Children ages 4 to 11 are participating in Troy University's Summer Spectacular, a program centered on the importance of reading.

Some area kids are taking their free time this summer to go back to the classroom for summer spectacular.

"All the time, I just love to read. Every day I read a bit of books," says Emily Alberto, a student at Summer Spectacular.

To say Emily loves reading is an understatement, since she's been reading and since she was one years old.

She is one of nearly 150 children, ages 4 to 11 participating in the four week summer program called Summer Spectacular.

"I've learned a billion stuff, and told people stuff. And it's been educationally fun," says Charles Hoekenga.

The course work goes far beyond reading words on a page. Kids are painting, sculpting and making other crafts that coincide with their story.

"When you see the smiles on the children's faces from all the hard work that you've done, it really pays off," says Jessica Tullis, a senior at Troy University Dothan.

All of the instructors are Troy University Dothan students and studying early childhood education.

"You really don't know what to expect. They come in and they love it. That's wonderful for us because we actually see the learning process. But we also see that the learning process can be so much fun for them," says Casey McGriff, another senior at Troy University Dothan.

It's the fun way of learning that helps teach kids like Emily to become spectacular.

At the end of the program, the children will write and publish a book.