Summer Reading Incentive Programs (Full Version)

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csl7037 -> Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/16/2008 4:46:37 PM)

Does anyone know of any good summer reading incentive programs? I know Build a Bear had one last year but I haven't seen anything about it again for this year.



garsyt -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/16/2008 4:52:41 PM)

Check out local libraries.

Barnes and Noble bookstores sometimes have these.

In years past I've created my own.

Blessings,

Garsy



csl7037 -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/16/2008 4:58:02 PM)

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=1163091&sp=86209&p=1013335

This is a good list. My dd is 8 1/2 and I am to the point where I wont take just any reading list. I want classics and things that are "appropriate" to my standards! I trust CBD.com.



garsyt -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/16/2008 5:43:41 PM)

Oh I only do programs that DON'T require my kids to read certain books off a certain list. That would make reading not fun for my kids. I like programs that are based on TIME spent reading. That means my kids can read stuff that they are interested in or curious about or simply just like.

Blessings,

Garsy



Jenny-Fair -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/16/2008 10:24:49 PM)

If you homeschool, the about.com homeschooling site runs a reading program with a prize every summer.

Your library most likely has one, as well.



locomom -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/19/2008 1:58:05 AM)

I think I would consider doing a home-made one if I could get my children interested in it. It could be done like a contract.

That said, of course I'm not doing them anymore since my daughter is 20 yo. And as far as doing it with my children, I am speaking hypothetically since I have only 1 child. My daughter chose to give up on reading programs after 5th grade. She saw that they wouldn't work for her for a couple of reason. First, our local library based theirs on the number of books you read. Since she read quite a few years above expectations that meant she read fewer books because she read long books. Also the one year we did do the library summer program by the time she went to get her prize, all they had left were a few kindergarten and preschool books. At age 9 that really made her angry with them. She even chose to give up Book It before her last eligible year.

Of course the real problem with these programs is that they intend to encourage children who wouldn't read much over the summer or outside of school to read more. When you have a voracious reader, the programs lose their point at least partly because reading is enough of its own reward.



garsyt -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/19/2008 11:38:03 AM)

quote:

When you have a voracious reader, the programs lose their point at least partly because reading is enough of its own reward.


Oh I agree which is why I pretty much always tag on additional minutes to time required by our local libraries program. I've also given additional incentives if an older sibling takes the time to read to a younger sibling on a regular basis.

A few years back I actually complained to a local Christian bookstore and the library that I thought that only counting the number of books read was not the right way to go about summer reading programs. The bookstore still does a program based solely on the number of titles read and they have to be off of their "approved" list, but the very next summer the local public library changed it's program to challenge kids of all ages and teens and adults as well to keep track of the number of MINUTES read (or hours in the case of teens and adults) and a local grocery store chain has stepped up and offered additional incentives in the way of donations to local school libraires, animal shelters, and parks programs for any extra minutes above the programs requirements kids choose to read! Last year - for every 1000 minutes logged of reading by area children and teens - the store donated $100 worth of pet food and supplies to local shelters! The kids at our little local library branch alone managed over 5000 extra minutes!

Book-it kinda fell by the wayside in this house this year. It's not that my kids didn't read - it was that we kept forgetting to mark their charts and turn them in each month. Not like we didn't have a number of other things going on as well!

Blessings,

Garsy



thisistheday -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/19/2008 12:51:04 PM)

We never used any of my son's book-it coupons this year I don't think. Didn't want to buy pizza for the whole family, and never got there to just pick up his.

Thankfully our library has also started counting minutes rather than number of books read for the summer reading program. One year they did pages read, which wasn't a whole lot better than number of books read.

Dee



karlie -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/19/2008 2:54:06 PM)

The best reading incentive program my kids had was at home. They got to stay up a whole hour longer in the summer if they wanted to spend that hour reading. If not, they had normal bedtime. I never had one of them choose not to pick up a book for that hour[:D] They got so involved in the story that they would read on and off throughout the day too. My parents also got involved. For every three books they completed(chapter books on their reading level) my parents took them for ice cream. Some weeks mom and dad were at the ice cream shop 2x a week. [8D]

They both love books to this day.



garsyt -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/19/2008 5:13:08 PM)

quote:

For every three books they completed(chapter books on their reading level) my parents took them for ice cream. Some weeks mom and dad were at the ice cream shop 2x a week.


See that would be tough for my family as I have children at 3 different reading levels, all reading chapter books but one is reading Judy Moody or Magic School Bus, two reading longer more involved novels, and my eldest is reading things that are easily 300+ pages long. So while my youngest could finish two or three books in a day, my eldest might take a couple of weeks to finish just one book.

I definitely like basing reading programs on time read.

Blessings,

Garsy



Karaboo2 -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/20/2008 12:22:07 PM)

I saw at Barnes and Noble the other day, that they have a summer reading program ... read any 8 books of your choice, write a couple of sentences on each book about your favourite part, and turn it in by mid-August or something. When you turn in your completed form, you get to choose a free book (off of a pre-selected list of books)



roligirl -> RE: Summer Reading Incentive Programs (5/22/2008 7:10:26 PM)

I like this idea, but I think I'll add a twist. Use that extra hour to read together. We were reading together this past winter and haven't gotten to fit in the time this spring. I really don't need an incentive for my girlies to read, they read whenever they have a spare moment-in the car, on the potty, while watching TV, when they wake up, etc. They do love getting a free book from our library's reading program.



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