SRC

Earlybird online signups will begin in Beanstack on June 15th. Everyone who signs up for the Summer Reading Challenge between June 15th and June 22nd will be entered to win a Nova Scotia Museums Family Pass, good for a year’s worth of admission to all 28 Nova Scotia Museum sites!

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR NEW USERS (WEBSITE) 

1. To create your Beanstack account, go to http://valleylibrary.beanstack.org
2. Choose the Register an Individual or Family option.
3. If you are a parent or caregiver, choose I would like to register a child.
4. Enter the Adult Information – first name, last name, username, and password are required. We also ask for contact information so that we can get in touch if you win a prize.
5. Enter your Child’s Information – name and age are required.
6. Click the Next button below the form.
7. Register additional children as needed. (It is optional to register yourself, but please do! The Adult Summer Reading Challenge has been made just for you!)

CHOOSE A CHALLENGE. 

1. Now that you have an account, choose an age appropriate Challenge and click the Join Challenge button. Note that some ages will have to choose which Challenge they want to participate in. You can choose only one.
2. Click the pink “reader name” button (your name) located at the top right of your browser window to Change Readers. Choose a different reader and pre-register them, if applicable.
3. Repeat the Pre-Register steps for each reader as necessary.

Please note that any reading logged before June 22 will not be included in the Summer ReadingChallenge.

LOG READING AND ACTIVITIES

1. To record your reading, click the Log Reading and Activities button.
2. If applicable, click on Change Readers to select the correct reader.
3. Choose Log Reading and Activities or Add a Review.
4. If you choose Log Reading, enter the number of minutes, the title and author of the book(optional), and click the Log button. (Smartphone cameras can scan the ISBN of the book toautomatically enter the title.)
5. If you choose Complete an Activity, you will be able to choose an activity badge. Once youhave done the activity, mark it complete.
6. Click the Add Review button to submit a book review. 

AVRL staff can sign you up and help you log your reading over the summer! Just drop in to your local AVRL branch!

Note that while Activities and Reviews do earn badges and tickets, the Summer Reading Challengecan be completed by logging 20 hours of reading. Activities and reviews are optional.

Grand Prizes

• Nintendo Switch
• 80mm Aperture, 600mm Refractor Telescope.

Early Readers (0-4)

• Board Book Pack
• Picture Book Pack

Ages 4-12

• 16” Emerald Rainbow Galaxy Seahorse Squishmallow
• Classic Games Pack (Rubik’s Cube, Uno, Boggle) 
• Drawing Set (Pencils, sketch pad, and how-to books)
• Funny Pages (graphic novels)
• Galaxy Rock Art Kit
• AVRL Juggling Balls
• Lego Space 3-in-1 Astronaut Set
• Minecraft Books Box Set
• Nova Scotian Picture Books
• Paint by Numbers set
• TD SRC Recommended Reads Book Pack
• AVRL T-Shirt

Teens

• Adulting (Books)
• Art Bundle (art markers, sketch pad and book)
• AVRL T Shirt
• Catan (board game)
• Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set
• Avrl Juggling Balls
• Graphic Novels!
• Paint by Numbers Kit
• Space Puzzle
• $100 Visa Gift Card

Adult

• Big bag of Books & Canvas AVRL Tote
• Aluminum AVRL water bottle
• Diamond Canvas Art Kit
• #BookTok Picks (Books)
• Graphic Novels
• AVRL Juggling Balls
• Lego Succulents
• Now You’re Cookin’ (Cook Books)
• 1000 Piece Cat Puzzle

Please note that all prizes must be picked up at an AVRL branch.

Studies show that kids experience learning loss over the summer months. This learning loss has been exacerbated by COVID-19 service disruptions, and education experts are now flagging this learning loss as a long-term issue that will persist after the pandemic is over. [1], [2] The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other authorities advise that investments in summer reading and learning programs are key to supporting kids as we recover from the pandemic. [3] Summer reading programs are a proven tool to help bridge the summer gap between school years and to maintain academic achievement.

The SRC inspires kids to explore the fun of reading their way—the key to building a lifelong love of reading. The benefits of the Challenge are clear: TD Summer Reading 2023 survey results indicate that participants read the same amount or more over the summer, enjoy reading more, and have been able to connect with other kids because of participating in the program.

[1] Caroline Alphonso, “School shutdowns have put children up to eight months behind in reading, research indicates,” The Globe and Mail, November 26, 2020,https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-school-shutdowns-have-put-children-up-to-eight-months-behind-in/

[2] Jessica Wong, “Disrupted schooling, learning loss will have effects long after pandemic, say education experts,” CBC News, January 31, 2021,https://www.cbc.ca/news/pandemic-learning-gap-unesco-report-1.5888860

[3] Tracy Vaillancourt, Scott Davies and Janice Aurini, “Learning loss while out of school—is it now time to worry?,” Royal Society of Canada, April 28, 2021,https://rsc-src.ca/en/voices/learning-loss-while-out-school-%E2%80%94is-it-now-time-to-worry