Breanna Ball, a Kelso eight-year-old, wanted to know all about the town’s mayor, David Futcher. “Do you have a mansion? Do you have kids? … What is your favorite meeting?” Breanna wrote in a letter to Futcher on Thursday morning.

Breanna’s query was part of a summer camp experience intended to keep her reading and writing skills sharp over summer.

About 20 students from Wallace Elementary School are enrolled this summer in “Camp Wannaread.” Students attend from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday in the Wallace cafeteria.

The program aims to reduce learning loss during summer months, said Amy Alexy, a Cowlitz County Youth and Family LINK employee who helped coordinate the program, which LINK is funding through a $5,000 grant.

The grant targets schools in poor, rural areas around the state because students at these schools tend to lack summer learning opportunities — such as summer camps or access to challenging books at home, said Danielle Baer, community coordinator for the nonprofit Schools at Washington, which awarded LINK’s grant.

Studies show students in poor, rural areas tend to lag behind other students when school resumes each fall, Baer added. It’s often more difficult for those students to catch up during the year and the loss has been linked to significant learning gaps at the high school level, she noted.

Camp Wannaread also offers students a safe place to go each day and a nutritional lunch, Alexy said.

As it’s name suggests, the program is an attempt to prevent the experience from feeling like “summer school.”

Fifth-grader Kaylin Cottenware, 10, said she had so much fun at the first year o the camp last year that she wanted to return this summer.

Her favorite part was going on field trips every Wednesday. This week, students visited the Borders bookstore at the Three Rivers Mall. Each student was allowed to purchase a book paid for with grant money.

With summer school you have to sit in a classroom,” Kaylin said. The camp has activities for students in the Wallace cafeteria and offers recess activities outside.

“We try to make it a program that’s fun and different than the regular school day so kids are excited to come,” Baer said.

It seems to be working for fourth-grader Hunter Robbins, 9, who said the camp is helping him overcome his difficulty reading.

“It’s fun. You get to make a bunch of new friends.”

Summer learning suggestions:

• Take your kids to the library

• Prepare for fall. Find out what your child will be learning next year by talking with teachers at that grade level. Preview concepts and materials over the summer.

• Practice math daily. Measure items around the house. Track daily temperatures. Add and subtract at the store. Cooking is a chance to learn fractions. Everyday experiences can offer fun opportunities for kids to learn.

• Get out and play. Limit TV and video game time. Physical activity contributes to healthy development.

• Do good deeds. Students learn better and “act out” less when they engage in community service.

Source: Center for Summer Learning, Johns Hopkins University