Summer Learning Activity Kit

Hidden Stories Word Search

Accessible Video Story Time with Read Island 
closed caption, visual description and braille available

Vail Story Walk Video featuring Read Island 
featuring Red Sandstone 1st graders!

Story Time Coloring Page

Read about the Illustrator, Alice Feagan

Read about the Author, Nicole Magistro

Parents are often puzzled about summer slide. Between juggling work and childcare, making time for learning is an impossible homework assignment for many.

This year, community partners hope to make it a little easier.

Local publisher Read Island will team up with Rotary Clubs across the western slope to offer a fun and free educational experience to first graders – just in time for summer vacation. More than 400 activity packets that include games, coloring, and a 250-piece jigsaw puzzle will be distributed as part of our joint summer learning program.

“We know that keeping families educationally engaged over the summer combats learning loss,” says Nicole Magistro, an author and publisher from Eagle County. “My goal with this program was to make that a more enjoyable and connected experience for the entire family.”

Research shows that puzzles and games are helpful tools for cognitive development in children. They improve fine and gross motor skills, visual perception, and attention span. Plus, they offer a screen-free experience that a lot of parents and caregivers prefer.

“I’m always looking for activities that help my kids make in-person connections,” says illustrator Alice Feagan, an Edwards mother of two whose artwork is featured in the summer learning kit. “I find jigsaw puzzles are great for that because we connect over what we see and build confidence in our problem-solving skills as a family. Everybody can contribute.”