Summer Programs

Whew! Can you believe summer has been here and now it’s gone? At Neighbors’ House, we had a whirlwind of a summer and we’re excited to share about it with you.

This summer, we had:

• 5 Summer Reading Vacation programs

• 28 adult volunteers & a youth group of volunteers

• 5 read alouds shared

• Dozens of books read with our little buddies

• 70+ kids in attendance

• 1,234,567 snacks eaten (haha!)

We had so much fun with all of the kids who came to have fun and engage with other kids and our volunteers. This year, our summer curriculum was titled The Wonder of Nature. Our focus for the week was: Genesis 1: 11-12, 20-24, the Creation Story. We shared with the kids, "God made all of the plants and trees and all the bugs and animals that we see around us. But guess what? He made you too! As we learn about nature this week, remember, the God who was able to make all of that also made you too. He loves you and wants to know you! How awesome is that?”

Throughout the week, our volunteers shared with the kids about how we can see God’s hand in everything around us: birds, plants, weather, bugs, and more. Each day, the students had an engaging read aloud, responded to questions about the story, completed a craft/activity related to the book, and played games. Additionally, each student had the opportunity to read with an adult volunteer either one-on-one or in a small group. It was so fun for us to see the kids light up when they grabbed a book with a character they recognized or when their friend joined them at the program for the evening.

Our volunteers were the true superheroes of this summer! They were the ones sitting in the grass reading stories, running around during a game of tag, handing out snacks and juice, and listening to the kids talk about their friends and families. We are truly grateful for everything they put into these programs!