What do green alligators, long-necked geese, camels, chimpanzees and unicorns have to do with helping kids keep and improve their literacy skills over the summer? Much more than you think!
For the past 26 years, the Rotary Club of Hamilton has been running the Rotary Summer Literacy Camp, a free program that focuses on literacy, providing kids from JK to Grade 5 with an engaging model of shared and guided reading and writing activities.
Over 200 children each day have the opportunity to attend the free camp-style literacy program for 2 weeks each summer. Each day Rotarians visit the program, welcome the children & parents and then participate in the opening read-aloud.
Children who attend the program maintain and/or improve their literacy skills over the summer where skills can decline. The Rotary Summer Literacy Camp is designed to engage, enrich, educate and excite, creating a truly special learning experience: learning for one and all.
On July 25th, we held a special Books & BBQ event for all the children at the camp.
Delicious food, fun games, and lots of smiles all around. It was a great event!
Thanks to the Rotarians for their hands-on-service of BBQing and serving the hot dogs, chips and drinks. After the BBQ, Rotarians got to see the program in action.We had our Assistant District Governor Cathi MacDonnell and our 7090 District Governor David Alexander join us for the BBQ lunch and to see the Rotary Summer Literacy Program.
You can see more about the program or the day on our website www.rotaryclubhamilton.ca
A huge thanks to everyone who helped make it an unforgettable day!
- Laura Farr and Alex Moroz
So, what does that have to do with unicorns?Camp Director Mr. B features them with his rendition of “The Unicorn Song” along with a nursery rhyme competition between groups and a book read aloud to start the day and introduce the theme.
He uses proven methods to get the campers excited to read, write, and imagine, all related to literacy.
On a superhero day, a leading question might be “What kind of pet would you want to be a superhero, and what powers would it have?” “I’d want a tarantula who can shoot lasers!” answered one camper, who then later in the today created a comic-book style story about said tarantula. In short, reading is made fun.
Campers have gone on to become Counsellors, who then have gone on to bring their kids to camp, all while the Rotary Club of Hamilton brings Rotarians of the day in the mornings to greet the kids and take part in the sing-alongs.
The success of this program lies in people with a common goal - make literacy fun, let’s make the program free, and offer it to students across the city. Through challenges and curve balls (school rental fees, buses, COVID) and opportunities (new partnerships, grants, and amazing Rotarians!) this program is a highlight of our Rotary year, and one of the biggest hands-on projects that the Rotary Club of Hamilton has every year.
As one parent put it “before camp, my son said he didn’t like reading, and then one day he came home and said that it was okay if his spelling wasn’t perfect - as long as he got his ideas out. The ideas he got about reading at camp have had a lasting impact on how he approaches it.”
The even better part? As campers join from all over the city, they form community and bonds, and share fellowship with the Rotarians of the Day, whether they are 3 years old at camp for the first time, or 19 years old and on staff - everyone is welcome and included, whether they can read or not. All camps bring people together with diverse interests and personalities; however, this one has truly captured the Magic of Rotary in Action.