Summer Reading Programs 2018

My first suggestion is always check out your local library. Ours has wonderful programs for little ones all the way up to adults every summer. The programs are generally free and involve lots of motivation and other enticements to engage your child in reading.

However there are other companies also looking to engage your kids in summer reading as well and I've updated my list from previous years to see what is still out there.

Barefoot Books
This is less of an incentive program and more of a program to help parents encourage their children to read over the summer.

Barnes and Noble
This program is for kids in grades 1-6. Download the form to participate in the program. Your child is required to read 8 books of his/her own choosing. After reading the books they need to list the book and a favorite part of the book on the form. When the form is completed, return the form to the store and receive one free book from the options listed on the form by grade level.

Books a Million
This has a restricted book list to choose from to qualify for the prize  The list is here..  You can find the form that needs to be filled out here. You need to read 4 books from the list and the prize is a pencil case.

Chuck E. Cheese
They offer a program that requires the child to read every day for two weeks and record it on a chart found on the website. The chart can be returned for 10 free tokens.

Denver Broncos Bookworms
June4-Agust 17
Read 5 books, submit your log, and receive the following:
Certificate of Achievement
Broncos Bookmark
Invitation to Exclusive On-Field Bookworms Recognition Event
Opportunity to win Broncos prizes

Dogo Books
Read and Review 3 books from a select list of what looks to be 50 books and pick a prize book from a selection of another 50 books. Looks like you can participate until prizes run out.

Half Price Books
This program is available to children under 14. The program requires 300 minutes of reading and a form that must be filled out and turned in at your local Half Price Book store.  If you have teens there is a program for teens that provide credits in return for book reviews.  Details for both programs are available by following the above link.

HEB Reads

Read Between the Lines Patriot Place
This program runs from July 1-August 31 and is open to children ages 5-17. Students must read 1,000 minutes during that time. You can get more details about signing up and prizes at the website.

Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge

Showcase Cinemas Bookworm Wednesday

This program runs from July 11-August 1
Price of admission to a special movie each Wednesday is a book report. Find the book report form on the website.

Super Why PBS Right On Read a Thon 

TD Bank

TD Bank has a program in conjunction with their Young Savers Accounts. The program is available to students in grades K-5. They read 10 books, fill out the form found  here and they get $10 deposited in an existing or a created TD Young Savers account. Not a TD customer so I don't know anything about these accounts. Just listing the available summer reading programs.

Made with Dad

With Father's Day approaching Made with Dad: From Wizards’ Wands to Japanese Dolls, Craft Projects to Build, Make, and Do with Your Kidswas a tempting book to review. While some Dads naturally share hobbies and skills with their children others are looking for ideas and suggestions for connecting with their children. This book is written for those Dads and also provides plenty of craft ideas for others interested in working with their children on learning to use tools and creating crafts.

The book begins by discussing the types of tools and materials one will need to complete the projects found in the book. The author also discusses how to use modeling as a method to teach the use of knives and other tools as you introduce these to children prior to actually letting them use the tools themselves.

The projects are divided into Arts and Crafts, Waves and Wheels, Great Adventures, Final Frontiers, Happy Holidays, and Advanced Models. There are a wide range of projects in these topics and they build from the skills learned in the early projects into more complicated projects through the later projects. There are craft projects, cooking, models, science projects, and toys. Many use household items like bottles, but the later projects include more complex items.

While the target audience of this book is fathers working with their children, this is an interesting resource for anyone who is looking for interesting projects that provide a creative learning situation with the opportunity to begin to use tools.

Fly Guy Presents Castles

Fly Guy Presents: Castles (Scholastic Reader, Level 2)covered quite a bit more material than I'd expected. I'd been pleasantly surprised when I reviewed Fly Guy Presents: The White House (Scholastic Reader, Level 2)to find it was a well researched book that despite its short leveled reader format managed to provide a rather detailed description of the White House.

I came to the Castle book hoping for a similar treatment of the topic and wasn't disappointed. Castles is again a Level 2 Reader and it while the narrator is clearly fictional the information is actually quality non-fiction material for early readers. As I said in my previous review of the White House book, while this is a leveled reader, I do think most kids would benefit from either a shared reading or some discussion after the fact to understand all the material being presented. The author covers a wide range of topics.

The book begins with a description of what castles are and why they were built. The author uses photographs through out the book to help students realize that castles aren't just make believe stories but real buildings that had a specific purpose. The author continues with a brief history of the age of castle building and then moves on to the vocabulary and structures of castles. This is where using real pictures I though made a huge difference. Children can see where these places existed on actual castles. Once the author finishes describing the defences of the castle, she then moves on to how castles could be attacked, once again defining terms with pictures where possible.

This was the strongest part of the book. The author continues on to describe Medieval society, knights, servants, animals, and famous castles. These topics were a little more complicated and tough to cover in the two pages each was alloted. Still not a bad introdcution to each topic, just not as strong as the earlier introduction to castles.

I'm hopeful the author continues to explore non-fiction topics as I think they make strong additions to the options for history and science reading for students who need a variety of materials available with accurate information written at varied reading levels.

Free Fun Fridays in Massachusetts 2018

The Highland Group is back again sponsoring Free Fun Fridays this summer. The program provides free entrance each Friday to different museums, zoos, theater and other attractions to residents and visitors in Massachusetts during the months of June, July and August. The first event is June 29 the last is August 31. You can check out the Free Fun Fridays Website for the schedule of attractions on each date.

I would also suggest checking with the attractions to find out if there are any additional costs for specific programs you may be interested in at the location. I know with other offers only admission is covered additional programs are generally at the cost of the person attending. With some venues all that is required is admission and you have full access to everything. With others, like the Museum of Science there is plenty to see for the cost of admission, but more available at an additional cost. I have not read anything about specific events associated with attendees of Free Fridays. Calling ahead can provide you with more information.

For those who plan on utilizing other pass or discount options, you may also want to be aware of these dates as you can expect there to be higher traffic on these Fridays. If you have other options, you may want to choose another date for your visit to find a less crowded venue.