St. Paul Summer Learning Program Keeps Kids Busy

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- School is out for summer. For most kids that's great news for them, but for parents it can be a bit of a struggle to keep them busy over the summer.

The Central Library in St. Paul has a new campaign to help keep kids involved during the summer. It's a program focused on keeping kids busy and learning during the summer so that by the time school starts up again in the fall, students haven't forgotten what they learned during the previous school year.

Jane Eastwood, the education director for Mayor Chris Coleman, said the campaign was created around a countdown to make it easier to remember. It's a 5-4-3-2-1-0 campaign, featuring five days of active play, four places to visit, three fresh fruits and vegetables every day, two new summer projects, one time a day with a good book and zero soda, drink water instead.

The program isn't just for kids, it's also aimed at teenagers both in middle school and high school. In many homes were kids might stay home for the summer or parents may have a babysitter, this program offers an alternative.

"Research has shown that kids can lose their learning over the summer if they're not exposed to stimulating kinds of activities," Eastwood said. "They don't have to be expensive or fancy, but reading a book or going to visit a new place can all help kids' brains stay very active. We get very concerned when kids don't have those opportunities or parents aren't seeking them out."

Most if not all the activities kids can get involved in are free and sign-ups can be found online.