This post is part of a sponsored collaboration with Scholastic. All thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own.
When August arrived, I was able to deny the upcoming end of summer by focusing on all of the activities and plans that were still in our future.
But then the month began to fly past and more and more first day of school photos began popping up on Facebook and suddenly my kids will be back in the world of academics in only one short week. Where did the time go? Did we get in enough swimming and bike rides and picnics? Will the girls remember having popsicles out on the deck, spending the day with friends out on their boat, and watching fireworks after the sun went down?
Fortunately, even if this summer only ends up as a blip in their memories, I can still rest assured knowing that we accomplished a great deal of quality reading thanks to Scholastic's Summer Reading Challenge!
Have you been following along with the girls and I as we have been participating in the 9th year of the Summer Reading Challenge program? This free, online/mobile reading program helps prepare kids for back-to-school by encouraging them to read every day all summer long.
This year Scholastic added a unique twist to the Summer Reading Challenge by partnering with Energizer and giving it a theme of "Power Up & Read" Powered by Energizer®, encouraging families everywhere to find innovative ways to discover the power and joy of reading.
And we did! Our past posts highlighted many of the fun places and ways that we read around our house as well as on the go and the kids especially had fun including the Energizer Bunny himself when they found a good spot to curl up with a great book!
In fact, my girls ended up reading so many books this summer that when I asked them to share their five favorites in "5 Word Book Review" form, they had a hard time narrowing down all of the choices. Not to mention that how do you narrow down your thoughts about a great book into only five words?
In the end, however, their top recommendations and picks include:
Big Sister E, 8
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul - Funny, weird characters, great pictures
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - Funny trips, good people, money
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw - Family, trouble, middle school, parties
Make Way for Ducklings - Detailed illustrations, ducks, life, normal
Wipe Out - Surfing, beach, big waves, people
Little Sister B, 6
Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny - Chapter book, silly, weird, cool
Junie B., First Grader (at Last!) - First grade, room 9, inappropriate
Make Way for Ducklings - Pictures, baby ducklings, cute story
Planting a Rainbow
- Rainbow, many colors, flowers, seedsButterfly Meadow #1: Dazzle's First Day - Cute, weird, lovely butterfly, friends
I'm thinking that they're both on their way to being well-renowned book reviewers, don't you?
As for your household, are you worried that summer is coming to an end and "brain drain" season (when endless summer activities and distractions take the place of reading time) has set in? Just check out these five tips that Scholastic's Maggie McGuire has for making reading a priority for your child — it’s not too late to get your own kids reading!
Not convinced? Scholastic also has a whole slew of great resources to help encourage your family to find innovative ways to discover the power and joy of reading... not to mention that the 2015 Summer Reading Challenge runs through September 4th, so you can still sign up!
Then, while you are over at Scholastic.com/Summer, make sure to take the time to check out the fun resources that they offer, such as:
- Unlock Original Short Stories from favorite Scholastic authors!
- Find Parenting Resources including Summer Reading printables, activity sheets, booklists and more!
- Visit Videos in the Stacks to receive reading tips for parents from Scholastic’s Maggie McGuire!
- Play the Innovation Machine Game – a fun and creative writing game and contest!
Need just one more reason to be excited about reading and the Summer Reading Challenge? Then don't miss out on your chance to take part in the Energizer Instant Win Game!
Energizer and Scholastic have extended their partnership to create their "Power the Possibilities" campaign, which gives parents the tools they need to unlock their child's talents, fuel their ambitions and set them up for future success. Right now when you buy any specially marked pack of Energizer brand batteries, you'll find an instant win scratch-off game for a chance to win one of thousands of prizes that will power discovery and learning.
Prizes include a family trip to New York City, a Scholastic Study Corner Makeover, a tablet with Scholastic apps, a library of Scholastic books and more! Everyone who plays can also download free digital stories for their family, so it's pretty much a win-win for all as you end up with high quality batteries (perfect for Back to School tech), great stories and the chance to win much more!
Remember, even though summer seems as though it is rapidly coming to an end, there is still time to head over and sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge. You can also amp up the excitement even more by following Scholastic on Twitter, Liking the Energizer Bunny on Facebook and Scholastic on Facebook, and following the #SummerReading hashtag throughout social media.
And don't miss out on the great Scholastic Resources available to help keep your kids excited about reading well into the fall and beyond!
0 comments:
Post a Comment