of the Van Meter School in Iowa met at a conference in Chicago and have subsequently co-authored a blog and shared many ideas for projects to involve kids in reading. Very cool!

No matter what approach you take, finding ideas to get kids into reading is so very important! We, of course, love the idea of drawing students into libraries by providing exciting entertaining and educationally enlightening live school assemblies such as Reading! More Than Words! or a visit from Ben Franklin or Abraham Lincoln. Usually following such a visit, all the books on Lincoln go home with kids that very day!

But regardless of your approach, the important thing is to be constantly on the lookout for ways to keep kids minds active over the summer so that when the school year starts again in the Fall they have not fallen so far behind.

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN