Geggie Elementary School’s librarian is on a mission to make reading more fun for students, and she’s recruiting the Eureka community to help.
Kristina Presley began the annual book scavenger hunt four years ago by stashing about 20 books around Eureka’s parks, businesses and playgrounds. She held two separate hunts this summer with about 45 books hidden throughout the city for each hunt.
Presley, who has worked at Geggie for 12 years, said the scavenger hunts are a way to bring families together and encourage students to become lifelong readers.
“When I was a kid, I absolutely adored going to the library and I loved picking out what I wanted,” she said. “I hope this is another way to connect families to a love of books and reading.”
Presley sends announcements about hunts and shares pictures of victorious children with their finds on Mrs. Presley’s Library Facebook page.
The books are hidden in the span of a few hours within walking distance of Geggie, and they’re geared toward children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Presley said any child may join the scavenger hunt.
Presley said the books are usually all found within hours of her posting a few hints on Facebook.
“The first time I did it, the families found them within an hour,” she said. “It was so fast, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, did I not hide enough?’ The next time I did it I added more books, and then the next time I added even more.”
Students are encouraged to bring their family or friends along on the hunt, Presley said. She tries to organize one hunt earlier in the day and the second hunt of the summer later in the day so working parents have the opportunity to join their kids.
“I have grandparents who often watch the kids over the summer, and they’ll go out and hunt with the kids,” Presley said. “I think a lot of families enjoy it and we even have a lot of our staff who bring their children on a hunt too. It’s just so fun for everybody.”
Principal Dan Hannon said he appreciates Presley’s hunts because it allows him to check in with some of his students over the three-month break. He added that the scavenger hunt activity allows students a break from technology to enjoy nature and reading.
“Sometimes we as educators now have to battle technology,” he said. “It’s a good way to keep them with books in their hands and turning pages. As a school, we’re proud to do it because it gives our Tigers something to look forward to during the summer months when they’re not in school.”
Summer slide
A 2020 study from an educational assessment company found children in third to fifth grade lost on average 20 percent of their school-year learning in reading and 27 percent of learning in math over the summer break. Some researchers call this regression in subject proficiency the “summer slide.”
Hannon said ensuring Geggie students remain active and reading over the summer is important for him and his staff to prevent summer slide.
“(The scavenger hunt) is a great picture of all our Geggie staff going above and beyond to help our students and give them a great education,” he said. “Kristina is putting in her own personal time over the summer because she knows that’s what’s best for our kids. Our kids enjoy it. The community loves it. It’s something for them to look forward to.”
Hannon said it’s Eureka’s tight-knit community that helps Geggie organize events such as the scavenger hunt.
“I taught for 13 years, and I’ve never encountered anything quite like this,” he said. “It’s a great place and we have a great community. When we need help, support and donations for a family in need, we get an overabundance of help. People are willing to jump in and do whatever is needed, whether it’s donation of items, money or time.”
The hunts
Presley said she squirrels away books throughout the school year to prepare for the scavenger hunts. She purchases the books with proceeds from the school’s Scholastic Book Fairs. Scholastic gives a portion of its proceeds from the fairs to hosting schools.
Logan Cannon, 8, found a book about baking cookies during one of Kristina Presley’s scavenger hunts. He and his grandmother baked cookies using a recipe from the book.
It’s important to hide books that suit every young reader, Presley said. She picks up popular fiction and nonfiction books, cookbooks, chapter books and picture books. At the end of the school year, Presley and library assistant Dana Skoch pack the books in clear plastic baggies with bookmarks and slips of paper with information about the activity. The bags are numbered and recorded so Presley knows which books are left once the hunt begins.
“The note mentions that it’s a scavenger hunt by our library at Geggie and to send me a text message when they find the book,” she said. “I make sure to hide the book with the book cover showing so a student knows whether the book is a good fit for them or if they should leave it for someone else.”
Presley said she hides the books in walkable areas around Eureka, usually a subdivision, city park or around Old Town. If she stashes a book around a business, she’ll usually let the owner know about the impending hunt.
“I don’t exclusively stick to the Geggie attendance area, but I do heavily focus on the immediate area,” Presley said. “One of the great parts about it is that so many kids do usually recognize different parts of our town, and it allows families to get out, get exercise, and have a little bit of fun. They’re never going to be too difficult, but they’ll be tucked behind a letterbox or close to a front door. The businesses are all great about it, and sometimes they even share it on social media.”
Asha Cannon said her 8-year-old son, Logan, participated in Presley’s first hunt this summer in June. The other hunt was held in July.
Logan found a cookie-baking recipe book.
Cannon said Logan is participating in Presley’s summer reading bingo activity, where Geggie students cross off tasks on a bingo card for an end-of-summer prize. Reading and interpreting a recipe is one of the tasks on the bingo card, Cannon said.
“(Logan) had a great time reading (the recipe book), finding a recipe and making it with his grandmother,” she said. “The book actually went all the way to Virginia, just so they could bake together on our trip this summer. We are about to leave Virginia and the kids are already talking about the next book hunt.”
Logan said the book hunts are fun.
“When you see or find a book you feel kind of proud of yourself and excited,” he said. “It was a good challenge.”