It’s Summer! Get Out Those Library Cards!
With summer in full swing it’s time to get everyone signed up for a summer reading program. Of course you can check with your local library to see what they are offering but there are also several great online opportunities for encouraging your kids to read over the summer.
Click here to see one program that is geared for homeschoolers. It’s in it’s eleventh year. There’s a nominal fee ($1.39) to cover postage when they send your kids a prize package at the end of the program. Beverly Hernandez of About.com apologizes for the fee but I think it is a small price to pay to keep your kids reading. On the website you will find the rules and the dates that the program runs. At the end of the summer you simply mail in your reading logs with the small fee and your child will receive a packet that includes a certificate, stickers and a prize.
Also be sure to check out a Summer reading program called Summer Reading Splash that is sponsored by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. This program includes reading logs, a scavenger hunt, and a blog written by Splish, the program’s mascot, that will engage kids and keep them reading. They have book reviews and suggestions and the program is adaptable to every age group. For more info, click here.
If you’d like to create your own summer reading plan you can click here for some great ideas to get you started.
Also, here is a great website that is a year round reading incentive program. Book Adventure has compiled a list of over 7,000 titles that can be sorted by topic or reading level. The student simply signs up, checks the list for a title, reads the book and then goes to the website to answer a 10-question quiz. If they meet the goal of correct answers they earn points that are accumulated toward prizes. There are several nice prizes available and there is also the option of setting up your own prize goals and rewarding your child yourself. They redeem their points from you instead of on the website so you can make the prize whatever you want.
All of these programs have the same goal, to keep your kids reading! So find one you like and get out those library cards!
Happy reading,
–Sheryl
