Keep Kids Reading This Summer With the Calgary Public Library’s Ultimate Summer Challenge

Jun. 22, 2020


Reading, learning, and creating with the Calgary Public Library’s Ultimate Summer Challenge is available online this summer. The challenge runs from June 1 to Aug. 31, and is an easy way for students to stay engaged this summer. Participation will support students’ literacy and address “summer slide” through curriculum-connected content and resources that set students up for success when September returns. Registration for this popular program is a free and now open. Help the Library spread the word about the Ultimate Summer Challenge and encourage students and caregivers to register today!

“At the Library, we understand the importance of keeping young minds active over the summer months,” says Mark Asberg, CEO, Calgary Public Library. “That's why the Ultimate Summer Challenge has become a Calgary tradition. This year, we’re making it a virtual experience to ensure that kids and their parents have all the tools they need to support reading, have fun, and stay connected to the Library.”

Students can track their reading and access creative and educational activities. School-age kids can earn badges by logging up to 40 hours of reading and doing STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities at home. Everyone who registers in the Ultimate Summer Challenge is automatically entered into the grand prize draw for an iPad and other great prizes. Teens are invited to join the Teen Takeover program and complete reading goals and creative challenges to earn digital badges, which count as entries into the weekly prize draws and the grand prize draw for one of 10 Chromebooks.

If you need help finding reading material for your student or child, there are several resources offered by the Library. Beanstack provides tailored reading recommendations for every age. Browse the Library’s vast collection of eBooks, digital audiobooks, and graphic novels for kids and teens through eResources like Libby, TeenBookCloud, TumbleBook Library and BookFlix, where kids will have an endless supply of great reads to choose from all summer long. There are also tons of other free eResources for school-age kids to check out in the Digital Library that make learning fun.
In last year’s challenge, Calgary kids and teens recorded nearly 300,000 hours of reading and, with more time at home this summer, the Library is hoping to beat that number.

The Ultimate Summer Challenge is supported by J K L MacLachlan Family Fund.