Reading is FUN-damental!

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Lansing Celebrates Reading Month!

In proud partnership with Lansing Sports Commission, Pop-ity Popcorn, and High Caliber Karting and Entertainment, the Boys & Girls Club on the Southside celebrated Reading Month with sno-cones, popcorn, and games!

Three friends enjoying their well-deserved sno-cones

Club members were challenged to read and finish five books this month to gain priority entry into this special party. Right up until the party was scheduled to start at 5:00, kids were in the Learning Center trying to hurry and finish their fifth book so they could get into the party.

As soon as the doors to the Club Rooms were opened, kids swarmed the sno-cone machine and lined up for popcorn with all the fixings, provided by Miranda with the Lansing Sports Commission and Pop-ity Popcorn.

Staff from High Kaliber brought over axe throwing and fowling, which were huge hits with the kids. The staff had great tips for how to throw and improve their aim. Honestly, it was hard to tell who had more fun -- the kids or the adults. There was even a station for the kids to make their own personalized bookmarks.

With each book that they finished this month, Club members got to enter a raffle for gift cards, books, and other fun prizes prizes. One Club member was quite torn between picking a book about Jesse Owens and one about the Great Chicago Fire. When a staff member gave him a brief overview about what each book was about and asked him if that helped at all with his decision, his response was "I like them both!" Ultimately, he ended up going with...both!

According to 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores, Michigan is ranked 44th in fourth grade reading. As a nation, we are seeing significant drops in literacy rates with average reading scores for high school seniors dropping to their lowest level in over 20 years. Here at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lansing, we want to continue to emphasize the importance of reading even after Reading Month comes to a close. Good readers grow into strong critical thinkers with good problem-solving skills. We're so proud of this month's top readers and hope that events like this will motivate them to keep reading!