Free literacy camps help Buffalo kids beat the 'summer slide'

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A South Buffalo bookstore is helping local students stay sharp over the summer with free literacy camps designed to keep reading and writing skills from slipping.

Dog Ears Bookstore is offering weeklong camps for students entering grades 2 through 8, with a focus on choice, creativity, and connection.

Executive Director Thomas McDonnell said the camps are aimed at preventing the “summer slide” many students face between June and September.

“Statistically, we know that their reading habits fall off,” McDonnell said. “They get back in September and they’re not where they should be. They’re losing ground in the reading and writing game. And it’s important to make sure reading and writing is one of those consistent habits.”

What sets these camps apart, McDonnell said, is the way they give kids the freedom to choose what they read and the space to talk about it.

“They get choice here… we don’t tell them what to read,” he said. “When they hear themselves talking about a story that they’re passionate about… they get the sense of how important reading and writing can be.”

In addition to grade-level programs, Dog Ears also offers “Camp Kindness,” a literacy and leadership program for middle schoolers focused on service learning. Campers spend their mornings volunteering, painting murals, helping senior centers, and cleaning up the neighborhood, before writing about their experiences.

“Camp Kindness was designed just to bring kids together," McDonnell said. "To show them what community looks like.”

While many camps have already filled up, McDonnell says there are still openings for seventh and eighth graders the week of August 11–15, when students will participate in a readers’ and writers’ workshop centered around the novel A Long Way Down. Thursday evening discussion groups are also available throughout the summer to help students dive deeper into their required reading.

Parents can sign up by visiting Dog Ears Bookstore in person.