GREEN BAY (NBC26) — The Green Bay Packers Tundra Tales Program incentivizes reading for young fans across the country and state– kids can earn free Packers Hall of Fame tickets by reading outside of school.
- Tundra Tales Program began after COVID to help encourage students to read.
- The program begins on October 12, but registration is between Sept. 18- Oct. 2.
- The Packers also give grants to teachers and schools if enough students from each classroom participate.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Michelle Brill has been a library media specialist in the Green Bay Area Public School District for seven years.
“It’s not teaching kids how to read, it’s getting them to love books," she says.
She’s always thinking of new ways to make reading fun and engaging for her students
“They love their characters, so we try to do different displays in the library that will get them excited about their different characters," she says. “Try to make it fun for them so that they want to do it.”
One incentive that she uses each year comes from Lambeau.
“It transforms the required reading into more of a community-wide sport," she says.
Tundra Tales is a program started by the Green Bay Packers after COVID for kids 4K through fifth grade.
“Being able to read by third grade is one of those key benchmarks.... coming out of COVID we saw numbers in literacy rates at that third grade level drop, so we really just wanted to be an arm to help promote that and raise awareness," Amanda Wery, Packers community outreach manager, says. “Get kids excited about reading."
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From October 12 to November 15, students record their reading time outside of school. If they can read at least 240 minutes, they get one student ticket and one adult ticket to the Packers Hall of Fame.
“If you’re a Packers fan, maybe that gives you an extra reason to want to read," Wery says.
The Packers work through schools for the program, and they offer grants if enough kids from each classroom complete the challenge.
Last year, more than 11,500 kids participated in Tundra Tales and the Packers gave out $26,900 in grants to teachers and schools.
“It’s got that clear end goal, of okay, this is what I’m working towards," Brill says.
For Green Bay students, a Packers incentive can go a long way.
“Through that they realize, hey, I am a reader, I can be a reader, I love reading, and that passion grows and continues past Tundra Tales," Brill says. “Tundra Tales really reinforces the fact that literacy is really important and the fact that it is a community-wide thing outside of these school walls."
