“Spark a reaction” Summer Reading program begins

The U.S. Embassy annual summer reading program for children kicked off with a large turnout of excited and enthusiastic children and parents.  The program is open to children age six to twelve.   The fifth in the series, participation has grown every year!

The theme for this year’s program is “Spark a reaction,” intended to not only stimulate a love for books and encourage a reading culture among children, but also to  inspire them to make a difference in their community. During the three week program, children have the opportunity to read books covering a wide range of topics - from history to science to geography.  They will also engage in other activities to motivate learning, such as storytelling, spelling bee, poetry, book discussion, arts and crafts and, for the first time, implement a community service project.

Time to Read

By correctly spelling the word “descendant” young Mma won the spelling bee competition for children ages eight to ten years.  This was at the closing ceremony of this year’s summer reading program for kids organized by the American Corner Abuja in conjunction with the U.S. Embassy.

For two weeks the children engaged in different reading activities.  They read books, engaged in reading and writing poems, attended story telling sessions and even some arts and crafts classes.  The sum of the activities reaffirmed and helped the children see that reading could be lots of fun.

Dig into Reading with Storytelling

Children participating at the fourth Summer Reading Program organized by the Abuja American Corner and the U.S. Embassy got a special treat.  This was when Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)/Funtime Prize winner for Children’s Literature, Spencer Okoroafor, engaged them in a storytelling session. The summer reading program is an annual program aimed at encouraging reading culture amongst Nigerian children. Several different activities including: a spelling bee, poetry and arts and craft, have been infused into this year's reading program themed "Dig into Reading".