2021 Summer of Learning
Welcome to the Summer of Learning! Work with your friends and family to EXPLORE, CREATE, and SHARE your stories! Use your imagination and go in any order you like.
What's YOUR Story?
This year’s Summer of Learning program, What's YOUR Story was developed based on the following guiding principles.
- Build a program entirely centered on Black, Indigenous and youth and families of color
- Encourage reading and learning together as a family
- Take a whole-family, de-colonized approach to programming
- Create opportunities for active engagement through programming (hands-on, STEAM-related, creating and sharing stories, outdoor explorations, creative play and encouraging imagination)
Explore Your Story
Ask an elder about their childhood, read a story you like to someone in your family, or discover new things with your friends.
Create Your Story
Use your imagination and create your own amazing artwork this summer. You can use any form of art to tell your story – dance, poetry, pottery – whatever speaks to your heart.
Share Your Story
There are so many ways to create a story – with words, pictures, color, dance, and more. So have fun and share your stories with your family, friends and neighbors!
Visit the Burke Museum
Participants of the Summer of Learning program can visit the Burke for free! Please contact the Burke Museum before your visit to reserve tickets by emailing burkevis@uw.edu or calling 206-616-8616. On the day of your visit, please print your tickets and bring them along with your Summer of Learning poster for each person in your group. Free admission is available for up to two adults and four children between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2021. Pre-reserved timed tickets are required for all Burke Museum visitors - including Burke members, UW cardholders, and children age three (3) and under - to maintain physical distancing and manage capacity in the museum. Masks are required for all museum visitors. This offer cannot be combined with any other discount or for scheduled group programs.
Adult Book Bingo
Every summer we partner with Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) to create a Summer Book Bingo card for adults. Download a bingo card, play and enter to win fabulous prizes!
About the Artists
The Library and four local artists, Tessa Hulls, Eileen Jimenez, Stephanie Morales and Brandon “BT” Thomas, collaborated on artwork for the Summer of Learning.
Summer of Learning Past Years
We have offered summer reading and learning programs for Seattle youth since 1919.
Our 2020 Summer of Learning theme was Every Day is Earth Day!
Our 2019 Summer of Learning theme was Explore Your World!
Our 2018 Summer of Learning theme was Make a Splash! Adventures with Water.