As part of Davis Reads, Davis School District’s summer literacy initiative, Stewart Elementary is helping students stay engaged, curious and connected to reading throughout the summer break.
The districtwide program opens school libraries during the summer months, giving students opportunities to explore books, participate in themed activities and continue building literacy skills while school is out.
At Stewart Elementary, students gather each week for imaginative “Reading Road Trips” across the United States. This week’s destination was Alaska, where students learned about wildlife, geography, and culture through stories, games and hands-on experiences designed to bring learning to life.
Led by Library and Media Specialist Emily Throndsen, the program transforms the library into an immersive learning environment. This summer’s Reading Road Trips theme was created to help students explore different regions of the country through books and experiences.
“We decided to go region by region through the United States and focus on different areas,” Throndsen said.
During the Alaskan adventure, students explored a glacier cave filled with books, participated in whale-watching and gold-panning activities, caught salmon at a waterfall station and read beneath a recreated Aurora Borealis.
“I really hope the kids come away with a love of reading,” Throndsen shared. “Summer is such an opportunity to read, and I hope they realize there’s so much adventure and fun in a book.”
Students embraced both the reading and the hands-on learning opportunities. Oakley, a participating student said reading helps her “think about things and picture things in your mind,” while also allowing her to learn about history through her favorite Who Was? books.
Chayuth enjoyed learning about Alaska and participating in the gold-panning activity, explaining that reading helps students “learn more things and makes you smart.”
Their experiences reflected the program’s goal of making literacy both meaningful and enjoyable during the summer months.
By combining literacy, creativity and exploration, Davis Reads is creating meaningful opportunities for students to continue learning long after the school year ends. Through engaging themes, interactive experiences and access to thousands of books, the program demonstrates how reading can open doors to new adventures, new perspectives and a lifelong love of learning.