Summer Reading Program

From How Does She

Our public schools are not out yet. This Friday is the kiddos last day and then they are home for the summer and beyond! Thank goodness. One thing I have always struggled with, when my kids have been in public school, is the necessary role I must assume of the 'Time Nazi'. We always seem to be rushed and I always seem to be the great enforcer of that rush. Not my favorite. I am thrilled that we have a few months of lazy summer days stretching out before us.

Now, that being said, our summer days are typically never lazy summer days, much to my childrens dismay. We have done workboxes every summer forever now, and it has been a great thing for them. However, we are going to try to give them up this summer and go a different direction.

We will be hitting the academics really hard this fall and I want the kiddos to have time to unwind from their public school experience before beginning our rigorous learning. It will be a huge change for them and they need some adjustment time.

I am also wanting the kiddos, now that they are getting older, to take more ownership of their education. I have a goal setting plan in place for the summer that will hopefully help them in that area this summer. I am looking forward to starting it and may post about the ins and outs later.

So instead of our normal summer math, grammar, reading, writing, history etc. we will be doing a summer reading program and they each will be given a family history research project to complete. That's it.

I hemmmed and hawwwed over what to do for a summer reading program. I ultimately ended up deciding to tweak this program just a little bit by adding in 8 book titles to the bingo card. I wanted a combo of a book list as well as a time commitment program - so I think this will work.

John's (age 11) eight books are -

Number the Stars
Sing Down the Moon
Dude, Don't be a Lemuel
Tuck Everlasting
Aaronic Priesthood
Alice Through the Looking Glass
Robinson Crusoe
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Madi's (age 9) eight books are -

The Goose Girl
How to be Totally Miserable
Pippi Longstocking
Caddie Woodlawn
The Long Winter
Alice in Wonderland
Nancy Drew
The Princess and the Goblin

Of course the kiddos will be reading other books. They absolutely devour series books in the summer and both of them already itching to get going in that direction. These are just the books they will need to read to earn their coupons.

I am not sure what books we will be reading together as family yet this summer. Some of my fondest memories are of the kids and I curling up on my bed with a bowl of popcorn and reading Harry Potter on one of those summer days in Houston where it is too hot to even be alive. I so very much do not miss those. We are currently in the middle of Anne of Green Gables. I'm not sure what direction we will head after that.

Happy Reading!