Eeeep! I have less than a week to complete the kids’* summer binders and get “Camp Mom” off to a fun and intentional start, but before I share all the resources, ideas, and assignments I have cookin’ for our 80 days together, I thought I’d throw our summer reading plan attcha.
*Note: Our boys will be entering 2nd and 3rd
grade next year; Selah will be heading to kindergarten
Devotions:
During the month of June, we will be going through Casssie & Caleb Discover God’s Wonderful Design to facilitate discussion about Biblical manhood and womanhood.
The rest of the summer will be spent with Max Lucado’s, Grace for the Moment: 365 Devotions for Kids.
Read Alouds:
Last summer we made a valiant attempt to get through On the Banks of Plumb Creek, but I threw my hands up and the book down around the middle of August and lamented,
“Gah! We are just NOT a Little House on the Flipping Prairie kind of family! For the love, somebody please go get me a Roald Dahl book!” I know we are supposed to
expose our minds and our homes to all things Laura Ingalls, but we are just not that classy, y’all. Not even close. My hat goes off to those of you who are.
This year we’ll be spending June romping about with Pippi Longstocking before heading into The Secret Garden in July/August.
At bedtime, we’ll split the kids up and read Selah a variety of books from the library while Ryan or I go through Harry Potter (Sorcerer’s Stone) and then Prince Caspian with the boys.
In addition to all sorts of free reads the boys will check out at the library each week, they’ll be expected to finish and report out on these:
Landon:
A Wrinkle in Time
Bridge to Terabithia
Play Ball! By Matt Christopher
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Stepping Stones Classic
Oliver Twist –
Stepping Stones Classic
From Slave to Soldier by Deborah Hopkinson
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
The Never Ending Story
Evan:
Runaway Ralph
Summer According to Humphrey
Treasure Island – Stepping Stones Classic
Robin Hood – Stepping Stones Classic
A Boxcar Children book of his choice
You’ll notice I’m crushing on Stepping Stones Classics this year. They are great for introducing early elementary littles to the classics without totally overwhelming them.
Now, to make all of this fun and festive, we’ll be participating in the following summer reading programs:
Club Read: Las Vegas-Clark County Libraries
Our kids love earning “Book Bucks” each week to exchange for used books through this fun program at the amazing libraries we have here in town.
Pottery Barn Kids
Summer Reading Challenge
To help Landon and Evan keep their read-aloud skills sharp this summer, I am going to have them take
the PBK Favorites book list. I’m hoping that this will be as much of
a
relationship-building activity each day for them as it will be a
skills-building one. The boys
could certainly use some extra practice in
leading their sister with kindness and patience, and Selah could absolutely
benefit from allowing them to lead her. It’s important to us that the boys
learn how to lead well and that Selah learns to respect and trust them, so this
reading challenge will hopefully nuture some growth in those areas. And,
bonus! Free stuff from PBK. Holla!
Barnes and Noble Summer Reading
Another way for them to a) earn a free book and b) get acquainted with the sights and smells of an endangered species – the Great American Bookstore.
This site will help Landon and Evan use their computer time more intentionally and constructively this summer. With Book Adventure, kids in grades K-8 can search for books, read them offline, come back to take a quiz on what they’ve read, and earn prizes.
Chuck E. Cheese’s Reading Rewards Calendar
Let’s face it: they are going to beg ask repeatedly to go to the “Mouse House” this summer, so they might as well earn some free tokens with this reading chart beforehand.
Oh, and I almost forgot! Here is my reading list for June:
Half the Sky: Turning Opression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
Interrupted: An Adventure in Relearning the Essentials of Faith by Jen Hatmaker
Fit to Burst: Abundance, Mayhem, and the Joys of Motherhood
by Rachel Jankovic
Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliott
For a look back at what we read last year, check out this post about our 2012 summer reading logs.